Apr 19, 2024  
Policies and Procedures Manual 
    
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Policies and Procedures Manual

09:13:00 College Emergency Response Team

Revision Responsibility: Chief of Campus Police
Responsible Executive Officer: Vice President for Business & Finance                                                                            
Source/Reference: Institutional Emergency Preparedness Plan

PURPOSE

To define the responsibilities of the College Emergency Response Team.

POLICY

All employees are required to be familiar with the College’s Emergency Preparedness Plan or at a minimum, the Building Emergency Action Plan (BEAP) for the building they occupy. However, some personnel may have special designations as a member of the College Emergency Response Team (CERT) and have associated responsibilities during an actual event (See Figure 29). CERT team members will execute activation of Building Emergency Action Plans. CERT team members will ensure that emergency instructions are appropriately followed. 

CERT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The College Emergency Response Team consists of the following members:

  1. Director of Campus Police and Emergency Preparedness
  2. Campus Police Staff
  3. Local Emergency Responders
  4. Primary building coordinator and designee
  5. Secondary building coordinator and designee
  6. Primary floor coordinator and designee
  7. Secondary floor coordinator and designee
  8. Primary area coordinator and designee
  9. Secondary area coordinator and designee
  10. Group leaders
  11. Exit door guard

CERT COORDINATOR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

It is necessary that members of the College Emergency Response Team (CERT) assist in executing Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAP).  The CERT team members are appointed in the following manner:

  1. The Primary Building Coordinator is appointed by the President and is responsible for assisting the Director of Campus Police, Emergency Preparedness and Safety Survey Administrator in the formulation and development of the BEAP for the assigned building.  The Primary building coordinator is also responsible for execution of the BEAP as emergencies warrant. The Primary Building Coordinator will appoint the following team members:
  1. Primary Building Coordinator Designee
  2. Secondary Building Coordinator and Designee
  3. Primary Floor Coordinators
  4. Door Guards

   

B.  The Primary Building Coordinator Designee is responsible for assisting the Primary Building Coordinator in the formulation, and development of the BEAP. The designee is also responsible for execution of the plan in the absence of the Primary Building Coordinator.

C.  The Secondary Building Coordinator is responsible for assisting the Primary Building Coordinator and Designee in the formulation and development of the BEAP. In the absence of both the primary building coordinator and designee, the secondary building coordinator assumes responsibility for executing the building emergency action plan. 

D.  The Primary Floor Coordinators are appointed by the Primary Building Coordinator and are responsible for being familiar with the BEAP.  Floor coordinators will execute the plan for the assigned floor. Upon execution of the BEAP, the Primary Floor Coordinator will communicate with the Primary and Secondary Building Coordinators and designees. Floors and areas will be cleared by coordinators during evacuation or relocation and coordinators will direct building occupants to the appropriate outdoor evacuation rally point or indoor relocation area.  The Primary Floor Coordinator will appoint the following team members:

  1. Primary floor coordinator designee
  2. Secondary floor coordinator and designee
  3. Primary and secondary area coordinators and designeees

 

E. The Primary Floor Coordinator Designee-is responsible for being familiar with and execution of the BEAP in the absence of the Primary Floor Coordinator. The Primary Floor Designee will communicate with the secondary and primary coordinators or appropriate designees as areas and floors will be cleared during evacuation or relocation, and will direct building occupants to the appropriate evacuation rally point or relocation area. The Primary Floor Coordinator will communicate with the Primary or Secondary Building Coordinators or the appropriate designee as their floor is checked and cleared.

F.  The Secondary Floor Coordinator assumes responsibility for executing the building emergency action plan in the absence of both the primary floor coordinator and designee. The Secondary Floor Coordinator Designee will communicate with the secondary and primary building coordinators or appropriate designees as areas and floors are cleared during evacuation or relocation and will direct building occupants to the appropriate evacuation rally point or relocation area.

G.  The Area Coordinators are responsible for being familiar with the BEAP and for checking and clearing of assigned areas and rooms on the assigned floor and directing building occupants to the appropriate evacuation rally point or relocation area. Area coordinators will communicate with the Primary and Secondary Floor Coordinators or the appropriate designee as areas are checked and cleared.

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

Other CERT team members are:

  1. Campus or Building Deans
  2. Department Heads
  3. Door Guards
  4. Drill Assessment Team
  5. Faculty
  1. Campus or Building Deans are responsible for oversight of the development and execution of Building Emergency Action Plans (BEAPS) for the campus, building or buildings within their administrative responsibility. Deans will ensure that appointed Primary Building Coordinators are reviewing the BEAPS with staff on a regular basis.  Building plans should be updated as needed relative to staffing appointments.
  2. Department Heads are responsible for maintaining a departmental Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the department assigned.  A template for developing a COOP may be found in the institution’s emergency preparedness plan. They are also responsible for accounting for personnel during a critical event and during drills.
  3. Door Guards are responsible for ensuring that no one enters or re-enters the building during an in progress evacuation. The door guard will remain a safe distance from the building to alert others to the fact that evacuation is in progress and that the building should not be entered. 
  4. Drill Assessment Team is a team of individuals who are chosen to monitor and evaluate the execution of a BEAP. 
  5. Faculty are responsible for being familiar with the Building Emergency Action Plan for the building occupied and being aware of designated outside evacuation rally points and indoor relocation points and guiding an directing students and visitors to the designated areas.

This structure allows for depth in planning for absences of response team members during a critical situation and provides structure in formulating building emergency action plans for multi-level buildings. In the absence of the primary building coordinator, the primary building coordinator designee will assume the responsibilities of executing the building emergency action plan. For this reason, it is necessary for all coordinators and designees to become familiar with the building emergency action plan and participate in any training that is made available on an ongoing basis.

PROCEDURE FOR ACTIVATION OF BUILDING EMERGENCY ACTION PLANS

Upon activation of the Emergency Message System, or when notified verbally or in any other manner, of the need to evacuate or relocate, the building coordinators or their designees will ensure that all members of the response team are notified and/or are following the procedure outlined for the building occupied. The building and floor coordinators should establish radio communication, when it does not jeopardize the safety of their location, to monitor the progression of building emergency action plan execution.

  Area coordinators will check and clear assigned areas, close doors and turn out lights to indicate the areas have been checked and to direct building occupants to the appropriate outside evacuation rally point or inside relocation area. In instances of fire, area coordinators should NOT lock doors, as emergency personnel may need to quickly enter the area. Once assigned areas have been checked and cleared, the area coordinator will notify the primary floor coordinator, or his/her designee, or secondary floor coordinator or designee, that assigned areas of the building have been checked and cleared.

Once floor coordinators/designees are notified that all areas have been cleared, the floor coordinator/designee will communicate with the primary building coordinator/designee to let them know his/her floor and areas are cleared. Once building coordinators or their designees have been notified that all areas of the building are checked and cleared, building coordinators or their designees will contact Campus Police via radio to report the building has been cleared.  

All response team members should then proceed with the building occupants to the outside evacuation rally point or inside relocation area to account for building staff.  Faculty will account for students. Team members and building occupants should await further instruction from Campus Police or emergency services. In the event of lock down, all team members will comply with lock down instructions.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF COORDINATORS

It will be the primary building coordinator’s responsibility to ensure that posted emergency evacuation plan maps are present in appropriate locations of the building plans that have been damaged or are in need of replacement or that have not been posted should be reported to the vice president for Business & Finance for updating or replacement. Primary and secondary building coordinators and designees will have input into the formulation, evaluation, and execution of drills associated with the Emergency Preparedness Plan. Primary and secondary building coordinators and designees will be responsible for conducting and arranging training and/or review of building emergency action plans with assigned building staff and faculty.

TRAINING

Primary and secondary building coordinators and designees, primary and secondary floor coordinators and their designees will be required to participate in various emergency preparedness training and safety/rescue equipment training, to include but not limited to:

  1. National Incident Management System/Incident Command System (NIMS/ICS)
  2. Emergency Radio
  3. CPR/AED
  4. Evacu-trac chair
  5. Fire extinguishers

10/19