I. Purpose:
The purpose of these Disaster or Emergency
Operations Plan Procedures is to provide clear and effective channels of
communication and coordination of university departments responsible for responding
to emergency situations occurring on campus. The university will use the
National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System for all emergency
responses.
II. Definition
of Emergencies: For purposes of these procedures, an emergency is defined
as any unexpected situation which affects the operations or safety of business
processes, information resources, persons or property on the buildings and
grounds of Texas State, as well as students who are studying at distance or off-campus
programs. Examples include fires or explosions in university facilities,
emergencies in or adjacent to university facilities, an unscheduled shutdown of
campus facilities, accidents with serious personal injury or property damage on
campus, natural disasters, civil disturbances, or unauthorized occupancy of
campus areas.
III. Disruptive
Activities on Campus: The president has reviewed and approved policies for addressing
disruptive activities on the university campus involving members of the university
community and the public. Attachment III details considerations for dealing with
behavior that causes unacceptable disruption or creates potential hazards to property
or individual safety. In the event of a campus disturbance or protest, the
university will follow the policies in Attachment III.
IV. Weather
Extremes and Energy Curtailments: In the event of an energy curtailment or
severe weather condition, the university will follow the procedures outlined in
UPPS No. 05.04.02, Closing the Campus Because of Weather or Other Emergencies.
V. Reporting
and Communication of Emergencies: Whenever an emergency occurs during
normal business hours, the University Police Department (UPD) should receive
immediate notification. The senior police officer on duty will immediately
dispatch and direct the response of police personnel sent to the scene and will
immediately notify the following offices:
1. City
of San Marcos Police and Fire Departments (753-2108)
2. Facilities
Dept., Duty Utility Maintenance Operator – 2148 (After 5:00 PM and on weekends,
call 2108)
3. Vice
President, Student Affairs – 2152
Upon notification that the university
is activating the Emergency Operations Plan, the director of University Police
or the senior police officer on duty will notify the vice president for Student
Affairs, who will notify the other appropriate other executive staff. The senior
police officer on duty may use discretion to change the order of the calls as
the nature of the emergency warrants.
If an emergency occurs on weekends or
at times other than normal business hours, UPD should receive immediate notice.
After the senior police officer on duty (watch commander) has dispatched
officers to the scene, notified the City of San Marcos Police or Fire
Department and notified the Facilities Department duty utility maintenance operator,
the police watch commander shall contact one of the individuals, in the order
indicated, from the offices listed in UPPS No 05.04.03, Section 04.05, and other departments as
necessary. The office administrator should receive notice first; if not
available, the first and then second alternate should receive notice.
Officials from the Vice President for
Student Affairs Office or the president's staff must contact the president
after receiving contact from UPD.
VI. Leadership
and Operational Responsibility: If an emergency occurs during non-business
hours, the senior police officer on duty will direct the emergency response. The
first vice president to arrive at the emergency will assume an advisory role
until otherwise notified by the president or designee. Time is critical in
emergencies and emergency responders must follow directions quickly and
effectively.
VII. Implementation
of Emergency Response Procedures: The president or designee will decide
whether to implement these emergency operations procedures, to recall
university officials or their alternates to the campus during non-business
hours, and to recall other university administrators to assist in the
emergency. The senior officer on the
scene will determine the establishment of an incident command center (ICC) where
the above officials and administrators will convene.
VIII. Notification
Responsibilities in the Event of Injuries: The first priority in responding
to any emergency occurs where students, faculty, or staff are injured on university
property, university-sponsored events (on or off university property), or in university
facilities. The university personnel listed below should contact the injured
parties or their families to advise them of the university’s concern for their
welfare, and to assist them on other matters where possible.
The following offices shall initiate
and maintain contact with injured parties or their parents or families, with
the advice of the TSUS associate general counsel.
1. For students – dean of Students
2. For faculty – provost
3. For staff – assistant vice president for Human Resources.
4. For non-university groups on campus for university-hosted
events – the head of the department sponsoring the event
The designated official should
initiate contact with injured persons or their parents or families as soon as
possible. If the UPD learns of the identity of injured persons, it is the
responsibility of the department to inform the above-listed offices as soon as
practical.
IX. Communication
to Students, Faculty, and Staff Concerning Emergencies: If an emergency
occurs that requires immediate communication to students, faculty, and staff, the
university will convey this information through a variety of means.
In addition to using the local media
to communicate this information after normal business and teaching hours, the
university may use the following means when making a decision to close down during
business hours:
1.
Use telephone relay of information from the Office of the Vice President
for Student Affairs or the provost to colleges and non-academic departments.
2. Immediately
notify university switchboard operators, who will respond to incoming inquiries
or refer callers to the appropriate offices.
3. University
police officer or designee will make public address announcements in the Alkek Library or other locations which have public address
systems.
4. Ask
the Dean of Students Office and Housing and Residential Life to relay
information to students in the residence halls and the Student Center.
5. Post
information on the university website.
6.
Utilization of emergency notification systems (i.e., Thor Guard, classroom
sign boards, reverse 911, voicemail system, and text messaging service).
X. Operating
University During Close-Downs: If the university
is closed and classes canceled because of an emergency or disaster, some
essential services must continue (i.e., law enforcement, facilities operations
and patient care).
XI. Immediate
Response of University Police Department to Emergencies: Immediately upon
notification that an emergency, as defined in Section II, has occurred, the senior
police officer on duty shall perform the following in cooperation and
communication with local police and fire department personnel:
1. Implement
NIMS for management response and resource utilization;
2. Immediately
dispatch UPD personnel and notify the City of San Marcos Police and Fire
Department personnel, including emergency medical technicians, if required;
3. Notify the university
officials indicated in UPPS No. 05.04.03 of these procedures, as necessary for
conditions;
4. Activate
an emergency medical alert to local hospitals, if necessary;
5. Assist
in the removal and rescue of injured persons from the scene of the emergency;
6. Notify
and seek assistance from Facilities personnel on duty if a threat or damage has
occurred to university property;
7. Evacuate
the site of the emergency, if required;
8.
Secure the area of the emergency;
9. Assist
in crowd control and traffic control at the scene; and
10. Designate
an area for media response.
The senior police officer at the scene
of an emergency shall direct UPD personnel and coordinate their activities with
those of the City of San Marcos Police, Fire Departments, and any other
responding mutual aid.
XII. Establishment
and Staffing of Incident Command Centers: If an emergency, as defined in Section
II, occurs that requires coordinating personnel from several different offices,
the president or designee shall convene at a site designated by the director of
Emergency Operations, Emergency Management coordinator, or the senior police officer.
The emergency’s nature may require selected administrators and department heads
or their alternates from divisions responding to the emergency to be present at
the site UPD has designated to advise the president, facilitate communications
between departments and mutual aid responders, and direct university
personnel’s response to the emergency.
If the emergency occurs at a time other
than during normal business hours, these selected individuals who are called to
the campus shall report to the site designated by the UPD.
XIII. Incident
Command Center Communication System: The incident command center (ICC) and
the site of the emergency shall communicate by two-way radio on a frequency
assigned to the UPD. When the ICC is established, the UPD shall deliver a
transceiver to the command center and provide to key university personnel at
the site of the emergency (i.e., associate vice president for Facilities)
two-way radios in order to facilitate direct and instant communication between
the incident command center and the site.
The ICC and university offices shall
communicate by cellular or land-line telephone under the general guidelines for
offices responding to an emergency or for those who have a representative
assigned to the emergency responders’ room. They must keep one line open at all
times. TelCom will provide satellite phones if other
telephone lines are not available or accessible. If telephone communication is impossible
because of a failure, UPD will provide two-way radios. All radios will be
operated as defined by NIMS.
XIV. Information Retrieval During an
Emergency: To
retrieve information about facilities, students, faculty, or staff necessary to
assist in emergency response, the following departments are the official
sources for the most current information about personnel or facilities:
1. Facilities Department – for floor
plans indicating the locations and identification of rooms and offices in university
facilities.
2. Registrar's Office – for students'
addresses; class schedules; parents' names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. for the
ICC in accordance with FERPA.
3. Human Resources Office – for faculty
and staff records; addresses, phone numbers, office locations, etc.
4. Technology Resources – for supplying
computer-based information as in Items 2 or 3 above.
The administrator in charge of each
area or the ICC will approve information released from these sources.
XV. Access
to Emergency Site: The ICC shall control access to the emergency site. To ensure that only authorized personnel are
admitted to the site, the ICC may issue identification tags to individuals
authorized by the ICC, the president, or the vice president for Student
Affairs. If issued, the individual must wear the tag on the outer garment,
clearly visible to security personnel.
XVI. Media
Relations: A vice president or a designee must approve and the University
News Service (UNS) must clear all news releases, communication, interviews, or
other information about an emergency requested by or released to the news media.
All ongoing media relations concerning an emergency are the responsibility of
the UNS.
In order to respond effectively to
media requests, the senior police officer on scene will designate a public
information center.
Because the media may also seek
information at the site of an emergency, UNS should send an information
specialist to the site to answer questions. This person should remain in
contact with the ICC or the public information center for guidance and approval
of statements for release.
XVII. Relations
and Communication with Family Members of Faculty, Staff, or Students: To
respond to telephone inquiries from family members of faculty, staff, or
students, the university may establish a central inquiry answering center and
publicize a designated telephone number. University operators will transfer
telephone inquiries to the inquiry answering center.
The UNS or a designee will staff the
center, responding to inquiries and supervising the activities and the
personnel answering the calls. The UNS or designee shall determine which information
to release, as approved by the ICC.
XVIII. Texas
State University System (TSUS) Associate General Counsel: The Office of the
TSUS Associate General Counsel shall have responsibility for reviewing and
clearing all information or reports concerning the possible cause of accidents
or emergencies, potential liability for accidents or injuries, and all other
legal concerns or problems. No one other than the president, vice president for
Student Affairs or their designees is authorized to speak for the university
about these matters.
XIX. Technology
Resources: If technology resources are affected to the degree warranted,
the Technology Resources Disaster Response Incident Management Team will
assemble at their designated emergency management center and notify the ICC of
that location.
XX. Personal
and Property Insurance Claims: The processing of all personal and property
insurance claims arising from an emergency resulting in injury to persons or
damage to property is the responsibility of the Finance and Support Services
Division with advice from the TSUS associate general counsel.
It is the responsibility of UPD to
collect personal property left at the site of an emergency and to make every
reasonable effort to identify and return such property to the rightful owners.
XXI. Investigation
and Reports on Emergencies: UPD, Facilities Department or Technology
Resources shall conduct an investigation when appropriate, and prepare reports
on an emergency’s probable cause as defined in Section II.
IT
IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL APPROPRIATE ADMINISTRATORS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS TO
ENSURE THAT PERSONNEL ARE AWARE OF THESE PROCEDURES. IN ADDITION, THOSE DEPARTMENT
HEADS THAT MAY RESPOND TO AN EMERGENCY SHOULD ESTABLISH APPROPRIATE ANNEXES IN
ACCORDANCE WITH NIMS.