Exhibit A – Situation Assessment Checklist
Source: American Council on Education, http://www.acenet.edu, May 3, 2007.
Although no single template will adequately meet the emergency planning needs of all institutions, the key questions that Presidents, CIOs, security/safety and emergency management teams should consider include:
- Has our institution conducted a comprehensive assessment of the potentially catastrophic risks it faces? Has our institution made plans to address those risks?
- Does our institution have an appropriate emergency team in place? Is the team headed by a senior administrator? Do key team members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises? Are team member responsibilities well-articulated, well-understood, and effectively coordinated for efficient crisis management?
- Does our institution have a
plan for continuous operation in the event of an emergency (i.e., a continuity plan)? Is that plan applicable to all types of emergencies?——Article Continues Below——
- Does our institution have multiple means to communicate with students, faculty, staff and visitors in the event of an immediate, ongoing emergency situation that demonstrate that all possible means are invoked to communicate during a crisis?
- What role does our campus information technology leadership play in our emergency planning? How are technology experts brought into the day-to-day planning process for campus communications, emergency response, and the ability to maintain campus services during a short- or long-term disruption?
- What communication and coordination networks exist among our campus security leadership, local law enforcement, political officials, first responders and health officials, both on an ongoing basis and in case of emergency? For example, does our institution’s campus safety department have mutual aid agreements or memoranda of understanding with local emergency response agencies?
- What kinds of processes or programs does our institution utilize to inventory campus security resources, including the ability to retain experienced, trained staff?
- Is the training of campus security personnel appropriately responsive to catastrophic risks?
- Are the policies and procedures used at our institution appropriate with respect to persons who are believed to pose significant danger to themselves or others?
- Are the policies and procedures used at our institution demonstrative of our commitment to emergency preparedness, well-aligned with accepted standards, and demonstrative of our institution’s reputation and leadership in higher education?
Exhibit B – Seven Crisis Management Essentials
Source: “A primer for crisis management.” Risk Management. Oiver, Barbara B. January 1, 2002.
1. Reach out to key public safety agencies in your community when designing your facility evacuation plan. Determine where the fire or police department is likely to place its staging area and designate that location as the site where staff will congregate after evacuating your building. Many communities also have an office of emergency preparedness that may be able to provide advice about evacuation strategies.
2. Establish a network of community institutions that you can call on during a crisis. Consider a wide range of organizations that might be key partners during specific types of crises.
3. Keep a comprehensive directory of personnel up-to-date, with copies maintained off-site. Be diligent in maintaining emergency contact information for all staff; every time an employee leaves or joins the organization or undergoes an annual review by a supervisor, update current home addresses and phone, fax, wireless and beeper numbers. With security and privacy issues in mind, consider an online directory that enables each staff member to update personal information without requiring a visit to your personnel department.
4. Carefully inventory the physical assets needed to continue mission-critical operations, even at vastly reduced levels. Update these databases or spreadsheets during the annual audit or property insurance renewal process, but record major acquisitions as they occur.
5. Maintain a backup of your computer file server and key databases and financial files. Update the backup at least every week and store a copy off-site or in a fireproof safe. Schedule drills every thirty to sixty days to test the procedure and to determine if you can restore systems from the backup tapes.
6. Store a copy of all insurance policies, vehicle and property titles, vehicle registrations and bank account numbers in a safe deposit box or fireproof safe.
7. Review emergency and crisis management procedures at least once a year with key personnel. Make it a top priority to create procedures indicating who does what in the event of an emergency with alternates to replace them.
