And State University

VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

AND STATE UNIVERSITY

Department Emergency

Planning Guidelines

–Interim Guidance–

Environmental, Health and Safety Services

540-231-5985

Environmental Health and Safety services

Department Emergency Planning Guidelines

Environmental, Health and Safety Services

Health and SafetyBuilding

459 Tech Center Drive

Blacksburg, VA 24061

Phone 540-231-5985 Fax (540) 231-3944

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, political affiliation or sexual orientation. The university is subject to Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistant Act of 1974, the Federal Executive Order 11246, Virginia’s State Executive Order Number Two, and all other rules and regulations that are applicable. Anyone having questions concerning any of those regulations should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity, 336 Burruss Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia24061-0216, (540) 231-7500, TTY: (540) 231-4638.

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Revision Status

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Table of Contents

Revision Status

INTRODUCTION

SCOPE

APPLICATION

BASIC PLANNING BEFORE AN EMERGENCY OCCURS

GETTING ORGANIZED

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

ESTABLISHING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

PLANNING FOR EVACUATIONS

Fire Alarms

Special Considerations

Evacuation Planning for Persons with Disabilities

REDUCE HAZARDS IN DEPARTMENTAL WORKSITES

TRAINING

Fire and Other Emergency Drills

CONDUCT COOP AND BUSINESS RESUMPTION PLANNING

APPENDIX 1 - EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN TEMPLATE

Emergency Procedures for Faculty, Lecturers, and Teaching Assistants

Classroom Emergency Procedures

Evacuation Planning For Persons With Disabilities

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INTRODUCTION

SCOPE

No one expects an emergency or disaster to affect him or her—or the work area. Yet the reality is that emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime and anywhere. A workplace emergency is an unforeseen situation that: threatens students, staff, faculty and visitors; disrupts or shuts down part or all of the university community; or causes physical or environmental damage. Emergencies may be natural or manmade and include the following:

• Earthquakes,
• Fires,
• Floods,
• Hurricanes,
• Tornadoes,
• Toxic gas releases,

• Chemical spills,
• Radiological accidents,
• Explosions,
• Civil disturbances
• Workplace violence
• Extended utility outages (including telecommunications)

When an emergency strikes, our immediate safety and prompt recovery will depend on the level of preparedness among faculty, staff and students. At Virginia Tech, planning ahead for emergencies is part of normal business planning and campus life, and all members of the campus community share a responsibility for preparedness.

Emergency planning at Virginia Tech occurs at three levels:

• Virginia Tech’s Emergency Response Plan (ERP) outlines the university’s procedures for managing major emergencies that may threaten the health and safety of the campus community or disrupt its programs and activities. The ERP identifies departments and individuals that are directly responsible for emergency response and critical support services, and it provides a management structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources.
• Deans, Vice Provosts and Vice Presidents are expected to develop Satellite Operations Center Emergency Plans. Satellite Operations Centers (SOCs) gather emergency impact data from their constituent departments, account for their personnel, transmit reports to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), disseminate emergency instructions to constituents, and develop and implement business continuity, resumption, and recovery plans.
• Departments must be prepared to respond effectively to smaller-scale emergencies where immediate action must be taken to protect departmental operations, personnel, and visitors to our campus. This is accomplished by development of a unit or Departmental Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Departments are also expected to develop Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plans that outline business continuity, resumption and recovery priorities for various types of impacts.

This document provides guidance on how to develop the departmental EAP.

The university maintains a comprehensive emergency preparedness education and training program to familiarize employees and students with emergency procedures. This training may be arranged by contacting Environmental, Health and Safety Services at or 231-9068, or the course schedule may be viewed at The office of ADA Coordinator provides information on emergency planning for people with disabilities; contact or 231-4638.

Emergency Levels

Virginia Tech’s ERP classifies four levels of emergencies according to their severity and potential impact upon the campus community. The levels are:

LEVEL 0A minor, localized incident that is quickly resolved with existing university resources. A Level 0 emergency has little or no impact on personnel or normal operations outside of the affected area. Examples include an automatic fire alarm, a small chemical spill, or a localized waterline break.

LEVEL IA localized incident that is quickly resolved with university resources and limited support of outside agencies. A Level I emergency has little or no impact on personnel or normal operations outside of the affected area. Examples include a localized fire or explosion, a chemical spill that causes a disruption of services and a hazardous materials response, and a water main break.

LEVEL IIAn emergency that may adversely impact or threaten life, health or property on a large scale at one or more locations within the university. Control of the incident requires specialists in addition to university and outside agency personnel and may have long-term implications. Examples include whole-building fires, a chemical release that requires evacuation of one or more buildings, and large scale civil unrest on university property.

LEVEL IIIA major disaster involving a large portion of the campus and surrounding community. Control of the incident will require a multi-agency response and the involvement of multiple university departments. Long-term implications are expected. Examples include extensive flooding, large-scale chemical release, earthquake, tornado, and major utility outages.

Note that the ERP will typically only be activated for Level II and III emergencies and the designated level may vary as emergency conditions change. Departments, however, must be prepared to take immediate action to protect departmental operations, personnel, and visitors to our campus in response to any type or scale of emergency that threatens the immediate area.

Phases of Response Activities

University response to a disaster or emergency will generally involve the following phases:

• Planning and Mitigation – The process of evaluating exposures and developing or refining response plans that will assure an orderly and effective response to an emergency, and for identifying and mitigating areas of vulnerability. The identification of business recovery priorities, development of COOP plans and EAP’s, and training of departmental staff fall in this category. The planning done during this phase is critical to assuring an effective response to an emergency and minimizing the impact on departmental and university operations.
• Response – The reaction(s) to an incident or emergency in order to assess the level of containment and control activities that may be necessary. During this phase, generally only preliminary forecasts of the impact will be available, and university priorities will be to assure the public welfare, protect critical infrastructure, and provide support to emergency response organizations/operations.
• Resumption – The process of planning for and/or implementing the resumption of critical business operations immediately following an interruption or disaster. During this phase, more in-depth forecasts of the impact will be available, and university-wide priorities for program resumption will be determined. All response activities indicated above will continue as necessary. The support requirements/needs of SOCs and their constituent departments will be addressed on a prioritized basis.
• Recovery/Restoration – The process of planning for and/or implementing recovery of non-critical business processes and functions after critical business process functions have been resumed, and for implementing projects/operations that will allow the university to return to a normal service level.

Emergency Response Priorities

Virginia Tech’s emergency response priorities are:

• Protect life safety.
• Secure our critical infrastructure and facilities which are, in priority order:

• buildings used by dependent populations,
• buildings critical to health and safety,
• facilities that sustain the emergency response,
• classroom and research buildings, and
• administrative buildings.

• Resume teaching and research programs.

APPLICATION

The Emergency Response Resource Group (ERRG), drawn from the university’s senior administrative and academic areas, coordinates the campus response to major disasters from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). An Emergency Response Coordinator (ERC) is responsible for the operational direction of the response.

The Policy Group will convene to coordinate policy and procedure issues specific to response and recovery activities necessitated by the nature of the event. The Policy Group is composed of: the President; Executive Vice President; Associate Vice President, University Relations; University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Vice Provost, Academic Affairs; Vice President, Business Affairs; Vice President, Information Technology; Vice President, Student Affairs; and, General Counsel.

Satellite Operations Centers (SOCs) are located in the administrative headquarters of Deans, Vice Provosts and Vice Presidents, and serve as the pivotal communications interface between the EOC and the campus community before, during and after a major emergency or disaster. SOCs also play a critical role in assuring department preparedness, response, and recovery planning and training.

Satellite Operations Centers:

• Gather emergency impact data from their areas and account for their personnel,
• Transmit reports to the EOC,
• Disseminate emergency instructions to constituents,
• Communicate the location of Emergency Assembly Points used during emergency evacuations in areas,
• Recruit volunteers to assist with response and recovery operations,
• Coordinate the planning and implementation of business continuity, resumption, and recovery activities in their respective areas, and
• Participate in campus exercises to practice using these resources.

Emergency Action Plans (EAP)

EAP’s outline departmental expectations for how employees are to respond if an emergency occurs that impacts departmental worksites. The departmental EAP should be comprehensive and address all issues specific to the department that may arise during an emergency, as well as the conditions present in departmental worksites (e.g., are there extraordinary hazards present, does the building have a fire alarm system, etc.) The EAP template located in Appendix 1 will help you establish:

• The unit’s policies relating to the emergency ‘chain of command’;
• A preferred method for reporting fires and other emergencies;
• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments, such as floor plans, workplace maps, and areas of refuge;
• The location of emergency assembly locations and procedures to account for all employees after the evacuation;
• Names, titles, departments and telephone numbers of individuals both within and outside your building to contact for additional information or explanation of duties and responsibilities under the emergency plan;
• Procedures for employees who remain to perform or shut down critical plant operations, operate fire extinguishers or perform other essential services that cannot be shut down for every emergency alarm before evacuation;
• Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform them; and,
• Internal communications procedures.

The EAP must be known and understood before an emergency occurs. Department heads and directors are therefore expected to:

• Share this important safety information with all faculty, staff, and students on an annual basis
• Brief all new personnel when they join the department
• Keep multiple copies of the EAP in accessible locations throughout the organization

Where a department spans multiple buildings, a separate EAP will need to be developed for each location.

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BASIC PLANNING BEFORE AN EMERGENCY OCCURS

GETTING ORGANIZED

The first step in building department preparedness is to assemble the appropriate human and physical resources to do the job.

It is recommended that every departmental executive appoint an “Emergency Coordinator” to help develop and implement the departmental emergency plan. An Emergency Coordinator must be familiar with the Department’s programs and physical facilities, and should be a person with the management experience and financial authority to:

• Collaborate with the Department Head or Director to develop and maintain the information in the Department Emergency Plan and EAP(s).
• Recruit a core “Emergency Preparedness Committee” that represents staff, faculty, and principal investigators from the department’s major divisions or locations. Include people with disabilities (limited mobility, low vision/blind, HOH/Deaf) in order to plan for all needs.

• Arrange appropriate preparedness training for personnel. This training is generally available from EHSS and may be arranged by contacting or by calling 231-9068. Additional information regarding people with disabilities and emergencies is available from ADA Coordinator by calling 231-4638.

• Purchase department emergency supplies and equipment.
• Be ready to support the departmental executive during an emergency incident (and be called back to campus if necessary).
• Be ready to help prepare post-disaster impact summaries and insurance documentation.
• Assure that information is communicated to the SOC, and that departmental faculty and staff are kept informed of information received from the SOC, if the university EOC is activated.

Both existing and newly formed Emergency Preparedness Committees should consider dividing their members into an “Emergency Response Team” and an “Emergency Recovery Team” to handle those specialized planning and response activities.

• The “Emergency Response Team” should be trained to disseminate emergency instructions and warnings including people with disabilities by using accessible formats, assist evacuations and security, provide first aid and similar support if necessary, and deal with immediate salvage and preservation issues (e.g. moving animals and plants, covering books and equipment).
• The “Emergency Recovery Team” should be prepared to document the effects of the emergencyand coordinate facility and program restoration according to priorities identified by the Departmental Executive and/or as directed by the SOC. This team should also be used to perform COOP, business resumption, and business recovery planning. Please refer to university guidance for assistance with developing your departmental COOP plan.

SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

If a large-scale disaster affects the university, it may not be physically possible to provide immediate emergency support for every area that requires it, even with the assistance of the adjacent towns and counties. Departments, therefore, should maintain basic emergency supplies and equipment to be as self-sufficient as possible after an emergency. Department emergency kits will vary in size and composition according to an organization’s structure, function and location, but all Virginia Tech departments should have the following essentials in an accessible location:

• First aid supplies with instructions
• Flashlights/batteries
• Portable AM/FM radios/batteries
• Employee rosters
• Each laboratory should be equipped with a spill kit suitable for the chemicals used.

Other supplies that might be necessary include:

• Air horns, megaphones or similar devices that will facilitate evacuating a building that does not have a central fire alarm system
• Controlled descent and similar devices to assist persons with mobility and other impairments.

Every departmental executive should encourage employees to keep a personal emergency kit in their work area. These kits should contain a flashlight, back-up eyeglasses and medications, sturdy shoes, a sweater or light poncho, a “snack” (such as energy bars), a bottle of water and personal emergency contact numbers.

ESTABLISHING EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

The Virginia Tech Emergency Response Plan explains that, during an emergency, Department Executives:

• Ensure that life-safety emergencies are reported by calling 911.
• Account for the safety of department personnel.
• Notify his or her Vice President or Dean of the incident, and contact appropriate campus emergency response departments for repairs assistance or safety issues (e.g., Risk Management, Facilities, or Environmental, Health and Safety Services) associated with smaller-scale incidents (Level 0 and I); requests for assistance during larger-scale incidents will be reported to the EOC via your respective SOC.
• Deliver critical university information and instructions to their constituents.
• Forward disaster impact reports to their respective SOC and disseminate SOC disaster instructions.

It is important that your department establish procedures for making critical notifications during business hours and during after-hours emergencies. At a minimum, your department should:

• Establish “telephone trees” and “distribution” voicemail and email lists to initiate rapid emergency notifications.
• Create a department “Emergency Hotline” so that faculty, staff, and students can call into your department to hear recorded announcements and instructions about emergency effects on your program.
• Publicize the university emergency information hotline number if one is established.

Be certain your EAP(s) include procedures for announcing the need to immediately evacuate a building in response to fire or other building emergency.