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Emergency Management Policy

This policy was posted for public comment from January 16 – 31, 2024.

Comments

  1. Definitions
    1. Consider revising “Declaration of Disaster” to “Declaration of Emergency.”
    2. In section 3.D, it states that a “Declaration of Disaster” occurs if the college’s “resources are insufficient to meet demands resulting from the event.” Does that mean that a disaster does not occur if there are sufficient resources to address a disaster? For example, the college may have sufficient resources to address an active shooter situation or a terrorist incident, but they still may occur.
  2. Procedures
    1. Background
      1. In section 4.A.1, change “extraordinary events” to “emergency” so the usage of terms is consistent. “Emergency” is a definition. “Extraordinary events” is not a definition.
      2. In section 4.A.1, change “must develop” to “has.”
      3. In section 4.A.2, there should be a link to the “Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.”
    2. Business Continuity Plan
      1. In section 4.B.1, change “disruptive event” to “emergency”.
      2. In section 4.B.1, what does “operational status” mean? This term should be defined.
      3. In section 4.B.2 addressing “Development of a BCP”, it would be helpful if there was a link to a BCP template.
      4. No member of this committee was aware of what a BCP is. Since section 4.B.1 states that “a critical part of the CEMP is that BCPs created by each college department,” there is a lack of understanding and communication to faculty and staff about the importance of a BCP. A more focused effort needs to be conducted to communicate this information to supervisors and staff.
      5. In section 4.B, there should be a section requiring college departments to update their BCP every three years or any other amount of time that is appropriate.
    3. Declaration of Disaster Process
      1. In section 4.C.1, it should state that “The president has the authority to make a disaster declaration for the college.” Reverse the order of sections 4.C.1 and 4.C.2.
      2. In section 4.C.1 which addresses the President’s absence from campus, it does not state those to whom the President should delegate her authority. It would make sense to specify either the Vice President for Finance and Administration or Executive Director for Public Safety. In times of emergency, there is uncertainty, and the policy should be clear about who has the authority. If the President is out of the country, the delegation should be mandatory and not discretionary.
      3. In section 4.C.3, change “Disaster Declaration” to “Declaration of Emergency”
      4. In section 4.C.4, it is recommended that the policy has a link which contains a chart which shows what the chain of command is during an emergency. This chart or explanation should be as short as possible so that it is understandable.
    4. Activation of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
      1. In section 4.D.1, the paragraph only addresses an earthquake. It should be more broadly written so it will apply to any emergency.
      2. In section 4.D.1, it states that the CEMP can be activated in two ways-either automatically or by the determination of the Executive Director of Public Safety. This is inconsistent with the CEMP. On page 13 of that document, section 2.1.3 does not provide for automatic implementation. This may need to be revised.
      3. In section 4.D.2, change the “associate vice president” to “executive director” for Public Safety.
      4. In the CEMP, there is reference to “Emergency Manager”. Who is SLCC’s Emergency Manager? Should the policy specify the contact information for this position?
      5. During the pandemic, the President created an ad hoc committee to address operational issues related to the pandemic. The policy should include language which authorizes the creation of a joint administration, faculty, staff, and student committee to address operational issues related to the emergency.
      6. Regarding #5 above, there should be a “trigger” that obligates the college to create this committee. Perhaps it could be the number of days that the emergency event lasts.
    5. Closure
      1. In section 4.D.1, change “college campus” to “college facility.” A college facility could be a campus, section of campus, building or section of building.
      2. There should be a section that addresses closures of the college due to a snowstorm. This is the most common closure that the college has. It occurred in 2020 and 2023.
    6. Timely Notifications
      1. Consider reversing the order of section 4.F.2 and 4.F.3. This will make more sense.
      2. While there does not seem to be a problem with faculty and staff receiving notifications of college closures or emergencies, there is a problem with students receiving notifications. Typically, students receive notice by Bruin mail, and students are not opening their Bruin mail account. This needs to be addressed.
      3. In section 4.F.1, there is “timely advisories” requirement. How quickly must a timely advisory be provided? Consider specifying how long this advisory must be provided.

Responses

Definitions (section 3)

Consider revising “Declaration of Disaster” to “Declaration of Emergency.” 3.D states that a “Declaration of Disaster” occurs if the college’s “resources are insufficient to meet demands resulting from the event.” Does that mean that a disaster does not occur if there are sufficient resources to address a disaster? Also, Consider revising “Declaration of Disaster” to “Declaration of Emergency” in 4.C.3.

No changes were made. “Declaration of Disaster” and “Declaration of Emergency” are not synonymous in this policy. FEMA has a specific definition of what constitutes a disaster and the thresholds that must be met to be considered a disaster. A “Declaration of Disaster” denotes the specific circumstances related to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

Suggest adding a definition for “operational status” (4.B.1).

The term “operational status” was revised to “normal operations” in 4.B.1.

Background (4.A)

Consider changing “extraordinary events” to “emergency” in 4.A.1 so terms are consistent. “Emergency” is defined in section 3; “Extraordinary events” is not defined.

No changes were made. Extraordinary events may not constitute an emergency. Similarly, an emergency may not be an extraordinary event.

Definitions (section 3)

Suggest changing “must develop” to “has” in section 4.A.1.

4.A.1 has been revised and reads, “The college must develop comprehensive plans to manage emergencies at all campuses, sites, and facilities. This requires flexibility and creativity when considering the different methods for ensuring public safety during extraordinary events.”

Consider adding a link to the “Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan” in 4.A.2.

This will be explored as an option. There are some technical details to resolve with posting the CEMP, without annexes, for public access.

Business Continuity Plan (4.B)

Suggest changing “disruptive event” to “emergency” in section 4.B.1.

No changes were made. Disruptive events may not constitute an emergency. Similarly, an emergency may not be a disruptive event.

Is there a BCP template the policy could link to in 4.B.2?

The template is being revised. Once posted online, a link will be added to the policy.

Consider adding a section requiring college departments to update their BCP every three years or any other appropriate amount of time. This could help with the current lack of understanding and communication with faculty and staff about the importance of a BCP.

No changes were made. The frequency of when a BCP should be reviewed and/or updated depends on multiple factors. One situation that would prompt a review and/or update would be any change that affects the departments (personnel, phone numbers, etc.). Because the factors and timeframes vary, this information will be shared outside the policy.

Declaration of Disaster Process (4.C)

Suggest changing 4.C.1 to state, “The president has the authority to make a disaster declaration for the college.” Also, consider reversing the order of sections 4.C.1 and 4.C.2.

4.C.1 and 2 were reversed in order. 4.C.2 now reads, “The president shall delegate authority during their absence from campus, including management of the disaster declaration process.”

Suggest revising 4.C.1 to specify either the Vice President for Finance and Administration or Executive Director for Public Safety as the designee. If the President is out of the country, the delegation should be mandatory and not discretionary.

No changes were made. It is our understanding that the president would like this to remain as designee. In these situations, the designee can change based on circumstances. The emergency plan also determines the designee.

Is there a chart showing the chain of command during an emergency? Suggest the policy link to such a chart or include a short explanation.

No changes were made. There is a chart in the CEMP. The CEMP without annexes should be hyperlinked in the policy.

Activation of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (4.D)

Concern that 4.D.1 may be inconsistent with the CEMP regarding how the CEMP can be activated. Suggest writing 4.D.1 more broadly so it applies to any emergency, not just an earthquake.

No changes were made. The CEMP is not activated automatically for every emergency. An earthquake is one of the situations in which all campuses, sites, and facilities would need to enact the CEMP immediately. Other emergencies can be site or situational-specific. The CEMP outlines these different types of emergencies.

Consider revising “associate vice president” to “executive director” for Public Safety in 4.D.2.

No changes were made. Associate vice president for Public Safety is the correct position title.

Consider specifying in the policy who is the “emergency Manager” mentioned in the CEMP and potentially including the contact information for the position.

No changes were made. As personnel can change, we have included the position title in the policy.

Consider including language that authorizes the creation of a joint administration, faculty, staff, and student committee to address operational issues related to the emergency (as was done during the recent pandemic).

No changes were made. The CEMP outlines what should happen and who is responsible for ensuring it happens. The COVID-19 committee was focused on figuring out how to function when the college was shut down during the pandemic. It was not focused on how to handle/respond to the emergency itself. If departments complete their BCPs, this type of information about how each department can function in these circumstances.

Closure (4.E)

Suggest changing “college campus” to “college facility.” (4.E.1)

4.E.1 has been revised to state, “The college president or their designee is the sole individual with the authority to direct the closure of college campuses, sites, and facilities.”

Suggest adding a section that addresses college closures due to a snowstorm, as this has occurred recently (2020 and 2023).

No changes were made. This is too specific for this policy. There are plans in place at the college in the event of snowstorms and related closures.

Timely Notifications (4.F)

In section 4.F.1, how quickly must a timely advisory be provided?

No changes were made. Timely notifications are released as quickly as is reasonably possible. Each notification is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, which affects the time it takes.

Consider reversing the order of sections 4.F.2 and 4.F.3 for better comprehension.

No changes were made.

There appears to be a problem with students receiving notifications. Typically, students receive notice by Bruin mail and are not opening their Bruin mail account. This should be addressed.

Thank you for the comment. This is outside the purview of this policy committee. This concern will be forwarded to the appropriate department(s).