General Principles, continued

• Incident Commander (or senior police officer on duty) notified.
• Incident Commander assesses the situation.
• Satellite Operations Center (Department) Emergency Coordinator notified.
• Responsible Director of Crisis Management notified.
• Command and coordination -- action plan is decided.
• Emergency Response procedures activated to protect life and property (see Section III).
• Parallel action -- a call to outside agencies and parties for assistance.
• Employee responsibilities and emergency response roles during emergencies are detailed in Emergency Roles.

Chain of Command:  

The Chain of Command in an emergency should be as follows

• The On-call Executive Officer of the Day is the highest-ranking emergency official and directs the Emergency Operations Center.
• The Incident Commander is responsible for directing on-scene emergency response and coordination.
• An Emergency Coordinator is designated for each campus building / floor (Satellite Operations Center) and is responsible for planning, training and executing the Building / Floor Emergency Plan.
• The Director of Crisis Management is responsible for crisis management and critical decisions within each campus department or business unit.
• Stairwell/Floor Monitors (any employees close to fire doors) are designated for every floor and every exit of each occupied building.
• Volunteer Emergency Response Teams and Special Response Teams may be assigned to assist with building evacuation or other specialized duties as required for buildings and units.
• The Emergency Operations Center is located in the Public Safety Building, room 107 (or as designated by the Incident Commander).

Notification:

It is the responsibility of all employees to immediately report any incidents or conditions that pose a threat to life or property.  Call the University Police Dispatcher at 255-3111 (available 24 hours).

The dispatcher will notify the Emergency Coordinator for the department involved in the reported emergency.

The Emergency Coordinator will contact the following individuals (see Emergency Roles)

• Assistant Emergency Coordinator
• Director of Crisis Management
• Assistant Director of Crisis Management
• Information Coordinator

Assessment:

Assessing the level of an emergency, particularly situations that could cause normal operations to cease, is the responsibility of the Director of Crisis Management in conjunction with the Incident Commander.

Assessing the impact of any emergency on the operating unit (Satellite Operations Center), regardless of location or level, is the responsibility of the Director of Crisis Management in consultation with the On-Call Executive Officer of the Day.

Command and Coordination:

The Emergency Coordinator is responsible for developing, activating and coordinating the Building / Floor Emergency Plan.  During an emergency, he or she interfaces directly with the campus Emergency Operations Center.

Emergency Management System:

In the event of an emergency or a disaster that may occur on campus or off-campus, several community emergency agencies may respond.  Responding agencies may include medical, police, firefighters, and hazardous materials (HAZMAT) teams.  This composite response is known as the Emergency Management System, and has been adopted by the city of Colorado Springs.

The activities of all responding agencies are coordinated through a central chain of command headed by one person.  Except for police emergencies, the person in command is usually the highest-ranking firefighter at the scene.  That person is known as the Incident Site Commander.  The Incident Site Commander will be positioned at the Incident Site Command Center. This is a location outside the area of danger where primary command, communications, and control are usually located.

On-Site Duties of Campus Incident Commander:

The campus Incident Commander directs all university personnel at the scene during on-site emergencies.  He or she is the official campus representative to outside emergency agencies.  The Incident Commander will:

• Be located at the Incident Scene Command Center.
• Identify himself or herself to the Incident Site Commander when applicable.
• Report roll call results gathered by the Emergency Coordinators to the Incident Site Commander when applicable.
• Provide information, as needed, to the Emergency Operations Center.

Note: the Director of University Relations or designee will coordinate all news releases and media inquiries.

Parallel Action:

Parallel action involves a variety of concerned parties and resources, which support the Incident Commander during an emergency response.  These include additional on-site personnel and/or outside emergency agencies.  Parallel action also refers to information and other resources that aid all affected parties.
 

• Example:  A death in your department may necessitate bringing in resources from the counseling center.