Emergency Management

Building Emergency Action Plan:

A plan to address life safety concerns during an emergency for a specific building. Essential components of the plan include instructions for personal protective actions such as evacuating and sheltering-in-place, contacting emergency responders, and following basic emergency procedures.

Business Unit:

Any academic or administrative department, unit, center, institute, division, or college.

Continuity of Operations:

Capability to continue essential program functions and to preserve essential processes and functions, positions, lines of succession, applications and records, communications, and facilities across a broad range of potential emergencies/disasters.

Disaster:

A severe or prolonged emergency that threatens life, property, environment and/or critical systems.

Emergency:

Any incident(s), human-caused, natural, or technological, that require(s) responsive action to protect life, property, and/or the environment.

Emergency Management Program:

A system that provides for management and coordination of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities for all hazards. The system encompasses all organizations, agencies, departments, and individuals having responsibilities for these activities.

Essential Functions:

Functions or services provided that if interrupted or unavailable for several business days would significantly jeopardize the university’s ability to serve its students and the campus community.

Incident:

An occurrence, natural or human-caused, that requires action by the Emergency Management Program.

Incident Commander:

The individual responsible for all incident response activities, including the development of strategies and tactics and the ordering and release of emergency response resources. The Incident Commander has overall authority and responsibility for conducting incident response operations and is responsible for the management of all such operations at the incident site.

The Office of Emergency Management is the central coordinating office for activities and programs relating to emergency and disaster prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery for the university. Responsibility for coordinating with outside entities as needed to prepare for or respond to emergencies rests with this office, including communication with officials within the UNC System and local, state, and federal agencies.

The Emergency Management Program organization shall consist of the following:

1. An Office of Emergency Management led by a director, under the direction of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. Staffing needs of this office will be assessed on an ongoing basis and determined by the director and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.
2. The Crisis Policy Group (CPG) is the senior level response team that sets policy for the university’s disaster response and recovery efforts. The CPG works under the direction of the Chancellor (or Chancellor’s designee) and is comprised of members of the Chancellor’s executive staff at the discretion of the Chancellor.
3. The Emergency Planning and Response Team (EPART) is authorized to staff the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and to exercise operational decision-making authority for their business unit during an emergency. The EPART has the authority to assign university resources, make operational decisions and coordinate with external emergency support agencies to provide the most efficient response and recovery possible.
4. The Emergency Management Program Advisory Committee (EMPAC) is made up of Program stakeholders and is responsible for providing input and assisting in the coordination of the preparation, implementation, evaluation, and revision of the Program. The committee is convened by the director at least once a year.

The director shall be responsible for the organization, administration, and operation of the Office of Emergency Management, under the supervision of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and as advised by the Chancellor. The director shall coordinate the activities, services, and programs for emergency management and disaster response within the university, and shall liaise with the city, county, state, and federal authorities to ensure the most effective operation and implementation of emergency management plans.

The director’s duties and responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Manage the university-wide comprehensive emergency management program including, but not limited to, elements addressing prevention, protection, and mitigation activities; responses to emergencies and disasters; and recovery operations.
2. Coordinate the activities of all other public and private agencies engaged in any emergency management activities within the university.
3. Educate the campus community through public information programs as to actions necessary and required for the protection of their persons and property in case of a disaster.
4. Plan and conduct exercises to enhance emergency preparedness and to familiarize business units with emergency management plans, procedures, and operations.
5. Monitor, and advise the CPG of threats, emergencies or disasters that pose a risk to the lives and safety of students, faculty, and staff, and propose for their consideration solutions and protocol aimed at how to best protect people and property from imminent danger or further damage.
6. Activate and manage the university Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as the central coordinating entity during an emergency or disaster.
7. Prepare such reports as the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration deems necessary and prudent. The scope and distribution of such reports shall be determined by the Vice Chancellor in collaboration with the direct and any other University official the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration seems appropriate.

A university-wide Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) shall be adopted and maintained. This plan shall be approved by the Chancellor and updated every three years. In the preparation of this plan, the services, equipment, facilities, and personnel of all business units shall be utilized to the fullest extent possible, as appropriate, based on their functions and capabilities. Following approval of the plan, each business unit listed therein is charged with being informed about their role in an emergency, maintaining a state of readiness to respond effectively, and performing the functions assigned to it by the plan.

Additional emergency management plans, separate from the EOP, shall be maintained by the Office of Emergency Management to ensure coordinated activities in the five mission areas of emergency management: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Examples of these plans include the Recovery Plan and Hazard Mitigation Plan. In the preparation of these emergency management plans, the services, equipment, facilities, and personnel of all business units shall be utilized to the fullest extent possible, as appropriate, based on their functions and capabilities. Each business unit listed within these plans should formulate internal implementation processes and train staff to perform the functions within the plan.

All emergency management plans shall be developed and revised through a formal planning process involving appropriate plan stakeholders.

Each business unit that is determined by the university to provide essential functions shall develop and maintain a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). This plan should reflect sufficient forethought and detail to ensure a high probability of restoration of essential functions following an incident. To accomplish this task:

1. Each business unit requiring a COOP shall designate an individual to serve as their continuity program manager.
2. Plans shall adhere to the format provided by the Office of Emergency Management.
3. Plans shall be updated annually and submitted to the Office of Emergency Management for review.

Each building on campus shall complete an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). To accomplish this task:

1. Each building shall designate a primary and secondary point of contact for emergency coordination. Any changes to emergency coordination points of contact should be reported to the Office of Emergency Management as soon as possible.
2. EAPs shall adhere to the format provided by the Office of Emergency Management.
3. Plans shall be updated annually and provided to the Office of Emergency Management for review.
4. EAPs should be shared with building occupants annually, at the completion of the annual review.

In response to a disaster, the Chancellor may declare a Campus State of Emergency to allow for activation of processes that protect public health, provide safety, preserve property, and continue essential functions at the university. When a Campus State of Emergency is declared:

1. A formal, written proclamation of the Campus State of Emergency will be issued. The university shall take reasonable steps to give notice of the terms of the proclamation to those affected by it, including utilizing digital and social media tools to disseminate the proclamation and physically posting the proclamation in public places throughout campus where feasible.
2. The Chancellor may use all available campus resources to respond to the disaster and temporarily suspend university procedures where following university procedures would hinder or delay actions necessary to save lives, stabilize the incident, and/or conserve property and the environment.
3. The Chancellor has the ability to implement limitations to individuals authorized to be on campus (e.g., anyone currently off campus may be restricted from returning). Based on the situation, the Chancellor may issue authority to law enforcement to require any individual on campus to provide proper identification proving their relationship to the university or be directed to leave. Notwithstanding the foregoing, should an environment/situation arise that is immediately dangerous to life and health, the Incident Commander may restrict access to campus prior to the declaration of a Campus State of Emergency.
4. The Chancellor may call for an evacuation for all or part of the population of the campus. Notwithstanding the foregoing, should an environment/situation arise that is immediately dangerous to life and health and requires such an evacuation, the Incident Commander may call for an evacuation prior to the declaration of a Campus State of Emergency.A campus evacuation will be performed in concert with appropriate local and state authorities and in coordination with city and county emergency management officials.
5. The Chancellor may issue a campus curfew pursuant to NC General Statute 116-212.

The Office of Emergency Management shall perform emergency management functions within the territorial limits of the university. For locations in which the university shares jurisdiction with other institutions, emergency management activities shall be coordinated with the partner institution’s emergency management representative and/or as designated in any formal agreements.