1. Purpose of Plan. The purpose of the Emergency Response Plan is to provide guidelines and procedures which will permit the coordination and control of response to any emergency or disaster involving the Community College of Philadelphia at any of its locations and provide for an orderly and expeditious return to normal institutional operations. This plan deals with all categories of emergencies which cause a temporary disruption in the College’s normal operations. Emergencies can range from temporary closing due to routine problems such as heavy snowstorms and power failures to complex, difficult-to-handle problems such as major building fires and hostage-taking situations.

2. Plan Development. The plan was prepared by the College-wide Safety Committee under the leadership of the Vice President for Finance and Planning. The Safety Committee has identified the potential emergencies that are addressed in this plan. The plan is a proposed response to events that threaten the safety and/or well being of the College community, facilities and property. The plan has been reviewed and approved by the President and the President's Cabinet.

3. Participants in Emergency Management. Ultimately the successful resolution of an emergency requires the full cooperation of all faculty, staff and students. The purpose of this written plan is to help ensure that all campus constituents are aware of their responsibilities and required actions in a campus emergency. Several individuals and groups play a critical leadership role in managing an emergency. These individual/group duties are briefly described below with more detail provided throughout the plan.

President Determines the College’s emergency status, based upon the advice of the Cabinet and the Emergency Response Management Team and, where appropriate, the College’s Board of Trustees and local and/or state governmental/public safety officials.

President’s Cabinet Confers with the President to describe the impact of emergency events on College operations and advises on all aspects of required steps to resolve emergencies.

Emergency Response A group of College employees who actively

Management Team (ERMT) manages all aspects of a campus emergency from point of declaration through to the point that normal operations have resumed.

Vice President for Coordinates all internal and external

Communications and communication to ensure that timely,

Government Relations accurate information on the College’s status is delivered to all constituents. Serves as, or designates, College spokesperson in all emergencies.

Vice President for Planning Serves as liaison between the President and

and Finance Cabinet and ERMT to help ensure full understanding of status of emergency and desired institutional responses.

Essential Employees Employees whose continuing presence on campus during an emergency is required (if possible) until designated assignments associated with an emergency are accomplished.

4. Plan Update. At the advice of the Safety Committee, this plan is updated on a regular basis. To assist in identifying appropriate changes, the Safety Committee regularly critiques institutional emergency responses at its monthly meetings. The Safety Committee also reviews emergencies and responses to them in other campus and organizational settings to identify best practices and mistakes to avoid.

B. Coordination of Response

1. Emergency Response Management Center

The Facilities Management Office (MG-17), located in the ground floor of the Mint Building, has been designated as the Emergency Response Management Center in an emergency situation. This is the site from which the ERMT will manage campus emergencies. In the event that this Center is not accessible because of the nature of the emergency, the Engineering Office (BB-2), located in the 2nd sub-basement of the Bonnell Building, will serve as the alternative Emergency Response Management Center. In the remote circumstance that access to the College’s main campus facilities is not possible due to the nature of the emergency, the Emergency Response Management Center will be housed at the College’s Northwest Regional Center located at 1300 Godfrey Avenue. The Regional Center Administrative Office (NW1-15) will serve as the Emergency Response Management Center.

2. Role of the President and President’s Cabinet

Except in cases where an immediate evacuation of the Mint Building is required, when notified of an emergency, the President and his/her Cabinet or his/her designees will assemble in the President’s Office, M2-2. If the Mint Building cannot be occupied, the Cabinet will meet in the first floor Winnet Building Conference Room (S1-11). (If the emergency occurs outside of normal working hours, Cabinet members will confer by phone.) The President and Cabinet will review the College’s emergency status and provide direction, as appropriate, to the ERMT. Cabinet members will coordinate the orderly and safe management of their respective organization units during the period of the emergency and ensure that communication chains about the emergency are established and maintained within their areas of responsibility. The President and Cabinet will determine the content and forms of communication that will be used with students, staff, the press and general public. Following an emergency, the President and Cabinet will determine when and under what procedures/conditions the College can resume operations.

3. Role of Emergency Response Management Team (ERMT)

a. Team Composition – The ERMT is composed of a broad cross-section of College employees with the technical and organizational skills needed to manage the range of emergencies addressed in this plan. The team is comprised of key administrators representing major functional areas of the College. Individuals on the team must have both the capability and the authority to make quick decisions during the course of an emergency and in the recovery period thereafter. To provide for vacation and other times off campus, alternative team members will be identified to perform the functions of team members that are unable to participate during a particular emergency. The ERMT consists of the following individuals: Chair of the Safety Committee, Manager of College Security, Dean of Student Life, Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director of Communications, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Management, Director of Facilities Operations, Manager of Technical Services (Facilities), Director of Counseling, Human Resources Officer, Health and Wellness Center Nurse, Director of Student Activities, Three Regional Center Site Administrators, and Risk Manager. The ERMT will be chaired by _______________________.

b. ERMT Responsibilities – Following the protocols outlined for each of the specific emergency categories, the ERMT will manage and coordinate the institutional response to an emergency from the point of declaration through to the recovery phase and reinstitution of institutional operations. The ERMT will be responsible for specifically implementing the directives that are developed by the Cabinet, as well as ensuring that emergencies requiring instant responses are handled as effectively and completely as possible following the procedures which have been developed for each category of emergency.

4. Role of Essential Employees

Unless prevented from doing so because of physical safety issues during an emergency, employees identified as essential will remain on campus to complete specifically assigned tasks. Examples of these tasks will include: assisting in the orderly and complete evacuation of buildings if necessary; ensuring that all key building systems are shut down and secured as appropriate; ensuring that key time-sensitive processes are completed (e.g., institutional mailings, campus payroll and cash management); ensuring that campus communication systems and procedures are fully operational and all required communications with constituencies have been put in place; and ensuring that visitors and outside groups using the College facilities have the necessary information they need to fully respond to the implications of the emergency situation. Essential employees will have a designated member of the Emergency Response Management Team who will communicate with them to ensure that they are aware of the emergency circumstances and the nature of the response that is required.

Essential employees will be identified from the following list:

All Members of the Safety Committee

All Members of Facilities Management

All Contracted Security Staff

All Administrators Grade VI or Higher

Individuals from the following departments:

Allied Health

Audio-Visual Services

Biology

Cashier’s Office

Chemistry

Communications

Duplicating Center

Health and Wellness Center

Human Resources

Information Systems

Mailroom

Payroll

Purchasing and Services

Regional Center Administration

Registrar

Special Events and Community Relations

Student Academic Computing

Student Activities

Telecommunications

Conflict Resolution Committee

Bilingual Employees

To try to ensure appropriate staffing during emergencies at all times and locations, where possible, representatives from each of the Regional Centers and extended day and weekend employees will be identified as essential.

5. General Guidelines for Faculty and Staff in an Emergency Situation

While the specifics of an emergency will determine the amount of time an individual has to respond, the following are general considerations which all faculty and staff should keep in mind during an emergency situation:

a. Evacuations of buildings or work areas always create opportunities for petty theft to occur. It is essential that personal items of significant value, such as handbags and laptop computers, be locked away or taken with you in the process of evacuating a building or area of the College. Office doors and file cabinets should be locked as you exit an area in the same manner that you would when leaving at the end of a workday.

b. If a building or area evacuation is ordered, no assumption should be made as to how soon you should come back into your work area or office. Therefore, coats and other items that may be required either for protection from inclement weather or to assist individuals to return to their homes should be taken with them at the time of the evacuation.

c. A College closing is not the same as an evacuation. If a College closing is declared, this means that the College will suspend operations at a scheduled point in time. This will normally occur at the end of a regularly scheduled class period. In a closing situation, faculty and staff should assist students from the building at the scheduled time and ensure that all normal closing functions are accomplished. Individuals who have been designated as “essential” will be asked to stay as long as required to complete the assigned task associated with an orderly closing. In an evacuation, an immediate exit from an area of the College, a building or potentially the entire campus may be required. Evacuations are rare events and occur most typically in the circumstance of a fire or bomb threat situation. While an evacuation order requires a timely exit from the area, it is still important, if possible, to secure personal property, lock offices and take any other measures that are possible in quick order to ensure the safety of personal and College property. If an evacuation of an area is ordered, it is essential that all employees, students and staff participate in evacuation. Critical minutes and essential security resources can be wasted if there is not complete cooperation with the evacuation process.

d. All faculty and staff should view themselves as assisting agents in an emergency circumstance. All faculty and staff should be familiar with the required emergency procedures and coach students and visitors through the required steps necessary to ensure the safety of property and people during the emergency.

e. During an emergency, the College’s Security staff and the ERMT are empowered to take immediate action to ensure the safety of all students, staff and visitors. It is essential that you follow the directions issued by the Security and the ERMT staff, and not countermand their orders or fail to follow the requested actions which they make. It is particularly important in an evacuation situation that students, faculty and staff not attempt to reenter an area which has been evacuated until an all-clear signal has been provided. Keep in mind that an evacuation may only involve one floor or one building and not the entire site.

f. It is essential that fire and safety hazards not be created during the course of a College closing or evacuation situation. In each work or instructional area, clear responsibilities must be established to power down equipment, turn off all heating devices in laboratories and offices, and shut down all devices involving gas or other potentially hazardous emissions.

g. In the process of evacuating an office, files that are open on computer systems should be saved and office systems powered down if time permits. Many emergencies are accompanied by a temporary loss of power, which means that electronic files can be lost if not saved at the onset of an emergency.

C. Emergency Communications

1. Notification of an Emergency

a. All emergencies, including medical, should be reported to the Security Office (M1-23), or by phoning Extension 5555 or Extension 8111. From an outside phone, the number (215) 751-8111 should be used. The Security Office will encourage the person reporting to give as much detail as possible about the nature of the emergency as well as information on how the individual may be contacted again.

b. The Security Office will maintain an up-to-date Emergency Situation Contact list at all times. The list is used to ensure that the President, Cabinet members and the ERMT are notified as quickly as possible when emergencies occur. The Emergency Situation Contact list also designates additional individuals who must be contacted immediately in specific emergencies, e.g., Information Systems staff when there is a power failure.

c. The Security Office will proceed through the Emergency Situation Contact list until required contacts are made, then follow the directions of the contact in initiating the security response to the incident.

d. Once the Security Office has initiated contact with a representative from President’s Cabinet and the ERMT, it is their responsibility to ensure that all concerned Emergency Team and Cabinet members are notified as quickly as possible. Phone trees should be in place in each administrative area to ensure that all key staff members are aware of emergency circumstances on a timely basis.

2. Communications About Emergencies

a. An emergency situation often makes it difficult to maintain normal lines of communication. Persistent inquiries from the press and calls from worried relatives about the status of students and staff may be frustrating as they may be taking place in the middle of a rapidly evolving situation. The College must balance the legitimate rights of these groups to be informed with the need to focus its energies on the resolution of the emergency and the protection of the rights of the students, faculty and staff of the College.

b. The experience of other organizations facing such crises has demonstrated a clear need to be proactive in providing prompt and accurate information to these groups. It is the policy of Community College of Philadelphia to release information in a timely manner and to cooperate fully with requests for information in emergency situations, and to keep all internal constituencies informed. This policy will be carried out within the boundaries dictated by the nature of the emergency and the needs of law enforcement, fire-fighting and medical assistance personnel and the protection of the College's property and interests.

c. All news releases, communications, interviews or other information about an emergency requested by or released to the news media must be cleared through the Office of the Vice President for Communications.

3. Communications to Employees and Students

Whenever possible, the College community will be informed of specific emergencies (including snow and inclement weather closings) by the following methods:

a. A message will be placed on the College's voice-mail system. To access the message from your home, employees should call (215) 751-8999. You will then be prompted to enter your voice-mail number and your voice-mail identification number.

b. An e-mail communication will be sent to each employee and student with a Community College of Philadelphia e-mail account.

c. A message will be placed on Cable Channel 53. This channel is only available to Philadelphia residents.

d. The College will provide closing information to radio and television stations. The KYW College weather closing numbers are 238 for day classes and 2238 for evening classes.

e. The establishment of phone chains within work groups is encouraged to facilitate information sharing during an emergency situation.

4. Off-Hour Emergencies

a. In the event of an emergency occurring after normal operating hours, the senior College’s Security Officer will utilize the emergency situation contact list to ensure that the nature of the emergency is communicated to key staff that can immediately react.

b. Once contact has been made, that person shall assume the responsibility of contacting members of the ERMT and President/Cabinet as required by the nature of the emergency.

c. The ERMT and Cabinet will manage the emergency by phone contact until it is possible to establish an on-site presence.

PART II

PROCEDURES FOR SPECIFIC EMERGENCIES

A. CAMPUS FIRE EMERGENCY

Reporting a Fire Emergency

1. Pull the fire alarm box most available to you.

a. This will cause a continuous ringing of the building’s fire bells and lights, and evacuation of the building will begin.

b. A security officer will be dispatched to the alarm box to evaluate the situation.

c. If an emergency is confirmed, the ringing of the fire bells and lights will continue. If a false alarm, the ringing will stop and the evacuation will be discontinued.

2. If possible, notify the Security Office. Use Extension 5555 or Extension 8111 (On Campus). From an outside phone, use (215) 751-8111.

Give your name, location of the fire, the size of the fire and any other conditions (e.g., injuries).

Please Note: The Security Office will notify the City Fire Department. This will ensure that City Fire and Police officials know the exact location and nature of the emergency.

Responsibilities of Faculty, Staff and Students

1. Emergency evacuation procedures are posted throughout the College. (See Appendix A.)

2. At the sound of an alarm, all faculty, students, staff and visitors must begin evacuation procedures. Members of the ERMT and other essential individuals will

assist to ensure an orderly evacuation under the leadership of Campus Security. Wherever possible, office doors should be locked and personal property such as handbags taken with you. Unfortunately, theft of personal property is a common problem in a building evacuation in any commercial or educational setting.

3. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that disabled individuals are assisted to safely exit the building in a fire emergency. Individuals with physical impairments should be escorted to the landing of the nearest fire tower and instructed to remain inside the tower. Note the fire tower number and landing floor and report it to Campus Security as quickly as possible. As a routine part of any fire emergency, Campus Security will repeatedly check all fire towers to ensure that all individuals have safely evacuated the building.

4. Do not attempt to return to the building until a clear-to-return signal or an advisory has been given by Campus Security or an ERMT member.

B. CHEMICAL SPILLS, RELEASES AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INCIDENTS

In the event there is a chemical spill, release or incident involving a hazardous material which requires a response beyond normal laboratory safe practices and procedures, the following steps should be taken in order for the College to have a coordinated effort to control the event and bring it to a successful conclusion.

1. The staff or faculty member in charge will evacuate the immediate area of all non-essential staff and students.

2. Staff or faculty who will remain in the area or adjacent to it will put on any necessary Personal Protective Equipment.

3. Close all doors leading into the area so as to isolate the area from adjacent labs and prep rooms. Leave all fume hood ventilation running or start ventilation if not on at this point.

4. If possible, determine the material involved in the event.

PART I – AN OVERVIEW OF HOW CAMPUS

EMERGENCIES ARE MANAGED................................................................. 1

4. Off-Hour Emergencies

Responsibilities of Faculty, Staff and Students