Guidelines for Emergencies

Employees should not place themselves at additional physical risk. However, if safe the employees should wait for proper authorities to arrive and then provide them with their knowledge of the situation. If possible, people should be directed to a safe distance away from the site of danger. In cases of potential chemical, biological or radiation contamination and if safe and possible, the area should be secured to prevent further exposure. All potentially contaminated individuals should remain nearby for further testing and treatment. As much as practical, all UA property should be secured including files, labs, classrooms, and buildings.

Direction and Coordination of an Unpredicted Emergency
When an unpredicted emergency occurs or condition exists, it will be reported immediately to UAPD by dialing 911. The UAPD dispatcher will first dispatch police officers and make appropriate fire and/or medical rescue calls and then, when appropriate, notify the Chief of Police (or designee). The Chief of Police will in turn contact the Chair of CERT, and together they will make an initial determination of the appropriate level of emergency response and to what extent the CERT and other individuals should be involved.

Response to a Level 3 Situation
Level 3 situations vary in nature, scope and severity. Some Level 3 emergencies can be handled by relatively routine procedures, although many Level 3 situations that emerge as minor have the potential to evolve into major crises if not appropriately handled. An example would be a simple assault that is later determined to be racially motivated. The University could suffer significant personal and institutional consequences if a situation such as this is not dealt with appropriately. A variety of issues can become quite complex because of the varied institutional, student, and community responses that must be coordinated. Examples of situations that have the potential to rise to a magnitude that the University and its community will suffer include assaults, sexual assaults, building/office occupation, hate crimes, bomb threats, and bias related crimes.

When fitting, Level 3 emergencies are handled by established procedures and appropriate personnel. The crucial element in this process is the consultation with key individuals (Dean of Students staff, Human Resources personnel, Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity personnel, etc.) so they can evaluate all facets and potential ramifications of a Level 3 situation. When the scope of a Level 3 emergency requires resources from a variety of areas of the University, the CERT will be convened to provide direction and coordination.

Response to a Level 4 or 5 Emergency
When a Level 4 or 5 emergency has been declared by the Chief of Police, the Chair of CERT (or designee) notifies the CERT and assembles them, as appropriate, to address the emergency.

Prior to the assembling of the CERT, on-scene responders are authorized to make necessary operational decisions and to commit resources to mitigate and control the crisis. The UAPD may also request help from other departments and outside agencies on an emergency basis, including asking staff be pulled off less critical assignments to assist their officers.

Direction and Coordination of a Predicted Emergency
When conditions permit and the impending emergency situation provides ample time (Example: expected sit-in), the CERT convenes to formulate a plan of action for recommendation to the most senior executive officer available or to the Cabinet, if appropriate and time permitting.

Communications
All communications, messages and responses from the University will be developed, approved and distributed by the CERT.

The Associate Vice President for Communications will coordinate communication from the University with the media. Information given to the media will also be distributed to the campus community via listserv’s and/or web sites.

The Assistant Vice President for Advancement will coordinate communication by the CERT with other appropriate external entities. The Executive Director for Human Resources or her designee will coordinate communication with employees during the crisis. The Dean of Students will coordinate communication with students and their families during the crisis. The Vice President for Executive Affairs and University Initiatives will coordinate communication with the President, Cabinet and Regents during the crisis.

Normal Operations
The Chair of CERT calls regular meetings of the team to update its crisis planning, review available resources and information, familiarize itself with potential problems, train for actual events, and review the emergency plans of other campus units.

A contact list of team members will be updated and distributed regularly. A laminated wallet size card to include members’ phone, fax, cell phone and pager number will be given to every member of the team.

A list of phone numbers and names of all local and regional authorities that may be contacted or dealt with in an emergency will be maintained by UAPD Communications. The list will include police, fire, emergency, medical, utility companies, and emergency-response preparedness agencies. The list also will include the Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson International Airport, City of Tucson, Governor’s Office, and Pima County Public Information Officers.

The UAPD will issue identification badges to all members of the CERT.