POL-U30.68 Managing University Emergencies

The CEMP and COOP are the primary documents that provide a framework including required standards, procedures, and guidance the University will use to prepare for, respond to, maintain essential operations, and recover from a variety of potentially significant emergency situations.

The CEMP and COOP are to be approved by the President’s Cabinet and regularly reviewed and amended by the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity as needed following exercises, activations, and government policy changes to ensure the University’s processes and technologies are:

1. Compliant with regulatory requirements, and
2. Aligned with industry standards and best practices.
    

Executive leadership (President, Provost, and Vice Presidents) has overall responsibility for providing the necessary support and resources to implement the CEMP and COOP and for ensuring effective performance and compliance of the responsibilities of their respective divisions.

The primary responsibilities of executive leadership include, but are not limited to:

1. Proactively working with the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity to develop and maintain a robust Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). This includes maintaining resources and processes to support effective implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) enabling coordinated response planning and integration with external agency operations.
2. Providing the necessary institutional resources to effectively prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
3. Communicating expectations to their Deans and Unit Heads and promoting compliance with this policy and the CEMP, COOP, Department EAP, and unit BCPs, as appropriate, to ensure an effective response to an emergency and maintain business continuity. This includes, but is not limited to:
   1. Ensuring the delegation of individuals to carry out required activities assigned to their division, and
   2. Reviewing performance metrics from the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity and ensures each department implements written EAPs and BCPs (see Section 4), and
   3. Supporting employee participation requirements in training and exercises, and
   4. Providing employees with recommended supplies to the extent resources are available.
4. Declaring a state of emergency for the University when appropriate.
    

The Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs delegates overall responsibility for Western's Office of Emergency Management and Business Continuity program to the Assistant Vice President of Risk, Ethics, Safety, and Resilience (AVP of RESR). The day-to-day operations and development of the program are delegated to the Director of the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity.

The Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity's primary responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

1. Educating and working with executive leadership to develop and implement a robust Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP).
2. Assisting leadership in establishing and maintaining a sustainable and operable Emergency Operations Center.
3. Coordinating the required activities of the CEMP and COOP.
4. Establishing training and resource information that is readily available and accessible to the University community to provide the basic level of knowledge to prepare for and respond to an emergency in a manner that prioritizes safety and supports business continuity.
5. Assisting with the identification appropriate institutional resources.
6. Monitors compliance performance and associated risks and develop performance metrics for executive leadership.

Each Dean or Unit Head is responsible for:

1. Ensuring Emergency Action Plans (EAP) and Business Continuity Plans (BCP) are:
   1. Developed in alignment with the University CEMP and COOP and customized for each department(s) under their purview,
   2. Reviewed by the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity if certain areas perform work or services that may have special needs during an emergency or present higher than normal risks,
   3. Communicated and made readily available to each of their employees, and
   4. Reviewed annually and updated as needed.
2. Budgeting for and procuring emergency preparedness supplies to the extent resources are available.
3. Supporting employee participation and compliance in relevant activities such as, but not limited to, emergency drills and training.
    

To ensure an effective response during an emergency and minimize the risk of injury to self and others, damage to property, or loss of resources, all employees should:

1. Be familiar with their department specific EAPs, BCPs, and related procedures, and
2. Participate in emergency management preparedness and business continuity activities, including but not limited to, training and exercises, as requested by their supervisor or University leadership, and
3. Follow established procedures and cooperate fully with the instructions of emergency personnel during an actual emergency, and
4. Assist students and visitors in following emergency procedures and instructions with consideration for individual needs.

All students, faculty, and staff are required to cooperate fully with the instructions of building, program, and emergency personnel during emergency preparedness drills and actual emergencies.

Students, faculty, and staff are urged to maintain at minimum a 72-hour personal emergency preparedness kit with consideration of being 2 weeks ready, develop emergency communication plans with family, subscribe to local and University emergency communications, and be aware of applicable University emergency plans and information.

The University will maintain an emergency communications system administered by the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity in partnership with University Police and University Communications. The system and procedures will be tested regularly to ensure effectiveness.

The Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity will adhere to Clery Act requirements for emergency notification and timely warnings.

The EMAC functions as a steering committee and is chaired by the Director of the Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity. Committee members will represent all divisions at various levels and consist of related subject matter experts. The EMAC is tasked with:

1. Advising on the CEMP and COOP and emergency management efforts at all levels of the University, and
2. Assisting in the coordination of the preparation, development, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of the University’s emergency management program.

The Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity will encompass University operations at all campus locations which may be leased space requiring WWU staff to comply with emergency procedures specific to their site location and locality some of which may not align with Western’s CEMP or COOP.

The Office of Emergency Management & Business Continuity will work with leadership at the satellite locations to ensure their EAPs and BCPs are consistent with applicable requirements and their individual needs.