Emergency Plan For Ashford University - Essay Example

COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY PLAN FOR ASHFORD Introduction The Ashford campus based in Clinton, Iowa is located in the mid-westernportion of the United States. This area is known for its high incidences of strong storms, which produce violent tornadoes, and flooding that is a constant danger to local residents and students of Ashford’s main campus. There is thus a need to develop a comprehensive emergency plan for Ashford University. In order to undertake the preparation of an emergency plan for Ashford University, it is essential to have a good understanding of the intricacies and challenges involved in emergency planning. This report is aimed at developing a comprehensive emergency plan in preparation for natural disasters at Ashford University’s main campus, including incidences of flooding, tornadoes and heavy storms (Continuity of Government & Continuity of Operations, 2003). Each crisis or emergency requires a different type of response. For instance, if there is a bomb threat, it may be necessary to shelter people in place, whereas evacuating the building will be appropriate for other situations like a tornado warning (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). This will ensure that the campus is prepared for the event of a disaster, and analyze the potential responses to the occurrence of such an event. Purpose The purpose of this emergency plan is the management of major emergencies and crises in the advent of such occurrences, so as to ensure that major crises and emergencies are handled in an organized way. This emergency action plan is aimed at protecting the Ashford University employees from serious injury, loss of property or life in the event of an actual or potential major disaster. Such situations may include the event of a fire, a bomb threat, earthquake, tornado or a hazardous chemical spill. This emergency action plan will describe the initial routes of action for protection of students and employees and those responsible for the implementation of those actions within the university. This plan is an all-risk emergency plan for addressing disaster and crisis management, and will integrate the various departments of the university and other resources in a coordinated response effort to manage or reduce any loss of life and property through the provision periodic emergency response capability tests. It is also necessary to ensure the effective utilization of resources and the minimization of any disruptions in school activities and of programs. Procedures for activation and termination of the emergency plan It is a fact that preparation for emergencies will ensure a higher margin of safety if a crisis or emergency actually occurs. In the event of an emergency, it is essential to evacuate people from affected areas. The preparation and response resources for this plan include protective measures for dealing with emergency response personnel, monitoring, and redirecting important transportation systems and redirecting people to address critical emergency needs during a crisis. Assumptions about the likelihood of the plan being initiated The applicability of this emergency response plan is predicated upon the notion that there is an existing contract between the school and a nearby facility that would be used as an alternative base of operations for Ashford University. This nearby facility will be used for recovery of critical functionality during crises and emergencies that prevent or limit accessibility to the university’s facilities. What training and exercises must be developed and executed to prepare the campus for the emergency plan? In order to ensure successful evacuation, there are several points that must be catered to, as well as training exercises. This includes: The training of employees on how to provide assistance for other people during emergencies. Assigning specific responsibilities and tasks to specific individuals or groups. Administrative responsibilities for development and execution of this emergency plan The leadership and administrative responsibilities for the development and execution of this plan falls on the emergency response team, which is headed by the Chancellor. In the event of any man-made or natural disaster, the emergency response team will immediately convene to take control of the situation. The members of the emergency response team are the Chief of the Campus Police, the Director of Marketing and Communications, the Dean of Students and the Chancellor. The Director of Communication and Marketing is also responsible for contacting the central University administration immediately during a disaster, and inform the relevant members of the senior staff. Regular emergency drills are to be conducted to test the level of preparedness and efficacy of executing the emergency plan. Tornado warning procedures and mechanisms In the event of an emergency, this action plan will be relevant for the protection of the Ashford University employees and students from loss of life or property. If a major disaster like a tornado occurs, there are some initial actions and responsibilities that must be assumed in order to protect students, employees and visitors until the appropriate university or municipal respondents arrive to take over the situation. This includes the warning procedures and mechanisms to be applied in the case of a tornado. Communications backup plan There should be a weather radio inside the admin area that will broadcast emergency weather information and this will be equipped with a power backup in the form of a battery. In the event of an issuance of a severe weather warning, the security officer on active duty should carry this radio along with him and ensure that the occupants of the University buildings are notified about the severe weather warning. Students and personnel are then required to go to the pre-arranged shelter area. It is also important to take the radio to the shelter area for continued communication and to ensure that they will be notified when the emergency has ended. Although it is not necessary to cancel classes and school activities because of a severe weather warning, the occupants of the school buildings must report to the shelter areas once the severe weather sirens sound, and must stay there until they are notified that the warning has expired and school activities can resume. Ashford University has emergency lighting for the buildings on the campus, and some buildings on the campus have emergency generators, whereas others are equipped with battery back-up lighting. (Ashford University - Emergency Assistance. Emergency public information For major disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes, the university may receive a warning about severe weather from the weather center several days before the event. Upon receipt of such a disaster warning, it is imperative to carry out full backup of important data in anticipation of the event. An emergency website should also be set up on an off-site Internet Service Provider in order to ensure continued communication with the general public, and all systems must be shutdown about 24 hours before the anticipated crisis. Evacuation procedures The Ashford University Police department is primarily responsible for the safe and orderly evacuation of the university’s buildings. The Ashford University Police department might need assistance in the evacuation process, and students and employees must remain inside the shelters till the severe weather warning expires. In the case of loss of power during daytime, school activities may be cancelled if the power remains off for more that an hour, without proper information about when and whether the power would be restored in a timely manner. In the event of an emergency, individuals within the school premises may wish to provide some assistance in the evacuation process, especially if there are individuals with vision or other impairments to be evacuated (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). Although most individuals with visual impairments can be expected to be familiar with their immediate vicinity, they should be offered the opportunity to be escorted from their present locations. For those with hearing impairments, they might be unable to perceive audio emergency alarms, and so an alternative warning technique must be employed. This can be by writing notes that will inform such an individual of the situation and the closest route for evacuation. It might also be useful to switch the light off and on again in order to attract the person’s attention and then indicate through gestures about the situation and the actions that must be taken. It is prudent to escort any hearing-impaired individuals from their buildings. Mass care for injured The campus police have been trained for evacuation of personnel to safety including anybody who may be injured. The heads of various departments will also have to discuss with the other employees about people who are injured or with disabilities, to inform them of any special needs, and any assistance required for communication (Department of Public Safety, 1996). Injure individuals may be evacuated by using a 2-person locked-arm position, and when in the shelter areas, they may be cared for by making them sit in sturdy chairs with arm rests. Ashford University employees are not expected to endanger themselves or engage in helping with the evacuation of staff and students. References Ashford University - Emergency Assistance Ashford University Campus Map Continuity of Government & Continuity of Operations. (2003). Emergency planning guidance for a consolidated approach. (Retrieved from http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/reference/rfp/documents/disasteratta.pdf) U.S. Department of Homeland Security. State and local government continuity of operations planning: Training, tests and exercises. (Retrieved from http://www.LLIS.gov) Department of Public Safety. (1996). Model town emergency operations plan. (Retrieved from http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vem/MODEL.pdf ) Read More