VI-13.00 -- POLICY ON CAMPUS EMERGENCY PLANNING, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE

(Approved by the Board of Regents, September 5, 2008)

USM institutions are required to develop and maintain a program of campus emergency 
preparedness that prepares the institution to avert a crisis on its campus and to 
respond promptly and appropriately when an incident occurs.  Campus emergency and 
safety and security programs should focus on the protection of individuals, but 
must also address facilities, information technology security and infrastructure, 
business functions, and academic and research continuity.

1.  Emergency Preparedness Plan

	Each USM institution must have an Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) developed 
	by a campus committee that is comprehensive and represents the campus community 
	(staff, students, and faculty), guided by leadership at the top level of the 
	university, and reflects unique institutional characteristics such as location, 
	size, and population.  The EPP must meet the Basic Standards in I A. below and 
	be reevaluated biannually, including hazard vulnerabilities, scope, practices, 
	and effectiveness.  

    A.  Basic Standards for Institutional Emergency Preparedness Plans include:

	1.  Organization and Coordination

	    a.  Designation by the president or director of an USM regional center of 
		an individual who will oversee campus emergency planning, prevention, 
		preparedness, response and safety and security;
	    b.  Establishment of clear lines of authority for overseeing and managing 
		emergency incidents and responding to emergencies, based on principles 
		of Incident Command Systems (ICS) and National Incident Management 
		Systems (NIMS);
	    c.  Creation of a permanent Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) on 
		campus that meets regularly to monitor and update the EPP to ensure 
		accurate contact information, ICS, and building and campus plans, 
		as well as to address new types of threats;
	    d.  Coordination with appropriate local and state emergency responders, 
		including communication systems to be used in the case of a serious 
		incident or major disaster; and
	    e.  Creation of permanent multi-disciplinary behavioral assessment team(s) 
		to review reports and take appropriate action on potentially distressed 
		or disturbed members of the campus community, including students, staff 
		and faculty. 

2.  Risk Assessment and Planning

	a.  An annual risk assessment that reviews a comprehensive range of threats, 
	    including natural disasters, hazardous materials, terrorism, violent 
	    crime, and pandemic diseases, and identifies the top hazards faced by 
	    the campus and those that could result in a significant loss of life;
	b.  A plan for the appropriate mitigation actions for top hazards, including 
            both short-term and long-term incident planning, evacuation planning and 
	    shelter in place; 
	c.  An action plan to achieve accreditation or recognition for the campus 
	    police force as established by a professional police accrediting 
            organization by September 2013.  In the event accreditation or 
	    recognition is not achieved by September 2013, the institution 
            must provide a report to the BOR indicating the specific reasons 
            why accreditation or recognition was not achieved; and
	d.  Plans for continuation of IT services, communications, and essential 
            business functions in the immediate aftermath of an incident. 

3.  Emergency Preparedness and Prevention 

	a.  Regular testing of the EPP;
	b.  Regular and appropriate training for the campus community on emergency 
	    response plans should be provided for key emergency response staff and 
	    other members of the campus community, including staff, faculty, and 
	    students;
	c.  A comprehensive communication plan that will advise the campus community 
	    of the emergency warning systems and appropriate responses to warnings;
	d.  A plan for communicating with the campus, surrounding communities, the 
	    USM office, Board of Regents, families, and media in the case of an 
	    emergency incident;
	e.  Programs to advise, involve, and solicit feedback from students on 
	    issues of campus safety and security and emergency preparedness; and
	f.  Training for the campus community and the behavioral assessment team on
	    appropriate information sharing concerning distressed or disturbed 
	    members of the campus community. 

4.  Response and Recovery

	a.  Use of redundant and varied systems of warnings and communications 
	    before, during and after an incident, that include information about 
	    the current incident or threat; and
	b.  An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for use in response to specified 
	    emergencies.

    B.  In addition to the basic standards listed above, USM institutions should strive to 
        meet best practice standards including the following: 

	1.  Organization and Coordination

	    a.  Include local and state police, fire department, emergency responders,
		government, community, local utilities, healthcare providers, and 
		other organizations, in the creation and implementation of the EPP, 
		as appropriate, so all local emergency responses are coordinated; 
		and
	    b.  Establishment of MOUs for coordinated relationships with USM 
		institutions and external organizations.

	2.  Risk Assessment and Planning

	    a.  A Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the continuation of 
		essential functions in the case of an incident with a long-range 
		impact on the campus, including business operations and academic 
		and research programs. 

	3.  Emergency Preparedness and Prevention 

	    a.  Full range of testing of EPP to include tabletop exercises, drills, 
		and full-scale simulation exercises with priority given to the top 
		hazards faced by the institution. 

	4.  Response and Recovery

	    a.  Accreditation for campus police force; 
	    b.  Utilization of facility coordinators, building emergency response 
		teams, or other approaches to ensure the safety and security in 
		each building on campus in the event of an emergency; and
	    c.  Use of satellite phones and emergency network radios to support 
		Emergency Operations Centers (EOC).

 C. Reporting and Accountability

	1.  Each institution is required to submit its EPP to the USM office by 
	    January 12, 2009, for review and approval in accordance with the basic 
	    standards specified in Section I.A. above.
	2.  USM internal audit reviews will include an assessment of campus emergency 
	    preparedness plans to (1) determine if the basic standards in I. A. are met 
	    and (2) the status of the campus in meeting the best practice standards in 
	    I.B. of this policy.
	3.  Campus emergency preparedness plans should be updated annually and any major 
	    revisions submitted to the USM office.