INTRODUCTION
The Commonwealth of Virginia can be threatened by emergency and disaster situations both natural, such as flash flooding, hurricanes, tornados and fires, and man-made, such as hazardous materials accidents, resource shortages, civil disorders and terrorist threats. The Virginia Emergency Services and Disaster Law of 1973 as amended requires that the state, and each city and county within the state, develop and maintain a current Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that addresses the planned response to such extraordinary emergency situations. The law also makes provisions for joint action by adjoining political jurisdictions. The Charlottesville City/Albemarle County/University of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is designed to meet this responsibility and provides a joint emergency response plan that is unique in the Commonwealth and nation by combining the resources of three jurisdictions to meet any threat.
The purpose of the University of Virginia Critical Incident Management Plan (CIMP) is to provide guidance and structure to the response and actions of University academic and administrative departments in crisis situations that do not require activation of the EOP, and in situations where the EOP is activated, to provide support to the overall EOP through the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT). You should become familiar with this plan and be prepared to assume your unit’s role in the plan in the event it is activated. You can access the plan at http://www.virginia.edu/emergency/plan.html A copy should also be included in your own plan (see below) to ensure you have access to it during an emergency.
The CIMP calls for each unit to do critical incident planning as described in the unit level components A through E below. Components A through E address general planning strategies for incidents that cause a physical disruption to a unit’s operations; whereas, component F assists with planning strategies for specific critical incidents. It is important for units to plan for their business continuity and recovery contingencies. Developing a UNIT LEVEL CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PLAN (ULCIMP) will assist you in doing that.
Documents to assist in completing your ULCIMP are located at the bottom under TEMPLATES and LINKS. Directions for their use are included in the Planning Documents sections within each component below. Many of the templates are optional. Use the optional templates only when they add value to the development of your plan, and you may modify them to custom fit your needs. The documents in the links section should be placed with your final plan and used in an emergency.
COMPONENTS OF THE UNIT LEVEL CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
- Primary Functional Responsibilities
Each unit should identify its primary functional responsibilities that would need to be continued should a critical incident disrupt the unit’s operations. Determine who the key players will be for the unit in coordinating the continuation of operations, and maintain an up-to-date phone list off-site as a means for contacting people in your unit, and consider a means of communicating if the phones are out of order. Each unit should review and test their plan annually.
Planning Documents:
If you have not already prepared an internal plan that identifies these elements consider using the following templates: Template 1-ULCIMP Planning Template part A; and Template 2-Emergency Contact List. Place these in your final plan packet.
In the event of a short-term disruption (30 days or less), each unit should identify the resources and actions that would be required to continue the primary functional responsibilities identified above. Assign responsibilities to staff and discuss each person’s role.
Planning Documents:
If you have not already prepared a short term recovery plan that identifies these resources and action plans, consider using the following templates: Template 1-ULCIMP Planning Template part B; Template 2-Emergency Contact List (add any additional staff members not included in part A); Template 3-Emergency Items Tracking Spreadsheet; Template 4- Emergency Recovery Roles and Responsibilities Examples and Template.
In addition to the above, place the CIMP in your final plan packet kept on and off site for use in an emergency. You will find use for this document in an emergency for this component and all of the components below.
In the event of a long-term disruption (30+ days), identify the resources and actions that would be required to continue the primary functional responsibilities identified above. Assign responsibilities to staff and discuss each person’s role.
Planning Documents:
Follow the same instructions as B above, except use part C of Template 1.
It is important to prepare an inventory of your unit’s contents and identify vital records before an event occurs that could completely destroy your unit, such as a fire. Taking such action before a critical incident occurs will expedite the process of coordinating with Risk Management to recover these items. Remember to keep a record of your contents and a periodic backup for your computer records off site, so that you can access this information if your unit suffers a major loss. For those paper records that are vital and for which duplication off site is not practical, consider having them stored in fire resistant cabinets. Preliminary reports regarding the cause of the loss, the extent of damage, and the plans for recovery and relocation shall be provided to the University Director of Risk Management within 24 hours using the Incident Report Form in combination with the Property Claim Spreadsheet. You will maximize your financial recovery by assigning responsibilities to staff to continue to use these forms in combination with the Property Loss Responsibilities during the claim process with Risk Management. These claim related documents can be found at http://www.virginia.edu/riskmanagement/
Planning Documents:
If you have not already prepared a plan that addresses these areas consider using the following templates: Template 5-Department Owned Property Inventory Spreadsheet; Template 1-ULCIMP Planning Template; Template 2-Emergency Contact List; Template 3- Emergency Items Tracking Spreadsheet; and Template 4-Emergency Recovery Roles and Responsibilities Examples and Template.
In addition to the above, place the following in your final plan packet kept on and off site for use in an emergency: Property Loss Responsibilities; Incident Report Form; and Property Claim Spreadsheet. These documents can be found at http://www.virginia.edu/riskmanagement/
Whenever people are required to evacuate, it is important to make sure everyone is accounted for after exiting the building. It is vital that someone (and an alternate) be designated to handle that responsibility and report to authorities anyone who may be missing, and where that person may be located in the building. For buildings with designated Fire Monitors, this is a duty of the Fire Monitors. It is vital that each unit instruct its people, before an event occurs, where to gather at a specific location outside the building if an evacuation becomes necessary.
Individuals with mobility concerns or other concerns that would make independent evacuation difficult are encouraged to make alternative plans and arrangements in advance that will increase the likelihood that they will be able to exit a building safely in the event of an emergency.
Every student and employee should quickly become familiar with their work area, residence hall, or classroom by locating exits, stairwells, elevators, fire-fighting equipment, fire alarms, and established areas of refuge.
It is recommended that each Department establish a “buddy” system in which volunteers and alternates are recruited and paired with persons who have self-identified disabilities that would create special evacuation needs. Volunteers should become familiar with the special evacuation needs of their buddies and plan to alert and assist them if an evacuation is ordered. Volunteers should keep in mind that many people with disabilities can assist in their evacuation.
Planning Documents:
If you have not already prepared an evacuation plan that addresses these areas consider using the following templates: Template 1-ULCIMP Planning Template; and Template 6- Missing or Injured People Spreadsheet.
In addition to the above, place the following in your final plan packet kept on and off site for use in an emergency: Building fire evacuation plan; Current staff directory (by building if available)
- Specific Critical Incidents and Response Strategies
Each unit should evaluate potential emergency situations they may face, with consideration given to the potential frequency and severity of the impact to the University. Develop a specific response strategy for those emergency situations that your analysis determines, or the University determines, warrants this added level of preparedness. You may wish to include some or all of the following sections in your response strategy: Immediate Actions, Decisions, and Subsequent Procedures/Information. The CIMP uses this format for specific University wide response strategies and it is recommended that you review these examples in ANNEX A-L of the CIMP at http://www.virginia.edu/emergency/plan.html
Planning Documents:
If you have not already prepared a specific critical incident plan that evaluates and addresses each specific potential situation, consider using the following templates and documents: Template 1-ULCIMP Planning Template; Template 2-Emergency Contact List; Template 3-Emergency Items Tracking Spreadsheet; Template 4-Emergency Recovery Roles and Responsibilities Examples and Template; CIMP (See Annex A-L for examples). Place these in your final plan packet.
TEMPLATES
1: ULCIMP Planning Template
2: Emergency Contact List
3: Emergency Items Tracking Spreadsheet
4: Emergency Recovery Roles and Responsibilities Examples and Template
5: Department Owned Property Inventory Spreadsheet
6: Missing or Injured People Spreadsheet
LINKS
University of Virginia Critical Incident Management Plan (CIMP) http://www.virginia.edu/emergency/plan.html
Property Loss Responsibilities http://www.virginia.edu/riskmanagement/
Incident Report Form http://www.virginia.edu/riskmanagement/
Property Claim Spreadsheet http://www.virginia.edu/riskmanagement/
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