Emergency Planning Introduction
Virginia Tech's Emergency Response Plan ( doc | pdf ) (ERP) outlines the university's procedures for managing major emergencies that may threaten the health and safety of the campus community or disrupt its programs and activities. The ERP identifies departments and individuals that are directly responsible for emergency response and critical support services, and it provides a management structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources.
The ERP also identifies critical roles and responsibilities for Deans, Vice Presidents, and Vice Provosts. University executives provide a vital link between emergency response personnel and the campus community before, during and after a major crisis. Your support for emergency preparedness activities and your leadership during a crisis will help protect the campus community and ensure that our academic programs and mission-critical functions are restored quickly if a large scale disaster occurs. At Virginia Tech, planning ahead for emergencies is part of normal business planning and campus life, and all members of the campus community share a responsibility for preparedness. An emergency can strike anytime or anywhere, and a disaster will affect everyone. Therefore,
- Deans, Vice Provosts and Vice Presidents are expected to develop Satellite Operations Center Emergency Plans. Satellite Operations Centers (SOCs) gather emergency impact data from their constituent departments, account for their personnel, transmit reports to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), disseminate emergency instructions to constituents, and develop and implement business continuity, resumption, and recovery plans. All administrative and academic units are expected to develop and maintain a Department Emergency Action Plan (EAP) to protect departmental personnel and programs, and assure coordination with SOCs and the university emergency response organization. During a major emergency or disaster, it is imperative that effective communication be maintained between the EOC, SOCs, and individual campus departments.
- All employees and students have a personal responsibility for knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency to protect their safety and their work.
The Satellite Operations Centers Emergency Planning Guidelines ( doc | pdf ) and the Department Emergency Planning Guidelines ( doc | pdf ) establish requirements for pre-planning for emergencies, and contain instructions for identifying vulnerabilities and reducing exposures.
The university Emergency Response Plan and Business Continuity Plan form the basis for responding to the immediate emergency and assuring that we maintain and quickly restore critical business functions. The university Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) consists of two parts: a description of potential impacts for various types of hazards (for example, flooding, severe weather, etc.) and an assessment of the criticality of these impacts; and, a prioritized list of mitigation strategies to reduce our vulnerability to theses hazards. Because of the sensitivity of the information contained in the HMP, only certain portions of this document are available for review.
The university maintains a comprehensive emergency preparedness education and training program to help departments identify and mitigate potential hazards, and to familiarize employees and students with emergency procedures. This training may be arranged by contacting the Environmental, Health and Safety Services department at safety@vt.edu or 231-5985, or the course schedule may be viewed at www.ehss.vt.edu.