SCOPE

The purpose of this Emergency Operations Plan is to establish an organizational structure and procedures for response to major emergencies. It assigns the roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the Plan during an emergency following the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT system model. This Plan has been prepared to address all types of emergencies affecting the Carnegie Mellon community in a coordinated and systematic manner.

The Plan may be activated in the event of local, regional, or national emergencies. It applies to all units of the university and provides the basic framework for critical incident preparedness. Individual departments within the university are encouraged to develop their own internal plans for department-specific emergencies. While departmental plans may be used to supplement the university’s Emergency Operations Plan, they will not supercede it, and where conflict arises, the university plan will take precedence.

Carnegie Mellon University is committed to supporting the welfare of its students, faculty, staff and visitors. This Plan is designed to maximize human safety and preservation of property, minimize danger, restore normal operations of the university, and assure responsive communication to all appropriate parties. This Plan is also intended to ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations and cooperation with relevant public bodies charged with disaster control. This plan envisions the cooperative efforts of many groups internal and external to the university. When outside emergency resources respond, Carnegie Mellon authorities will be subordinate to emergency response officials of those resources, and will provide technical and facility support.

All questions or requests regarding procedure should be directed in writing to the Chief of Police, Director of Environmental Health & Safety, or the President’s Office.

President

RESPONSE LEVELS

Emergency events do not always require the same level of response, and are dictated by the severity of the event and its effect on the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Events will be evaluated by an Assessment Team or their designated alternates, and, for Level 3 events as defined below, in consultation with the President’s Executive Coordinator. The appropriate level of response will generally be initiated according to the following guidelines:

Level 1 : A minor localized event that can be handled internally under existing standard operating procedures. This Emergency Operations Plan may or may not require activation. At this level, response can typically be initiated by competent personnel in the immediate area or by any or all of the Assessment Team.

Example: localized fire or chemical spill

Level 2 : A potentially major emergency that may affect life safety or a limited portion of the campus infrastructure. The degree of response will be determined by the Assessment Team members, or their designees. The Emergency Operations Plan will be activated to the degree necessary to effectively mitigate the emergency. Activation is the responsibility of the Assessment Team, in consultation with the President’s Advisory Group Coordinator. Many Level 2 emergencies have the potential to escalate quickly to Level 3 status, and all responders should be on standby and ready to mobilize should the incident accelerate to Level 3.

Example: loss of power to an entire building for extended period of time

Level 3 : A potentially major disaster that impacts a significant portion of campus and/or surrounding community. Assessment Team will appoint an Incident Commander who, in consultation with one or more members of the President’s Advisory Group Coordinator will manage the emergency until control is assumed by the responding outside agency. The Emergency Operations Plan will be activated immediately. It should be noted that currently, three protocols proceed immediately to Level 3: a campus evacuation, a gunman on campus, and a mutual aid emergency involving another college or university in the area.

Examples: loss of power to multiple buildings; train derailment in Junction Hollow involving hazardous chemicals

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

For Level 3 emergencies, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be set up. An off site location (site to be determined) will be used in the event that the entire main campus is affected by the event. The EOC will be established for the coordination of emergency responses. A representative from each team involved in the immediate emergency response will report to the EOC for duty assignments. Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals do not have to report to the EOC.

For Level 2 emergencies, a temporary Emergency Field Center will be established immediately adjacent to the area affected, or as close as prudently dictated.

RESPONSE TEAMS

Several response teams, with designated duties, have been set up as part of this plan. Following is a listing of those teams. Because the Assessment Team and Incident Commander will be an integral part of every response, descriptions of those teams are offered. Other teams will only be activated as a need for their services becomes apparent:

Assessment Team - These individuals are the first to respond to an incident. They will assess the severity and level of the emergency and communicate with the appropriate groups. This team is made up of a representative from Environmental Health & Safety, the University Engineer, and Chief of University Police.

These initial responders will be responsible for recommending the initial and subsequent levels of response. They are also responsible for appointing an Incident Commander.

The actions required of the Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals, as well as all other teams, will be dictated by the evaluation of the Assessment Team.

Incident Commander - This will be a university representative only until a responding outside agency (Fire Department, Police Department, etc.) arrives on the scene. At that time, command will be assumed by a representative of the appropriate outside agency.

A one-call system has been implemented to improve initial communications and ensure that everyone receives accurate and timely information regarding any potential emergency. This system has the capability of making 5000 calls per minute and will ensure that everyone receives the same information.

Incoming calls on this system will appear as a 4-1-1 call on your caller ID, if you have it. No name will appear with the number.

There will be a slight delay (2 to 3 seconds) after you answer the phone. Do not hang up, and do not keep saying ‘hello. The system requires this delay so that it knows if a live person has answered or if an answering machine has been reached. If your answering machine or voice mail is set to pick up after the sixth ring, you may not receive the message because the system is designed to hang up after the fifth ring. You should set your voice mail or answering machine to pick up before five rings.

If you have such things as Telemarketer Zapper or Privacy Director on your telephone line, you may not receive the call. Because the one-call system is automated, it will not be able to identify itself and the call may be dropped. If you have such a system please notify Environmental Health and Safety so other arrangements can be made.

There will be periodic tests of this system, so you will receive calls from time to time that are not true emergencies. This is the only way we can guarantee that the system will work when we really need it.

GENERAL PROTOCOLS

In any emergency, no person is to take any action that would place anyone, including himself or herself, in personal danger. Likewise, those who have not been properly trained to respond to a particular type of emergency must limit their actions to contacting those who are trained and equipped to respond.

Some emergencies could require more than one type of response (e.g., an explosion could result in a fire, which in turn could result in a release of a hazardous chemical), or may escalate from a low level response to a higher one. The Assessment Team will have the responsibility of determining the type and level of response, and the Incident Commander will be responsible for directing the overall response. Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals will be responsible for conveying this information to building occupants.

In every emergency, unless or until the cause is known to be non-malevolent, the area must be treated as a crime scene. For any evacuated building, University Police shall secure the building and prevent entry by unauthorized persons until the building has been fully released by outside agencies. This means that nobody will be permitted to re-enter the area to retrieve personal belongings, and nothing that could be considered evidence is to be touched until released by the authorities. If it is imperative that someone obtain something from inside the restricted area, the Emergency Coordinator must contact a representative of the responding agency (fire department, police, etc.) and explain why it is necessary. The outside responders will make the final decision regarding entry.

Each building’s Emergency Coordinators should appoint a record keeper within their respective group. Record keepers should keep a log of actions taken from the beginning of the event until the termination of the emergency, as well as any problems encountered.

A Media Relations Team has been established whose role will be to interact with the news media. Only this team is authorized to grant interviews, give statements, or discuss incidents with the media, and any requests that you may get for information should be directed to the Emergency Operations Center . Those requests will then be directed to the proper people. This is important, to control rumors and ensure that only factual information is released.

Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals will be issued lanyards with tags identifying the wearer as a Carnegie Mellon emergency responder. Please wear these lanyards in all emergency situations so you can be easily located.

As much as we plan, and as often as we walk through a drill, nothing can totally prepare us for the real thing. Be mentally prepared to encounter problems that do not appear until a real emergency. Among the things to expect are alarm bells, possible sprinkler activation, poor or no visibility due to smoke or fumes, visible flames, difficulty breathing, or panic.

Remember, this Emergency Operations Plan is confidential. Please treat it as such. There is a significant amount of sensitive information that we prefer not be released to the general campus population or to outsiders.

The list of Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals for your area should be kept current, and Environmental Health and Safety should be notified when changes occur.

SHELTERING IN PLACE

Most incidents will require that building occupants remain inside their buildings rather than evacuate (referred to as “sheltering in place”). Where practical, sheltering in place will always be the preferred option. Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals will need to maintain contact with building occupants to keep them apprised of the event’s status. Because of the unpredictable nature of emergencies, specific directions for sheltering in place can not be spelled out in advance with any degree of confidence. However, some general guidelines can be established, and more specific directions will be given at the time of the emergency.

Most shelter in place operations will simply require occupants to remain in their specific work areas. Where possible, building occupants who are known to be outside their work areas should be contacted and instructed to either remain where they are until the emergency has abated, or return immediately to their work area if that would be safer. Specific action will be determined by the nature and location of the emergency.

Building occupants should be advised to do the following:

It is important to note that, while sheltering in place may be the initial response, an escalation of the event could ultimately require an evacuation. The order to evacuate will be given if it appears that there is potential for the event to escalate to a point where the health and safety of the building occupants may be compromised.

BUILDING EVACUATION

While sheltering in place may be the initial response, an escalation of the event could ultimately require an evacuation. In some cases, potentially serious events may require evacuation as the initial action. The order to evacuate will be given, or the fire alarm will be sounded, if it appears that there is potential for the event to escalate to a point where the health and safety of the building occupants may be compromised.

Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals must be familiar with the evacuation plans for their respective buildings. If you do not have a copy of the plan for your building, contact Bob Anderegg in Environmental Health and Safety (Extension 8-6624).

During an evacuation, check rest rooms, conference rooms, mechanical rooms, established areas of rescue, and similar areas if they are along your route, to ensure that nobody remains in these areas. Do not deviate from the established evacuation route, however. If you find someone in these areas who may need assistance, do not place yourself in danger by remaining behind. Notify University Police once safely outside that there is a person in need of assistance, including their exact location, the nature of any injuries, why they need assistance, etc.

Always know at least one alternate route out of your building, in the event that your primary exit route can not be used.

Caution occupants of your building to avoid using elevators in an emergency. Most elevators are programmed to report to a specific floor when alarms are sounded, and they will not stop at any other floor to allow people to get off. In addition, there is a potential for the elevator to get stuck between floors, allowing no means of escape for those inside.

Please advise all personnel in your building to refrain from using cell phones, pagers, or other electronic devices during an emergency, particularly if there is a potential for an explosive device to be present. Many explosive devices are designed to be detonated with a cell phone signal, and anyone using an electronic device in this situation may inadvertently trigger an explosion. Even if there is no danger of explosion, unnecessary use of cell phones overloads the system and may prevent emergency communications from getting through.

Once outside your building, proceed to the designated assembly areas. Upon arrival, Floor Marshals should try to determine as accurately as possible if everyone is accounted for. Relay information to University Police regarding anyone who can not be accounted for. To minimize confusion and to aid in communications, building occupants should remain in their designated assembly areas.

When buildings are evacuated, University Police will post signs on the doors stating that the building is not to be occupied. Remember: the silencing of an alarm does not mean that the building is safe to re-enter. Please make sure the occupants of your building understand that. Occupants are only permitted to re-enter a building after the responders (e.g., City Fire Department) declare the building safe and officially release it to Carnegie Mellon for re-entry. When the building is released to Carnegie Mellon, University Police will remove the signs. Until the signs are removed, nobody is permitted to re-enter, even if the alarms have been shut off.

EVACUATION OF CAMPUS

Should an evacuation of the entire campus, or a significant portion of the campus, be necessary, an announcement will be made by the President of the University. In addition, information related to the evacuation will be forwarded to local television and radio outlets by the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Media Relations*, who will also initiate additional, predetermined communication actions. For purposes of this document it is assumed that the evacuation will have been precipitated by a major event which is addressed elsewhere in this plan, and all mass evacuations will be considered Level 3.

Emergency Coordinators and Floor Marshals will initiate standard evacuation procedures. Building occupants who have their own means of transportation may leave campus on their own. Those needing transportation should be directed to one of the bus pickup locations (all the following locations will be used unless the emergency dictates otherwise):

EAST – Port Authority Transit Garage, East Liberty *

WEST – Heinz Field* (Note: this facility will not be available on days in which events are scheduled).

SOUTH – Mt. Lebanon School District *

NORTH – Rodef Shalom Temple *, 5 th & Morewood (those on north and west ends of campus may walk to this facility)

DISABLED PERSONS

In the interest of security you will be receiving only the information for disabled persons in your specific building. If there are none in your area, you will receive no additional information. If you are to receive this information, it will be sent separately.

Those who have identified themselves as needing assistance have been instructed to exit the building when possible, but if evacuation is not practical they have been assigned emergency waiting areas. (Note: some rooms or buildings do not have an alternate area that is superior to the occupant’s original area. In those cases, no emergency waiting area is suggested). In an emergency, both the classroom/work area and emergency waiting area must be checked to ensure that people are not trapped inside the building. However, this should only be done if it allows you to remain on your evacuation route.

Disabled persons have also been instructed to carry a signaling device with them, such as a whistle or flashlight, which they will use to summon assistance if they are unable to reach their emergency waiting area. Rescue personnel must be aware of this possibility and be alert for such signals.

To reduce the risk of personal injury, attempts to carry immobilized persons are discouraged. For more detailed information regarding assisting those who have identified themselves as needing assistance, refer to your building’s evacuation plan. If you do not have a copy of the plan for your building, contact Bob Anderegg in Environmental Health and Safety (Extension 8-6624).

For this document hazardous materials include biological (including recombinant biological) and chemical agents, compressed gases, hazardous waste, lasers, materials identified by OSHA as Particularly Hazardous Substances, PCB’s, and radiological sources. If you have any of these materials in your building but you did not receive information related to this plan, please contact Jim Gindlesperger in Environmental Health and Safety (8-3760).

Should you encounter a release or spill of any of these materials, do not attempt to clean the area unless you have received specific training on the proper procedures. Contact Environmental Health & Safety for assistance.

Likewise, if your evacuation route brings you into contact with a potentially hazardous material, seek an alternate route out of the building. Do not attempt to pass through the area unless the urgency of the incident does not permit re-routing.

FIELD FIRST AID STATIONS

The following locations have been designated as sites for Field First Aid Stations. The location(s) for any specific incident will be determined by the location and severity of the incident.

The Medical Services Team and/or Student EMS will staff these stations initially in a Level 2 or 3 crisis. For a Level 3 crisis, City of Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services may be asked to provide additional personnel, with local hospitals (see Communication Matrix for telephone numbers) as a secondary source of first aid responders. Contact of these outside sources of assistance will be the responsibility of the University Police.

When emergency conditions have been stabilized and control has been returned to the university by external emergency responders, recovery operations will be initiated. Appropriate announcements of the resumption of university operations will be issued by the Public Information Officer pursuant to the communications protocol.

If university facilities have been affected, prior to re-opening an inspection will be conducted by a representative of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S). Depending on the nature of the incident, additional personnel may be asked to assist in the investigation to determine a cause for the emergency and recommend preventive action to avoid recurrence. A formal report outlining causes and recommendations will be issued to the appropriate parties as soon as practical by a member of the investigation team.

EH&S will also determine the need for specialized cleanup, as in the case of a hazardous materials release or spill, fire, flood, etc. Should specialized cleanup be required, EH&S will make arrangements with the appropriate agencies. EH&S will also be responsible for sampling, testing, and inspecting the emergency site and any affected areas to ensure safe re-occupancy.

The on-site record keeping team will turn over all official records of the site activities, including photos, to the Risk Management Office for processing with insurance carriers. Copies of the same records will be forwarded to the university’s general counsel.

Repairs, where necessary, will begin as soon as legally permitted but not before the investigation team agrees that such repairs will not interfere with the gathering of pertinent information. Oversight of these repairs will be the responsibility of Facilities Management. Routine cleanup activities will be initiated by the university’s housekeeping contractor (Central Property Services), under the guidance of Facilities Management.

Academic and/or administrative space adjustments will be the responsibility of Property Accounting Services, with input from the Deans or Department Heads of the affected areas.

As soon as practical after the conclusion of the emergency, at least one representative from each of the response teams involved in the incident will meet to evaluate the effectiveness of the response. Representatives from any outside agencies responding to the emergency may also be asked to assist in this evaluation, as well as Emergency Coordinators and/or Floor Marshals of the affected buildings.

At that time, recommendations for improving either the Emergency Operations Plan itself, or any perceived weaknesses in the overall response will be discussed.

POST-EMERGENCY PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING

Recognizing that traumatic events often produce short and long term psychological concerns, counseling will be offered to all students, faculty, and staff who desire such intervention. This service will be offered as soon as practical after the emergency is concluded.

Student counseling is handled through the Student Services Response Team. Faculty and staff can obtain confidential assistance through the LifeWorks Employee Assistance Program at 1-888-267-8126.