VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

AND STATE UNIVERSITY

Satellite Operations Centers

Emergency

Planning Guidelines

Environmental, Health and Safety Services

540-231-5985

Environmental Health and Safety services

Satellite Operations Centers Emergency Planning Guidelines

Environmental, Health and Safety Services

Health and Safety Building

459 Tech Center Drive

Blacksburg, VA 24061

Phone 540-231-5985 Fax (540) 231-3944

http://www.ehss.vt.edu

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, political affiliation or sexual orientation. The university is subject to Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistant Act of 1974, the Federal Executive Order 11246, Virginias State Executive Order Number Two, and all other rules and regulations that are applicable. Anyone having questions concerning any of those regulations should contact the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office, 336 Burruss Hall, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0216, (540) 231-7500, TTY: (540) 231-9460.

Revision Status

Contact(s)

Implementation Date

Revision Number

Comments

Z. Adams, PE, CSP, CIH

July 2005

1.0

Initial document published

Table of Contents

iiRevision Status

List of Acronyms Used in this Planiv

INTRODUCTION1

Scope2

Application3

Satellite Operations Centers5

Administrative And Academic SOCs5

Operational SOCs6

BASIC PLANNING BEFORE AN EMERGENCY OCCURS7

Establish The Framework For Your SOC7

Conduct COOP And Business Resumption Planning8

EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIONS10

EMERGENCY RECOVERY RESPONSIBILITIES12

Business Recovery12

APPENDIX 1 - EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MEASURES13

Roster of SOC Department Emergency Contacts15

Satellite Operations Center (SOC) Organization16

SOC Emergency Response Personnel17

APPENDIX 2 COOP, Business Resumption, and Business Recovery Planning19

COOP and Business Resumption Planning21

Identification of Critical Processes21

Evaluate the Process23

Identify Process Tasks25

Identify Internal Department Dependencies26

Identify External Dependencies27

Identify External Contacts28

Customer Contacts29

Business Equipment and Supplies30

Protection of Assets31

APPENDIX 3 EMERGENCY RESPONSE ACTIONS37

Emergency Response Actions39

APPENDIX 4 RECOVERY ACTIONS47

Documenting Emergency Outcomes49

List of Acronyms Used in this Plan

COOP

Continuity of Operations

DAT

Damage Assessment Team

EAP

Emergency Action Plan

EHSS

Environmental, Health and Safety Services

ERC

Emergency Response Coordinator

EOC

Emergency Operations Center

ERP

Emergency Response Plan

ERRG

Emergency Response Resource Group

IC

Incident Commander

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

RAT

Rapid Assessment Team

SOC

Satellite Operations Center

VDEM

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

VPIC

Vice President in Charge

VTPD

Virginia Tech Police Department

INTRODUCTION

Virginia Techs Emergency Response Plan (ERP) outlines the universitys 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.

This document and the Department Emergency Planning Guidelines establish requirements for pre-planning for emergencies, and contain instructions for identifying vulnerabilities and reducing exposures, establishing business resumption and recovery priorities, and developing strategies to assure Continuity of Operations (COOP). COOP plans guide appropriate actions to assure the capability exists to continue core business functions and activities, and to achieve an orderly recovery from emergency situations across a wide range of potential emergencies or threats. These documents are available for download at www.ehss.vt.edu.

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 Environmental, Health and Safety Services at safety@vt.edu or 231-5985, or the course schedule may be viewed at www.ehss.vt.edu.

SCOPE

Virginia Techs ERP guides preparedness, response and recovery actions. It applies to a broad range of emergency incidents, and may be activated in response to:

Civil Unrest

Fires or Explosions

Extended Utility Outages

Mass Casualty Events

Extreme Weather Events

Hazardous Materials Release

Terrorist Threats or Activities

Earthquakes

The ERP may also be activated during a community or regional crisis that impacts university personnel or operations.

Emergency Levels

Virginia Techs ERP classifies four levels of emergencies according to their severity and potential impact upon the campus community. The levels are:

LEVEL 0A minor, localized incident that is quickly resolved with existing university resources. A Level 0 emergency has little or no impact on personnel or normal operations outside of the affected area. Examples include an automatic fire alarm, a small chemical spill, or a localized waterline break.

LEVEL IA localized incident that is quickly resolved with university resources and limited support of outside agencies. A Level I emergency has little or no impact on personnel or normal operations outside of the affected area. Examples include a localized fire or explosion, a chemical spill that causes a disruption of services and a hazardous materials response, and a water main break.

LEVEL IIAn emergency that may adversely impact or threaten life, health or property on a large scale at one or more locations within the university. Control of the incident requires specialists in addition to university and outside agency personnel and may have long-term implications. Examples include whole-building fires, a chemical release that requires evacuation of one or more buildings, and large scale civil unrest on university property.

LEVEL IIIA major disaster involving a large portion of the campus and surrounding community. Control of the incident will require a multi-agency response and the involvement of multiple university departments. Long-term implications are expected. Examples include extensive flooding, large-scale chemical release, earthquake, tornado, and major utility outages.

Note that the ERP will typically only be activated for Level II and III emergencies, and that the designated level may vary as emergency conditions change.

Phases of Response Activities

University response to a disaster or emergency will generally involve the following phases:

Planning and Mitigation The process of evaluating exposures and developing or refining response plans that will assure an orderly and effective response to an emergency, and for identifying