Introduction

Emergencies can occur at any time, without warning. Careful planning, with an emphasis on safety, can help members of the Palm Beach State College community handle crises and emergencies with appropriate responses, and may save lives. Every member of the Palm Beach State College community shares responsibility for emergency preparedness. Each Campus Provost or designee is responsible for ensuring that the Emergency Operations Plan contains their campus site specific information, and that all persons - including faculty, staff and students - are familiar with the emergency plan.

The primary goals of the Palm Beach State College Emergency Operations Plan are:

• To prevent or minimize the impact of emergencies and to maximize the effectiveness of the campus community in responding to their inevitable occurrences.
  
  
• To protect lives, property and facilities.
  
  
• To provide for the continuity of campus operations in pursuit of the Palm Beach State College mission.

Purpose and Scope

This document establishes the Emergency Operations Plan for Palm Beach State College, and assigns responsibilities for the development, implementation, and maintenance of the Plan.

The Plan is designed to maximize human safety and survival, preserve property, minimize danger, restore normal activities of the College, and assure responsible communications with College Constituents.

The Palm Beach State College Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) applies to all Palm Beach State College personnel, buildings, and grounds at all campuses operated by the college. It serves as the guiding document for preparedness, response, and recovery actions.

Policy Statements

The College is committed to supporting the safety and welfare of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

All members of the College community are expected to take personal responsibility for following the policies and procedures of the College in the event of an emergency and for acting in accordance with instructions given by the Emergency Management Team.

The College will conduct continuous planning to minimize the risk of personal injury and property loss from critical incidents; will cooperate with local, state and federal agencies and public bodies that have responsibilities related to disaster preparedness, response and control; and will take necessary and prudent steps to assure continuity of operations and restoration of normal activities as quickly as possible following an emergency or disaster.

Maintaining and Updating the Emergency Operations Plans

Emergency plans must be reviewed annually and updated as faculty, staff, students and programs at the campuses change. The plans should be available in both hard copy and electronic formats.

1. District Emergency Operations Plan will be updated annually by the Chief of Security and the Safety Manager. The Plan will then be submitted to the Emergency Management Team Leader (Vice President Administration and Business Services) or designee for approval. The College Emergency Management Team will manage the Plan and will provide it to authorities (local and state emergency units) for incorporation into their plans.
   
   
2. Campus Emergency Operations Plans (site specific information) will be updated by the Campus Emergency Coordinator(s) (Designated by the Provost). Individual Campuses are responsible for adding site specific information to the plan to maintain continuity. The Campus Plan will then be submitted to the Campus Safety and Security Committee, Chief of Security and the Safety Manager for approval.

Each Campus Provost will designate a Campus Emergency Coordinator(s) that will update the specific information for their campus plan. This person must be a full-time member of the administrative team, and preferably an experienced employee who is thoroughly familiar with Campus procedures. Knowledge of programs and physical facilities in their Campus is also imperative. The Campus Emergency Coordinator(s) will gather and communicate emergency information, ensure that all emergency information in the plan is accurate for their campus, and maintain emergency response forms and other emergency planning materials.

How to Use this Plan

This is a District Level Plan that is meant to be used as the basis for the Campus Emergency Operations Plans. The sections in this plan spell out the college wide procedures and policies that apply for Emergency Operations and focus on college wide concepts that apply to emergency situations, to include: assignments and responsibilities, communications, evacuation, supplies and equipment, emergency response actions, and hazard reduction. The campus plans must contain site specific information about dealing with specific types of emergencies and contain information on campus operations, notifications, and response personnel.

In an emergency, it is critical that identified individuals are able to quickly access the campus plan. Therefore it is important that all campus plans follow a uniform format that will be familiar to potential users of the plans. Further, to adequately exploit benefits of web technology, campus plans should exist on the website accessible by college staff.

It is the intent of the District Staff (Chief of Security and Safety Manager) to provide guidance on each specific plan and work with the Campus Safety and Security/Facilities Committees and the assigned Campus Emergency Coordinator in the collection and inclusion of site specific data.

Glossary of Emergency Terms for Palm Beach State College

Appendix A: Safe Assembly Areas / AED Location Maps
Appendix B: College Emergency Closing Plan
Appendix C: Hurricane Plan
Appendix D: Pandemic Flu Plan
Appendix E: Chemical Hygiene Plan
Appendix F: Biological Safety Manual
Appendix G: Biological Waste Plan
Appendix H: Security Plan
Appendix I: Bomb Threat Assessment Form