MULTI-HAZARD EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN (ERP) Home SPECIFIC INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ICS) ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE ICS STRUCTURE RECORD OF DISTRIBUTION RECORD OF CHANGE AND ANNUAL REVIEW [M] PURPOSE, SCOPE AND LEGAL AUTHORITY PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE PHASES OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT [M] INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM (ICS) GENERAL ROLES SUMMARY HAZARD ANALYSIS [M] GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FORMAL ADOPTION STATEMENT [M] EMERGENCY MAP DISTRIBUTION AND FIRST RESPONDER WALKTHROUGHS [K] DIRECTION, GUIDANCE AND ACTIVATION (CHAIN OF COMMAND) [K] CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS UNDER ICS FRAMEWORK CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS – OVERALL APPROACH CAPABILITIES ASSESSMENT BLINN COLLEGE DISTRICT ICS USE AND STRUCTURE BLINN COLLEGE DISTRICT CAMPUS/FACILITY LOCATIONS AGENCY COORDINATION [M] ACRONYMS USED IN THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN (ERP)

CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS UNDER ICS FRAMEWORK

The overall strategies for designing, preparing, implementing and maintaining the entire emergency program arise from the NIMS concept of operations. These are intended to address the Core Capabilities required for District operations. FEMA/DHS “Core capabilities” relevant to the District’s mission are included as an annex to this ERP.

The District’s emergency management program must include, at a minimum, the following elements:

Standardized organization structures, processes and procedures.
Standards for planning, training and exercising personnel.
Equipment acquisition and certification.
Interoperable communications processes, procedures and systems.
Information management systems.
Supporting technologies for voice and data communications, information, data display and specialized technologies.

Prevention: Actions that include activities to avoid an emergency incident or to intervene to stop an emergency incident from occurring. Prevention involves activities to protect lives and property.

Risk management and its strategies help reduce the dangers of operating in the all- hazards environment when threats can impact District vulnerabilities.

These strategies include avoidance (e.g., not building structures in floodplains), reduction of impacts when avoidance cannot be completely implemented (e.g., installation of fire sprinkler systems in structures), and acceptance of some or all of the consequences of a particular risk while providing response tools to address the losses (e.g., insurance, mutual aid, response teams.)

Prevention is also accomplished by District management taking actions to avoid an incident or to intervene to stop an incident from escalating. Prevention is typically an applied process of ongoing activities. For District operations, prevention involves actions to protect lives and property. It involves applying intelligence and other information to a range of activities that may include such countermeasures as:

Deterrence operations.
Heightened inspections.
Improved surveillance and security operations.
Investigations to determine the full nature and source of the threat.
Safety enforcement.
Immunizations of District personnel.
Assisting law enforcement operations aimed at deterring, preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity when such activities relate to District business.
Identify past losses during incidents and try to identify the root cause of those losses.
Evaluate neighboring operations to identify new or changing threats that might impact District operations.

Some of the prevention efforts employed by the District include:

Complying with or exceeding floodplain management and environmental regulations.
Enforcing building codes for new construction or repairing/retrofitting existing buildings.
Identifying and utilizing shelters and safe rooms to help protect people in tornado-prone areas.
Implementing a vital records program to prevent loss of crucial documents and records.
Conducting site specific hazard vulnerability assessments of all District locations.
Management of data regarding historical incidents to support strategic planning and analysis.
Development of hazard-specific evacuation routes.

Sometimes prevention can be accomplished through coordinated efforts with the general community. A good example is providing personal safety instructions for students to take home to their families and friends off campus. Other examples include providing guidance for constructing portable emergency kits or supporting vaccinations for influenza before flu season while providing hand-cleansing sites for students, staff, faculty and visitors on campus. All of this is outreach that helps reduce threats not just in the District, but within the community it serves.

The District enhances prevention by outreach activities, including:

Releasing updates of interest regarding seasonal threats or new threats of interest in order to increase situational awareness.
Providing emergency guidance and tools for District personnel.
Placing posters for specific threats throughout the District.
Supporting placement of programmed weather radios in several key locations throughout the District.
Training staff to recognize the meaning of local public warning systems.
Updating emergency contact phone numbers.
Providing First-aid, CPR, AED and fire extinguisher training to appropriate target audiences.
Developing MOUs and other agreements for resource shortages, response, and recovery.
Following guidance on prevention from local and state government response agencies, FEMA, and DHS.

B. Mitigation: Actions that include activities to reduce the loss of life and property

from natural, technological, and human-caused hazards by avoiding or lessening the impact of an emergency incident and providing value to the public by creating safer communities.

Mitigation is any action of a long-term, permanent nature that reduces the actual or potential risk of loss of life or property from a hazard that is a known threat. An example would be installation of automatic doors for wheelchair access or updating stairwells for emergency evacuation. Mitigation can also involve security actions such as installing shock- resistant glass for offices that handle cash. Mitigation projects sometimes take substantial planning, funding, and sometimes collaboration with community organizations.

Mitigation is an important part of the emergency management process. Mitigation provides value by creating a safer environment and impeding the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and repeated damage. The process of mitigation is considered a two-part process in NIMS. First, there is risk management through prevention. Second, there is an improved sense of situational awareness of threats and collaboration through outreach.

Preparedness: Actions that include a continuous cycle of planning, organization, training, equipping, exercising, evaluation, and taking corrective action to ensure effective coordination during emergency incident response.

Preparedness involves the readiness of plans and procedures, personnel, supplies and equipment, facilities, and agreements with external organizations. Readiness is based on meeting the needs to address the primary threats identified in the risk assessment for the District.

PlansandProcedures

The District, through the Director of Safety and Risk Management, in collaboration with the Emergency Management function, develops the ERP and its associated functional annexes, hazard specific annexes, and any appendix information to the ERP, as well as SOPs for the Unified Campus Safety Program (UCSP), and assists BCD Departments to develop their own internal plans and procedures, as necessary. The Director of Safety and Risk Management also works in collaboration with Executive staff to develop other supporting documents that affect emergency readiness, including:

Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) SOPs
Blinn College District General Safety Manual
Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for Specific Events
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
Behavior Intervention Team (BIT)
Fire Safety Inspections Protocols and Procedures
Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene Plans

During this process, the Director of Safety and Risk Management is responsible for ensuring documents meet District expectations to comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations, as well as reflecting best practices for effective and safe emergency operations. The overall process for scheduling and managing training is described in the Maintenance section of this ERP.

Emergency Training[M]

To improve the District’s readiness, regular training with students, faculty (full and part-time), and employees is conducted on the hazards identified in the ERP. Emergency training includes, but is not limited to, required emergency drills as well as District approved exercises to improve emergency incident coordination, operation, and response to mitigate emergency incident loss of life and damage to property.

Drills: A preparedness activity designed to train individuals to respond effectively during an incident when loss of life or property is at risk. Per Texas Education Code 37.114, Texas Administrative Code 103.1209, and state and federal best practices, every school year campuses shall schedule and complete required drills and evaluate the drill effectiveness. The Emergency Drill Table contains each legislatively mandated emergency drill with the definition and frequency in accordance with Texas Administrative Code 103.1209.
Exercises: A preparedness training activity designed to practice and assess, in a more realistic setting, the actions of individuals responding to an incident when loss of life or property are at risk.

DISTRICT EMERGENCY DRILL TABLE	DISTRICT EMERGENCY DRILL TABLE	DISTRICT EMERGENCY DRILL TABLE
Drill	Definition	Frequency
Secure “Lockout”	A response action schools take to secure (close, latch, and lock) the perimeter of school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose a threat or hazard outside of the school building. This type of drill uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection to deny entry.	Once Per Regular Semester
Lockdown	A response action schools take to secure (close, latch, and lock) interior portions of school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence inside the school. The primary objective is to quickly ensure all school students, staff, and visitors are secured away from immediate danger.	Once Per Regular Semester
Evacuation	A response action schools take to quickly move students, staff, faculty (full and part-time), and visitors from one place to another. The primary objective of an evacuation is to ensure that all individuals can quickly move away from the threat.	Once Per Regular Semester
Shelter-in-place Severe Weather or Hazmat	A response action schools take to quickly move students, staff, faculty (full and part-time), and visitors indoors, perhaps for an extended period of time, because it is safer inside the building than outside. For severe weather, depending on the type and/or threat level (watch versus warning), affected individuals may be required to move to rooms without windows on the lowest floor possible or to a weather shelter. Examples of a shelter-in-place for hazmat drill include train derailment with chemical release or smoke from a nearby fire.	Once Per Regular Semester
Fire Evacuation	A method of practicing how a building would be vacated in a fire. The purpose of fire drills in buildings is to ensure that everyone knows how to exit safely as quickly as possible	Once Per Regular Semester

Response: Actions that include activities to address the short-termdirect effects of anemergency incident. Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protectproperty, and meet basic human needs. The response actions include the execution of Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plans.

Response is comprised of activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident. These may include:

€¢ Immediate actions to save lives, protect property and meet basic human needs.

€¢ Declaration of a District-wide or campus emergency.

€¢ Activation of the District ERP/SOPs and response teams.

€¢ Initial threat and damage assessments.

€¢ Coordination with supporting agencies and organizations to control the threat.

€¢ Continual evaluation of the threat to develop objectives to protect lives, property and the environment.

€¢ Application of intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of the threat.

€¢ Increasing security and law enforcement operations to protect people, property and the environment.

€¢ Increased health surveillance and testing (physical and mental) as needed, depending on exposures to vectors, agents and trauma during the incident.

Incidents often follow a pattern that allows effective management of the impacts from the threat. Response processes can be categorized as pre-response, initial response and continuing response activities.

Pre-Response Readiness

The following actions are typically completed when there is a 24 to 36-hour lead time before an emergency occurs (severe weather, violent protest, disease outbreak, etc.). These actions cannot be taken in a timely manner in fast-breaking events (active shooter, hazardous materials spill, bomb threat, fire alarm, etc.)

Situational Awareness
District executive and department management personnel are responsible for situational awareness of threats that may rise to create an emergency situation.
Threats may be easily recognized based on seasonal, geographic and historical reference points.
Information should be monitored through the media, from warning services (like NOAA all-hazards broadcasts), daily briefings and BCDPD updates.
District executives are responsible for maintaining a Common Operational Picture (COP) for the District that includes recognizing major threat potentials and ensuring the readiness to address them.
Plans and Procedures

District authorities responsible for coordinating and maintaining emergency plans and procedures should verify that the documents are sound and ready for use if there is an impending threat. This includes ensuring that teams have the latest copy of approved documents, especially checklists and required forms (see ICS Forms Annex).

Equipment, Supplies and Facilities

District authorities responsible for coordinating and maintaining emergency readiness should verify that emergency equipment, supplies and supporting facilities (like the EOC) are complete, available and that facilities are habitable if needed for use if there is an impending threat. This includes ensuring that teams have checked their kits and materials, communications, and know that either a primary or secondary facility has been designated for use.

Team and Key Personnel Readiness

When teams are advised that they may be activated, their responsibility is to ensure they are capable of fulfilling their role (which could be comprised by health, family conditions, or other compelling issues); that they have their documents, equipment and supplies in readiness; and that they know who they would report to and where if the threat requires an emergency activation. At this stage they should also provide current contact information to their supervisor so they can be notified quickly.

Emergency Communications
The District must maintain emergency communications equipment, systems, software and personnel training.
Pre-incident tests of key notification and warning systems are to be completed when the likelihood of an emergency incident is likely within a day of a threat’s arrival.
Emergency pre-scripted messages should correlate with the standards set by the Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System (IPAWS) and the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) established at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), when they are to be released through local government to the general public.
Response teams should ensure batteries for their radios are charged and that their radios are operational on no less than a monthly basis.
BCDPD should ensure that it is capable of meeting the Clery Act requirements for timely notification of a criminal act that may qualify as an emergency incident.
All District response teams should be briefed, if possible, prior to an emergency to remind them of restrictions on handling and transmitting sensitive personal information under the Clery Act, FERPA, HIPAA and ADA laws.
BlinnALERT notifications shall be used to alert CIRT and key staff per procedure for immediate life-threatening incidents.
Initial Response and Threat Identification

The recognition of the threat and the classification of its type (natural, technological, human caused) should be based on the hazard/threat evaluation chart in this ERP. The final decision on threat identification can be made by:

The Chancellor and/or Executive Vice Chancellor, or their designee for a District-wide incident.
The EMC.
An offsite emergency responder acting as the IC.
An offsite emergency management authority (City/County or Governor) for local, regional or statewide incidents.
District Emergency Declaration and “Trigger Chart”

The initial activation of the District ERP and the response teams and resources should occur quickly in accordance with the pre-agreed upon conditions in a declaration trigger chart (or based on the seriousness of the kind of incident threat when it is not listed specifically in the emergency declaration trigger chart).

Declarations may be more conservative than the guidance in the activation trigger chart, but never less conservative.

District Emergency Declaration Authority and Process

The authority to declare a District emergency rests with the Chancellor or their designee if conditions allow. A District emergency declaration gives the District immediate authority to take protective actions and to activate teams and resources to protect the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The authority to declare a District-wide emergency declaration rests with the Chancellor, Executive Vice Chancellor, or their designees (in line of succession) when there is:
An incident that severely impacts District campuses.
An incident that has caused multiple fatalities on District property.
An incident which caused the District Chancellor (or their designee) to declare an emergency and the college has activated their ERP.
An incident that directly impacts two or more campuses.
A threat is moving toward any facility/campus of the District, which may cause major damage and injuries/deaths if immediate actions are not taken (e.g., massive flooding predicted, wildfire approaching, tornado on the ground, civil unrest, etc.).
Incident Level Identification
Incident complexity determines the numbers and types of emergency and incident response personnel and resources needed to respond effectively.
As defined below, it is unlikely that this Emergency Plan would be activated for any incident defined by NIMS as level 4 or 5. Most District incidents that require initial protective actions are at the 4 or 5 level of complexity. They are usually completed, with an ‘All Clear’ given, within an hour or less. BCDPD (or someone with the most experience at the incident scene) would establish an initial Incident Command Post (ICP), but there would not be enough time to establish a formal ICS structure like the Emergency Response Team (ERT). The CIRTs throughout the District would work within this limited time frame, but they are not part of an ICS structural framework. They are strictly a response team for protective actions that support ICS and NIMS concepts. It is also doubtful that a District-wide emergency declaration would occur for anything other than a 1-or-2 level incident. The five levels of emergencies are defined in NIMS as the following “Trigger Chart” incidents:

TYPE 1INCIDENT

This type of incident is the most complex, requiring national resources for safe and effective management and operation.
All command and general staff positions are filled.
Operations personnel often exceed 500 per operational period and total personnel will usually exceed 1,000.
Branches need to be established.
A written incident action plan (IAP) is required for each operational period.
The agency administrator will have briefings and ensure that the complexity analysis and delegation of authority are updated.
Use of resource advisors at the incident base is recommended.
There is a high impact on the local jurisdiction, requiring additional staff for office administrative and support functions.

TYPE 2INCIDENT

This type of incident extends beyond the capabilities for local control and is expected to go into multiple operational periods. A Type 2 incident may require the response of resources out of area, including regional and/or national resources, to effectively manage the operations, command, and general staffing.
Most or all the command and general staff positions are filled.
A written IAP is required for each operational period.
Many of the functional units are needed and staffed.
Operations personnel normally do not exceed 200 per operational period and total incident personnel do not exceed 500 (guidelines only).
The agency administrator is responsible for the incident complexity analysis, agency administration briefings, and the written delegation of authority.

TYPE 3INCIDENT

When incident needs exceed capabilities, the appropriate ICS positions should be added to match the complexity of the incident.
Some or all the command and general staff positions may be activated, as well as division/group supervisor and/or unit leader level positions.
A Type 3 IMT or incident command organization manages initial action incidents with a significant number of resources, an extended attack incident until containment/control is achieved, or an expanding incident until transition to a Type 1 or 2 IMT.
The incident may extend into multiple operational periods.
A written IAP may be required for each operational period.

TYPE 4INCIDENT

Command staff and general staff functions are activated only if needed.
Several resources are required to mitigate the incident, including a task force or strike team.
The incident is usually limited to one operational period in the control phase.
The agency administrator may have briefings and ensure the complexity analysis and delegation of authority is updated.
No written IAP is required but a documented operational briefing will be completed for all incoming resources.
The role of the agency administrator includes operational plans including objectives and priorities.

TYPE 5INCIDENT

The incident can be handled with one or two single resources with up to six personnel.
Command and general staff positions (other than the incident commander) are not activated.
No written IAP is required.
The incident is contained within the first operational period and often within an hour to a few hours after resources arrive on scene.
Examples include a vehicle fire, an injured person, or a police traffic stop.

Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) - Concept

The District or Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) ensures a process to continue operations no matter what incident may cause interruptions. The following discussion summarizes the process for the District to follow to maintain essential functions throughout all emergencies. Specific directions and tactics are found in the official COOP (see COOP Annex).

Vital Records Retention

Vital records include financial data, licenses, legal agreements, contracts, databases, and any written communications critical to the essential functions of operations. The District has an Information Technology (IT) emergency policy that directs preservation of District vital records and ensures they are duplicated and secured at an alternate, safe location on a regular basis. The critical operations records are secured daily. These include primary financial and individual records for staff, faculty and students (see Cybersecurity Response Annex).

A test of the backup system is completed regularly to verify that the recovery system works. The tests also establish the time expected for data retrieval from storage. This is summarized in the IT COOP.

Essential Facility and Infrastructure Protection

The District has considered how to continue operations when there is damage or loss of essential facilities or other infrastructure. To prevent interruption of service, the District established alternate locations to continue business until the normal operating location is restored. This would only be done when there is major structural damage or long-term threats to the health and safety of people at the District offices and/or campuses.

These sites should have nearly the same operating capacity and resources as the primary locations. Tests should be completed through, at least, a tabletop drill to evaluate the ability of moving and working from an alternate site. Additional infrastructure protection includes security measures, mitigation from major threats, and standard maintenance.

Special Legal Emergency Planning Considerations: Clery Act, FERPA, HIPAA, ADA, PFA

A series of laws affect emergency protocols included in District plans and procedures, especially regarding the access to student, staff and faculty personal records, which can become critical for public health and safety, the treatment and care of emergency victims, and for reunification with families. The District must take these laws into consideration during preparation of their concepts of operations.

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act)

The Clery Act requires clear communications and notifications about criminal activity on or near District properties as well as timely emergency notifications to those on District properties when emergency conditions arise. The District follows the requirements of the Clery Act for criminal notifications through operations of the BCDPD. Criminal activities that are not generally considered emergency conditions are managed separately from the District ERP. There are special considerations for dormitory occupants as the District operates on-campus housing at the Brenham Campus.

Emergency notification processes, including criminal behavior that does qualify as an emergency incident (active shooter, violent protest, bomb threat, etc.) are collaboratively managed with BCDPD, District communications, and District executive staff. A pre-defined message system with protocols known as BlinnALERT is in place to speed the process for limited and full-District notifications. It is evaluated after drills, exercises and actual emergencies. It is effective and timely and meets best practices found for colleges and universities. The emergency notification system is used frequently throughout the year for drills, exercises, and actual incidents. The effectiveness of emergency notifications is evaluated in NIMS-required After-Action Reports (AARs).

The District uses BlinnALERTs for a wide range of emergency notifications to staff, faculty and students. The BCDPD also has a select listing of key contacts who receive emergency e-mail, text and phone call notifications directly from the BCDPD personnel involved in any emergency or critical incident. Each campus also has the ability to activate its CIRT to perform protective actions for buildings at risk during emergency incidents, including evacuations, shelter-in-place, lockouts, and lockdowns.

These systems are used for general threat notifications, specific emergency warning and notifications, and for post-event information such as reunification directions and campus closure/reopening messages.

Emergency public information (EPI) for the general public is provided appropriately through the news media, through social media sites and contacts, and through media briefings in accordance with the District Crisis Communications Plan.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Access to student records (academic, health, criminal) that are held by the District must be handled under the strict legal constraints of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA is primarily a legal concern for daily operations of District programs. However, it does have a bearing during emergency incidents when student information is critical for public health and safety. There is a specific exception in that case for disclosure of personal identifiable information (PII).

District officials may disclose PII from education records without consent to appropriate parties only when there is an actual, impending, or imminent emergency, such as an articulable and significant threat (an emergency event where the information is clearly necessary for the protection of public health and safety). Information may be disclosed only to protect the health or safety of students or other individuals. In applying the health and safety exception the District must:

Determine what constitutes a health or safety emergency.
Define who “appropriate parties” includes, such as law enforcement officials, first responders, public health officials, trained medical personnel, and parents (including parents of an eligible student).
Recognize that this FERPA exception is temporally limited to the period of the emergency and does not allow for a blanket release of PII. It does not allow disclosures to address emergencies that might occur, such as would be the case in emergency preparedness activities.
Ensure that information that may be disclosed is limited to only PII from an education record that is needed based on the type of emergency.
Ensure that disclosures based on this exception must be documented in the student’s education records to memorialize the Emergency that formed the basis for the disclosure; and
Record the parties with whom the District/College shared the PII.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is implemented through two parts called Titles. Title I protects health insurance coverage. Title II requires the establishment of national standards for electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers. Title II has specific restrictions on the sharing of health information that is relevant to District operations, especially when minors are enrolled participants in District activities and are present during an emergency. This act gives the right to privacy to individuals from age 12 through 18. Under most circumstances the District must have a signed disclosure from the affected minor before giving out any information on health care to anyone, including parents. Title II also addresses the security and privacy of health data for minors and adults to other parts of the healthcare system and defines appropriate authorities. When this information becomes part of a student record it is also connected to FERPA. District staff and faculty information are also protected under Title II.

The most important exception to these restrictions is when public health and safety is threatened. This is relevant to a disease outbreak emergency, e.g., a pandemic disease. Under the health or safety emergency exception, school officials may, without consent, disclose PII from education records to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency. In the case of an influenza outbreak, for instance, if District officials determine that an emergency exists, they may share immunization records with parties, such as state and local public health officials, whose knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of students or others in the campus community. Under this exception, the District may share information only during the limited period of time connected with the emergency. A blanket release of information is not allowed. The District must instead determine what information to disclose on a case-by-case basis depending on the particular threat.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The District works diligently to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through its District Human Resources Department. Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, and generally would prohibit unnecessary disclosures of disability status, or information related to that disability, to third parties. Disclosures may be necessary when the student presents a significant, articulable threat to others, including before, during, or after emergency declarations. This would include records on services and accommodations provided to students under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II and Title III of the ADA.

Psychological First Aid (PFA)

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed modular approach used by mental health and disaster response workers to help individuals of all ages in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism. PFA is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short- and long- term adaptive functioning and coping. PFA does not assume that all survivors will develop mental health problems or long-term difficulties in recovery.

Instead, it is based on an understanding that disaster survivors and others affected by such events will experience a broad range of early reactions (e.g., physical, psychological, behavioral, spiritual). Some of these reactions will cause enough distress to interfere with adaptive coping and recovery. This can be reduced by support from compassionate and caring disaster responders. The District supports early and continual application of PFA through Human Resources programs. For more information on PFA see the Psychological First Aid – Field Operations Guide:

http://www.nctsn.org/content/psychological-first-aid

Activation of the District ICS Operations

Once a threat is recognized and the conditions reach an emergency declaration trigger, the District/College will take immediate actions to activate resources and take protective actions to protect the health and safety of staff, faculty, students and visitors. Initial actions may occur even before executive staff have declared an emergency, especially if first response personnel are at the scene of an incident in progress and immediate life-protection actions must be taken. First responders have the duty and authority to make those decisions without prior approval or declarations.

Incident Command Post Establishment

In the case of a major incident (1 through 3), the Incident Commander (IC) (usually an BCDPD officer on-scene) shall immediately establish an Incident Command Post (ICP) location and activate the appropriate protective actions necessary to safeguard individuals, property, and maintain normal operations for educational facilities. The Incident Commander shall immediately consult with the EMC and Campus Executive Dean if the incident is on a campus, or the Chancellor (or their designee in line of succession) when the incident is primarily on other District properties. The IC will brief the executives regarding the emergency and the need for declaration and activation of teams and implementing protective actions, including notifications.

In level 4 incidents, the ICP will be established, if only for a brief time, in order to coordinate with District executives and multiple emergency response disciplines (law, fire, EMS, public works, health, etc.). The EMC can prepare the ERT for additional activation if the threat worsens.

Appropriate warning notifications should be sent to the appropriate target audiences about the safety of the area and if an “All Clear” has been issued.

In level 5 incidents, the responder in charge still becomes the IC, but no other formal ICS command structures are usually needed for a minor operation that can be managed in a few hours or less, including any protective actions. District executives are still informed, but no formal actions are needed, outside of general notifications about the incident and whether it is now safe in the area where it occurred.

Protected Entry Access After a Declaration
Once an emergency declaration is made, only authorized employees, administration, registered students, and affiliates (i.e. persons required by employment) are authorized to enter into District properties. Individuals without proper ID shall be asked to leave. Unauthorized individuals attempting to enter District properties that are under emergency declarations may be subject to arrest in accordance with the Texas Penal Code.
Media may have access to the District properties during an emergency but may not in any way impede or interfere with protective actions, emergency team operations or first responder activities, or infringe on the privacy of staff, faculty, students or visitors. Failure to follow the directions of first responders in a disaster may make media members subject to arrest in accordance with the Texas Penal Code.
Activation of Emergency Teams
The District Executive level will not typically initiate the use of emergency teams (ERT or CIRT) at a level 5 or 4 incident, unless there are compelling reasons to provide support from an ERT or provide protective actions from a CIRT.
At level 3, 2 and 1, District and College ERT and BATs will be activated. They may be activated by:
Direct notification by phone from an Executive in the line of succession for the District.
Notification by BlinnALERT.
Alarms activating in a building
First responder directions (e.g., BCDPD requesting assistance to evacuate a building or shelter-in-place).
Self-activation from general awareness of the incident threat (e.g., see fire or smoke, hear about incident from other reliable staff/faculty, news announcements such as NOAA weather alert of a warning to take immediate action).
Additional organizational elements such as BCDPD, Safety and Risk Management, Facilities Maintenance, Public Relations etc., that support each campus and satellite locations, will be mobilized to provide the degree of support commensurate with the requirements of an incident at the individual campuses.
If the District ERT is activated, the EMC will provide a written list of people with authorized access to the EOC who serve on the ERT, to an BCDPD officer on-scene to ensure control at the EOC, and access through any law enforcement control points restricting access to the area.
Initial Response Capabilities
Immediate Protective Actions

First responders at any incident scene have the authority and responsibility to take whatever immediate actions are needed to protect human life and safety. They can take this action without approval from any other authority.

If, and when, a CIRT member is present and functional they will work in coordination with the BCDPD or other first responders to take any and all protective actions to address public health and safety. Actions may include:

Evacuation to an outside designated Assembly Area
Reverse Evacuation (relocating back inside another building when the conditions outside further threaten people)
Lockout
Lockdown
Shelter-in-Place
Direction and Control
Upon determination that a District-wide emergency exists, (through coordination with any existing Incident Commander at the scene, BCDPD, and Safety and Risk Management) the Chancellor (or their designee in line of succession) shall activate the Incident Command System (ICS) for the District and the District ERP.
The person with the most experience and authority at the incident scene shall assume responsibility as the Incident Commander (IC). During an incident, decisions directing and/or controlling first responder resources will be the responsibility of the IC. The Incident Commander will have full authority over first responder actions during the incident.
During a District-wide emergency, the Chancellor (or the first available person in their line of succession) should provide formal notification to the IC that they are acting within their authority on District property.
An Incident Command Post (ICP) should be located near enough to the incident site to provide ready support and observation, but far enough away to ensure the safety of first responders from any threat (e.g., explosion, inhalation, flooding, etc.).
Facilities Maintenance will assist the IC to establish a nearby but safe marshaling area for external emergency response agencies’ vehicles, teams and other resources needed for coordination of operations for combined on-site emergency response.
The IC will continue to exercise management authority over first responders and will activate elements of the Incident Command Post (ICP) as necessary, following the ICS.
If the person acting as the IC is not a first responder, they will be in charge until a first responder can take the IC position during a turnover, with the new IC clearly announcing that they are now in charge as the new IC.
If the emergency involves only one building or a small part of a District campus, BCDPD shall secure the emergency scene in cooperation with the CIRT, and as the IC, request support from other BCDPD officers, Dispatch for external first responder support (law enforcement, fire, EMS, etc.) and further request support from the executives of the Blinn College District (using their line of succession), Facilities Maintenance staff for that campus, Public Relations, and Safety and Risk Management until the emergency is closed and there is an “All Clear.”
The IC and ICP personnel will continue to develop objectives to address the threat in accordance with the priorities of this Plan.
Communications will be established with District executives as soon as possible.
If an incident escalates to the point an ERT at the College District level is required, the IC will coordinate with the ERT Liaison Officer in the EOC, or directly with the EMC and Operations Section Chief, depending on the conditions at hand. The IC would continue to lead tactical operations while the EOC ERT would provide resources and strategic support through its coordination with District executives in the Executive Policy Group (EPG), which would operate separately from the EOC.
For District-wide incidents, the Chancellor (or the next available person in the order of succession) should form an Area Command that provides joint resource management at the Chancellor’s Level, while tactical initiatives for first responders remain at the ICP.
All ICS operations will follow the standard Planning “P” per NIMS standards to organize and operate during response.
Area Command will be established when the complexity of an incident and incident management span-of-control considerations dictate. Area commands are relevant to incidents such as public health emergencies, given that these events are typically not site specific, and not immediately identifiable, may be geographically dispersed, and evolve over time ranging from days to weeks. It is important to note that Area Command does not have operational responsibilities.
If Washington County forms a Unified Command (after a Local Emergency Declaration occurs), the Chancellor, or their designee, may need to become part of the Unified Command process, especially regarding allocation of strategic resources needed to support District operations. The District maintains its operational authority while supporting a Unified Command structure with the County.

Continuing Response

Emergency Response Teams
If an ERT is activated, it will continue to operate in collaboration with the Executive Policy Group (EPG) and with the IC, until such time as it is agreed that the ERT is no longer needed, through a collaborative decision with the EMC, the EPG and the IC (if the IC and ICP is still operational). The ERT will function within the scope of its duties defined within ICS.
The CIRTs will be activated, or self-activated, as previously defined. They will complete their efforts to perform protective actions to protect the health and safety of all staff, faculty, students, vendors and visitors until there is an ‘All Clear’ provided by the appropriate District authority.
The Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) may be activated during this period to begin the processes of reestablishing normal District operations as the incident moves into the recovery stage.
Facility Operations
If an ERT is activated, it will operate from a primary or alternate EOC.
If an EPG is activated, it will work typically from an office near the District Chancellor’s Office (if habitable), or for District-wide emergencies, from a space or building near the Chancellor’s Office.
The CIRTs will work initially from their assigned floors and buildings and then move to the selected Assembly Area(s).
All other personnel and/or ad-hoc teams will utilize appropriate and available space to carry out their assigned duties.
Resource Management
All teams and ICS participants will coordinate resources within the protocols defined in the ICS and the NIMS processes. Critical resources may be withheld from the District depending on a greater need in the surrounding community. Private sector resources may also become scarce during major regional disasters.
In a local or state of emergency, elected officials may choose to extract resources from the District to assist greater needs for others within Washington County or the State of Texas at large. In a federal declaration, federal authorities may also reallocate any public or private resources defined as critical for life safety operations.
In all cases, the District will manage the selection, allocation, use, cost, and return of its resources for any declared emergency such that resources are used effectively, efficiently and in a safe manner. Costs for external use of District resources may be allowed, so resources allocated by outside agencies will be tracked for future reimbursements, if available.
Communications and Information Management
All teams and ICS participants will provide timely and effective communications to all the primary participants responding to the incident, and with internal and external stakeholders, in accordance with protocols defined in the ICS and the NIMS processes.
Interoperability will be supported by all District and first responder organizations so that methods of communication are identified and shared between all responding organizations.
Communication messages must remain accurate, brief and timely to ensure effective decisions are made and for a Common Operating Picture (COP) to be maintained throughout all operations.
Information will be verified and validated before it is distributed.
The ICS standard forms will be the preferred means for distributing critical emergency information on a regular basis to organizations external to the District (as provided in the Annex to this Plan).
Threat Assessment and Damage Assessment
Threat Assessment

The EMC will work with the Planning Section Chief and the Operations Section Chief to evaluate the threat based on the best intelligence available including:

€¢ Status of vulnerable populations and facilities still at risk.

€¢ Movement of the threat.

€¢ Growing or diminishing impact of the threat.

€¢ Collateral damages and issues related to the threat that were not identified in the initial response.

This assessment will shape the ERT objectives in support of the IC in addressing the ongoing threat(s) until the threat is controlled or removed.

Damage Assessment

The EMC will work with the Operations Section Chief to complete an Initial Damage Assessment (IDA) form (as provided in the Annex to this Plan) in order to share this information with the IC, the City/County Emergency Operations Center (if activated), and as the basis for setting strategic goals for recovery.

Reunification

In major incidents, especially those with multiple casualties, accountability is crucial for eventual reunification of staff, faculty, students and visitors with their family and friends. The District will work diligently during continued response operations to implement effective reunification processes (especially in the case of minors who are located on any District property). The ERT personnel in the EOC can accomplish this by:

Identifying a safe location separate from distractions and/or media and the general public, but close enough to allow family members to feel connected in proximity to their children/loved ones.
Scheduling periodic updates even if no additional information is available.
Preparing to speak with family members about what to expect during unification with their child/loved ones (including security measures to ensure the child can be released to the adult).
Providing effective communication with those that have language barriers or need other accommodations, such as sign language interpreters for deaf family members.
If reunification is not possible because an individual is missing, injured or killed, how and when this information is provided to families is critical.
The District must determine how, when, and by whom people will be informed if their loved one is missing or has been injured or killed. Law enforcement typically takes the lead on death notifications.
Transition into Recovery

Recovery begins early in the continued response stage, as soon as life-saving protective actions are completed, and casualties have been treated and/or removed from the incident site. Each incident is unique in its demands for coordination and resource support. However, the leaders in the incident response can measure the need to move out of the response phase and into full recovery mode by noting that the following circumstances are met:

Threat conditions may persist but are stable and no longer increasing.
Vulnerable people, the District infrastructure, and the environment are no longer in any immediate danger from the threat.
Utilities and communications are restored and stable.
No additional emergency resources are needed or requested.

When these conditions are all met, the response leaders and teams can be confident that it is appropriate to consider demobilizing staff and deactivating teams and facilities in an orderly process.

Demobilization and Deactivation

A basic tenet of ICS is that the structure of an organization should match the needs of the incident. When the incident threat no longer requires current ICS structures, leaders of emergency teams and organizations can reduce the size and components of the response structure. This is performed in collaboration with other response organizations so that all parties are aware of the reduction in capacity.

Demobilization of staff for response during a declared emergency typically follows a priority pattern from the bottom up:

At the ICP, positions no longer needed to address the threat or public interests.
At the EOC, ERT support positions below Section Chief, and finally the Section Chiefs. The EMC and the Safety Officer will always be the last two positions to demobilize.
At the JIC, any District PIO representatives.
At the EPG, all members, if they are no longer needed for executive policy support.
At Unified Command for Washington County, as District representatives.
RECOVERY: Actions that include activities to address both short-term and long-term efforts for rebuilding and revitalization of affected communities.
Recovery Goals

The goal of recovery is to return to operational normalcy and to restore as quickly as possible the infrastructure required to accomplish the District‘s mission. The ERT EMC and Section Chiefs typically provide direction and overall management of the District recovery effort. The EOC provides the overall operational support necessary to accomplish recovery objectives.

Recovery may take an extended period of time and should be anticipated and planned in all District emergency plans.

The first priority of recovery is the welfare of staff, faculty and students and restoration of the physical site. Support will require a caring and supportive environment sensitive to the physical and mental health needs of people.

The District will assess the emotional needs of all staff, faculty, and students to attempt to best determine those who need intervention by a counselor, social worker, psychologist or other mental health professional. The District will arrange as needed, and whenever possible, the appropriate interventions by District Human Resources, District Counseling Services, or by community-based service providers. The District realizes that appropriate group intervention may be beneficial to staff, faculty and students experiencing severe reactions to the incident.

The EOC staff will follow the chain of command as outlined in the EOP when providing information about recovery activities for an incident. All information is to be disseminated through the PIO position in the EOC or other official representatives of the District. It is important to have a single and accurate message sent out to staff, students, the community and the media. The District staff will make every effort to consider cultural differences when preparing these materials, as well as needs of the ADA community.

Financial recovery and protection of District assets is also crucial to the overall restoration of the District mission to ensure resumption to normal activities. One of the major goals of recovery is to provide for the continuity of operations. This is addressed through the District’s Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP). The implementation of the recovery goals will fall initially to the Emergency Response Team (ERT) at the District or impacted campus(s) Emergency Operations Center, and then transferred, as needed, to individual District departments as incident response efforts diminish.

Continuity of Operations Considerations

The continuity of operations for the District must be considered during the initial response phase and again after the response phase has concluded and the District begins its long-term recovery phase.

The District will use its COOP to define the critical functions and services of the District. Contingency plans must be developed in advance as part of the COOP to ensure that the essential services/functions can continue during and after a major incident. The COOP contains procedures describing how the District will continue or recover its minimum essential functions.

Essential functions are generally understood to mean those activities that must be performed to achieve the District’s critical missions. The District must inventory and prioritize all its functions and determine which ones are truly essential. Specific contingency plans must then be developed, and resources allocated to ensure continuity of each essential function identified as mission critical. District and Senior executives, as well as Department managers and supervisors, will use these COOP plans to ensure there is minimal disruption to their mission critical services.

The Blinn College District Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) is available as an annex to the ERP.

Transitioning from full response to initial recovery
Personnel

The first order of business during recovery is to return the organization to normal operations as quickly as possible. The District may need to help employees, and their families, cope with separations from one another during the long hours required for reopening of the campuses and District offices after a major emergency or disaster.

A substantial effort should be made immediately to support personnel and students who have been traumatized by the incident. This may require paid leave time for counseling for staff and faculty. This may also mean allowing staff time off to repair their own homes and deal with personal loss and grief. Temporary staffing may be required from other campuses outside the disaster area, or from temporary hiring firms. Do not expect personnel to work at their pre-disaster levels of skill until they have had time to process the trauma. This includes management. Ignoring this supportiveness may cause a loss of employee productivity, affect health and behavior, and even the permanent loss of key staff.

Infrastructure

During the first hours and days after a major incident (Short-term Recovery Stage), the principal objectives will be to restore the necessary structural elements [facilities, HVAC systems, roadways and grounds] and non-structural functions and resources (power, water, sanitation, telecommunications) to any impacted District site.

Mid-term Recovery

In the first days or weeks following a major incident (Mid-term Recovery Stage), BCD Facilities Maintenance will establish the principal objectives of recovery to ensure the restoration of all pre-identified essential business functions of the District that are considered to be critical to normal business operations, typically defined in the COOP.

Roles and Responsibilities

Divisions and Departments normally responsible for performing the critical business functions of the District will be responsible for recovering those functions after a disaster. Mid-term operations may occur concurrently in the EOC, and decisions should be made at this stage whether Facilities Maintenance will continue to use the EOC facilities after EOC deactivation or move to another site or even use a virtual structure.

Documentation

It is critical that careful cost documentation is performed early and continuously during response and throughout recovery. District Finance and Administration Section Chiefs should use recovery checklists for recovery operations to ensure this accountability is maintained. This will be required for insurance reimbursement.

Records of actual costs should be filed for auditing and reference for at least three years after recovery is complete. This is required for reimbursements when a federal disaster declaration allows reimbursement, and typically if a State of Emergency provides compensation for response and recovery from the State of Texas.

Long-term Recovery

During Long-term Recovery, the District’s principal objective is to resume normal operations. The EOC will be deactivated and based on the size and nature of the incident, the timeline to resume normal operations depends on the extent of disrupted critical services on campuses or in District offices. Recovery involves restoration of critical infrastructure necessary for normal District operations such as facilities, grounds, water, power, sanitation, HVAC, network services and telecommunications. Ongoing external government emergency operations may hamper recovery activities within the District if resources become scarce in major emergencies. Local, regional and even State–level priorities for resources may reduce access to critical recovery equipment, supplies, tools and expertise.

In addition, the timeline to resume normal operations will be greatly dependent on damage to District sites (structural) and to computer and data management facilities (systems, communications, and non-structural) and non-duplicated vital records.

In a major incident, the recovery efforts may take several weeks, months or even years to complete. The Assistant Vice Chancellor of Facilities, Planning and Construction will collaborate with the Chancellor and Board of Trustees, to define an appropriate facilities recovery timeline.

The District should officially inform its internal stakeholders and then the community at large when the District is recovered and fully operational.

Infrastructure Recovery

In smaller events there is typically little challenge to acquiring the kinds of services and materials needed to recover District critical infrastructure. However, in larger events, especially regional catastrophes, necessary resources may be scarce and costly. The District should prepare a list of the most important resources it will need for long-term recovery. It is in the best interests of the District to make formal agreements beforehand with the providers of these resources and services so there is no question the District will be served if the vendor has access to the needed resources. Setting fixed prices for certain goods and services each year can also reduce “add-ons” when a vendor wants to pass along their own disaster losses to clients. For the most critical recovery elements (e.g., emergency power, food and water, etc.), the District should consider having multiple vendor agreements in case a primary vendor is lost because of the disaster. Having a local, regional, and then out of state vendor for the most critical infrastructure recovery elements is a sound practice.

Disaster Assistance

District executive management may reach a limit to recovery actions based on available financial assistance. Early recognition helps plan for the next level of support requests. Recovery disaster assistance processes should be tested through tabletop exercises with local, state and federal stakeholders to ensure all parties understand current standards and practices for recovery funding.

Documentation

The District is responsible for preparing a system for capturing all costs associated with disaster operations, both for response and recovery. These records will be used for insurance reimbursement.

They may also be used to justify application for state and federal disaster funding applications. If a local or state government has used a District resource (e.g., refrigeration units, facilities for sheltering, food service support, etc.), documentation is critical for reimbursement from the State or federal government for the use/maintenance/repair costs encumbered by the District. The records should be kept at least three years after the recovery is complete.

After Action Report (AAR)

The District should coordinate with the Director of Safety and Risk Management to produce an After-Action Report (AAR) for the event after response is complete, and recovery is the primary activity. The AAR should include:

A timeline of major events that involved the District from the beginning of the incident through the stage of recovery at the time of the AAR. This includes major decisions by the District.
Losses to the District, including injuries and death, infrastructure damage, loss of funding due to cancellation of classes, loss of other valuable assets.
Impacts on the community from interruption or loss of the District, including lost wages, taxes, educational opportunity, and any chemical releases that affected the environment.
Total estimated financial losses, including losses of enrollment, staff income, and inability to complete graduations.
Actions District management and staff took through their ICS structure with or without the ERT/EOC activation.
Support received by government, non-profits, other organizations to assist the District.
Lessons learned from the event (what worked well and what needed improvement).
Gaps that occurred in the ability to respond and recover—these should be very specific regarding resources, planning, training, communications, coordination with other organizations, etc.
Course of Action—what the District plans to do in the future, including updating plans and procedures, training, prevention, mitigation, and any final recovery efforts, and proposed resolutions of identified gaps should be included.
Photos of the damage, and the recovery, as well as names of people and agencies who supported the AAR critique.

*The AAR shall be retained, indefinitely, by the District and Emergency Management Coordinator.

Blinn College District Emergency Teams

The Director of Safety and Risk Management provides guidance for the selection of emergency support teams throughout the District, so the daily skills and interests of the team members are a close match to assigned roles and responsibilities on response and recovery teams. The Director of Safety and Risk Management works closely with District executives, College Safety Committees and Emergency Planning Committees to define the team size, membership, training and equipment needs for the following teams:

€¢ Incident Management Team (IMT)

€¢ Emergency Response Team (ERT)

€¢ Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)

€¢ Behavior Intervention Team (BIT)

€¢ Emergency Policy Group (EPG)

Team membership is typically voluntary except for team membership specifically defined within this District ERP. District personnel may, as appropriate, be required to perform in a team as part of their job description.

Training Qualifications

Training is the key to the success of the ERP in the District. Teams and Executive Officers will be required to participate in regular training. The table on the following page summarizes the types of training for each team. The table reflects minimum classroom training. However, the BCD Chancellor and/or the BCD EMC may mandate additional training at any time in order to meet the evolving needs of the District and changes to laws, guidelines, best practices and BCD Board of Trustee policies concerning emergency response protocols. Team members may choose to independently complete any additional training that specifically compliments or improves a team’s performance. All formal training should be recorded and tracked by the Director of Safety and Risk Management.

BLINN COLLEGE DISTRICT EMERGENCY TEAMS

DISTRICT EMERGENCY TEAM	Incident Command System (ICS)	Basic Protective Actions for Building Occupants	EOC Operations	Crisis Management Techniques	Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP)	1st Aid, CPR, AED, Bleed Control
Incident Management Team (IMT)	—™	—™	—™	—™		—™
Emergency Response Team (ERT)	—™		—™	—™		—™
Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT)	—™	—™		—™		—™
Emergency Policy Group (EPG)	—™			—™	—™
Behavior Intervention Team (BIT)				—™

*ICS Courses 100 HE (or equivalent), 200, 700, 800 are required of ERT members. BCDPD staff have additional training to include 300 and 400.

In addition to formal classroom and online training, all team members and executive staff in the Emergency Policy Group must participate in at least one planned drill or exercise each year. Participation in response to a real incident satisfies this requirement.

All formal training and drill/exercise participation requires proof of involvement through sign-in sheets used at the time of the activity, or through certificates from providing organizations.

If participants do not complete their training as required within a calendar year the District administrator managing a non-compliant team member will be asked by the Director of Safety and Risk Management to provide a written explanation of why compliance was not met, including action steps to be taken by the administrator of that team member to ensure the team meets compliance as soon as possible. Failure to maintain training qualifications places the District at risk of not meeting federal NIMS requirements.

Supplies, Equipment and Facilities

The EPG, and BIT do not require unique facilities, equipment or supplies. Their tools are their plans, procedures, and laptop computers. They can meet in any facility that provides adequate communication tools in a safe and secure environment.

The ERT, however, requires an Emergency Operation Center (EOC) (primary and secondary) with the capacity to be secure, habitable and meet all the operational needs as designated in the checklist in the Annex to this Plan. The EOC must have supplies ready for operability 24/7. The facility need not be solely dedicated as an EOC, but others using the site must understand that during an incident requiring ERT activation that any other activities are secondary to the incident response.

The CIRT requires plans and procedures, as well, but they also need to have the kits that are personally assigned to them available, as well as pre-identified Assembly Areas that allow appropriate distance from the building at risk in various directions which allow safe movement of evacuees in a direction away from the threat, depending on the incident.

Other Blinn College District personnel are expected to take a role in an incident. BCDPD officers have certain equipment appropriate for unique incidents, including limited personal protection equipment (PPE) for hazardous materials. BCDPD is also responsible for ensuring their officers, who often become the initial Incident Commander (IC), have the supplies and equipment to establish and operate an Incident Command Post (ICP) near the threat location. District Facilities and Maintenance personnel maintain floor maps and utility maps of the District sites for reference, if needed, by first responders or the ERT. All equipment, supplies, and facilities must be standardized and maintained for deployment as needed.

Formal Agreements with External Organizations for Emergency Support

The Chancellor shall appoint the BCDPD Chief of Police, who serves as the EMC, as the coordinator for all District Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issues, including external agreements. Any District location contacted or in communication with an outside organization regarding homeland security request(s) or issue(s) shall provide notification and regular updates to the EMC. All formal District formal emergency agreements with external organizations must be approved by the Chancellor and may have to be approved by the Board of Trustees.

Response Capabilities of the District/Colleges

The planning and preparedness process should ensure that the District has defined and developed the appropriate core capabilities for response required under the NIMS guidance. The response capabilities currently noted as appropriate for the District are found in the appendices of this ERP.

Program Maintenance

The District has the responsibility of maintaining and supporting the Emergency Management Program. The ERP is the basis for the Emergency Management Program. There are other plans related to the EOP that are also used for addressing other types of incidents that may not rise to the level of an emergency, such as those that affect business systems, injuries, the handling of general safety concerns, etc. This ERP is not meant to replace any of those specific plans already in use by the District, but rather to ensure there is clear policy for emergency events from the all-hazards environment.

The Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) is responsible for preparation and implementation of the District ERP by ensuring regular ERP updates, staff training, placement and readiness of response equipment, agreements as needed with external organizations, and sufficient coordination with other external organizations such as the Washington County Office of Emergency Management.

The EMC is responsible for providing appropriate guidance for acquiring and maintaining the correct tools, supplies and facilities for the various emergency teams throughout the District. Such tools include the ERP, fact sheets and updates provided throughout the year, opportunities to attend training courses in person or online, and briefings when critical new information becomes available, such as legislation or directives regarding how the District will prepare and respond to emergencies.

The EMC will use a basic five-year schedule to plan and implement the various elements of the Emergency Management Program, as described below:

Emergency Response Plan Development

The EMC works directly with the Director of Safety and Risk Management and District leadership to continually update emergency operations. The EMC is responsible for ensuring the regular review and update of the ERP throughout the District.

The ERP is reviewed on an annual basis for thoroughness and compliance. The emergency team membership and design are reviewed each year for both correctness and completion. Review of the ERP and emergency team structures ensures that District emergency actions result in the best possible outcomes. Items that may require revision are:

Major changes in laws and regulations.
New compliance guidance for emergency management operations.
Changes in organizations such as the District ERT.
Changes in supporting government organizations or vendors.
Emerging threats that require the creation of new or revised plans.
Input from staff, faculty, or other stakeholders for specific changes.
Plan Maintenance

Although the ERP is reviewed annually, The District will perform a complete revision of the ERP, through the EMC, as necessary to ensure the documents are relevant and compliant with current laws and regulations, as well as best practices.

Plan Distribution

The Director of Safety and Risk Management is responsible for identifying who receives original copies of the ERP, as well as all later revisions. The District may make the full ERP available through controlled access locations and/or through direct distribution of hard copies when it is appropriate. Printed copies of ERP should be created and distributed, along with electronic copies, to primary offsite emergency response organizations within the county/city of operation, or other agencies as appropriate. Distribution dates and tracking of those receiving the ERP are to be noted on the Distribution Record. The entire ERP should not be shared outside of the District unless an emergency response organization makes a specific request in writing that is approved by the BCD Chancellor upon advice from the EMC.

Emergency tactics should be handled as sensitive information. As such, a “public facing” electronic copy of the ERP shall be made available on the Blinn College District website, located on the Emergency Management webpage, that does not contain specific annexes that discuss procedures, protocols, and policies concerning law enforcement response to active threats including, but not limited to, active shooters, terrorism, bombings, and information extortion.

Training

The EMC, through the Director of Safety and Risk Management, is responsible for the formal training of District employees based on the contents of the ERP and any other procedures the District uses to respond to emergencies.

External training is often available through Washington County and the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG). Other training is also available for related topic areas, like ICS, through the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC), Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Training records will be kept for each person who completed any official training related to the ERP. Those records should be maintained as verification of the District’s preparedness and its level of readiness. These training records should be managed by the EMC whenever they are not maintained by the Blinn College District’s Human Resources Learning Management System (LMS).

Drills and Exercises for Key Personnel

Drills are small practice sessions of specific elements in emergencies. Testing the emergency lighting, holding fire drills, practicing CPR, and testing back-up generators are all drill applications.

Exercises are larger events that may be low key discussions using a scenario around a table of key policy makers (tabletop exercise), a functional exercise (where the ERT actually meets and plays out a realistic scenario with the ICS structure activated in their EOC), or a field exercise where actual events are played out with movement within and outside the District, sometimes including outside agencies.

Drills and exercises require various levels of performance, but the capabilities of District personnel will improve during actual response and recovery when personnel have had both training and exercise experiences.

Safety and Security Audits (Every Three Years)[M]

A safety and security audit shall be conducted for all District facilities at least once every three years in compliance with Texas Education Code 37.108(b), and (c). The Blinn College District Director of Safety and Risk Management is responsible for this activity and follows safety and security audit procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center in coordination with the commissioner of education. A Junior College Safety and Security Audit Report (JCAR) has been submitted to the Blinn College District Board of Trustees and signed by the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees in compliance with Texas Education Code 37.108(c)(1).

Date Audit Conducted	Name of Person Conducting the Audit	Date Audit Report Submitted to the Board of Trustees
04/29/2024	A. Bryan Carlisle, Dir. S-RM	05/20/2024
TBD 2027
TBD 2030
TBD 2033
TBD 2036