H.15. – Emergency Action Plan
DEAC—2015
15. Emergency Action Plan
DEAC’s Standard XI.A. Facilities, Equipment, and Supplies, includes a statement on disaster plan or emergency
action plan. The plan should cover as many types of emergencies as possible (i.e., natural disasters, violence at the
institution, backing up and retrieving important data).
Plan Elements
Purpose
Major Goals of the Plan
Functions
Authority
Activation
Evacuations
Hazards
Fire
Bomb Threat
Workplace Violence
Medical Emergency
Description
Provide a set of protocols for dealing with emergencies of varying
degrees
Priorities of the Plan are to:
- ensure the safety of all personnel
- minimize interruptions to normal business operations
- mitigate damage to the physical property
- establish alternative means of operation in advance
- provide for smooth restoration of the headquarters facility
In the event of a disaster, the functions of the administrators are to:
- provide emergency notification as quickly as possible
- provide initial identification and counts of employees
- assign employees to specific emergency tasks
- provide continuous information to emergency personnel
- communicate with the employees and families
Based on the nature of the emergency, the institution’s Emergency
Management Team (EMT) will be led by the President or named
designate (also name alternates in case the President is not
available) Name who will be responsible for accounting for people,
notifying families, etc.
Level 1 – minor incident that is quickly resolved with internal
resources or limited help. The Emergency Plan is not activated.
Level 2 – a major emergency that impacts sizable portions of the
institution’s facilities that may affect life safety. Emergency Plan is
activated.
Level 3 – A disaster that involves the entire facility and surrounding
community.
In Level 2 and 3, personnel are notified via alarms, phone paging
system, text messages, etc. Everyone should exit the building in a
orderly fashion.
Report all accidents, suspected fire hazards, injuries, exposures to
hazardous substances,
Provide details on what should be done by employees, e.g., report to
supervisory immediately, call 911, etc.
Notify your supervisor immediately.
Try to stay calm, do not attempt to argue, seek help as soon as
possible and take cover. Never attempt to disarm or accept a
weapon from the person in question. Report all incidents to your
supervisor.
Call 911, designate someone to go for help, provide CPR if needed.
Distance Education Accrediting Commission, 1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 808, Washington, DC 20036
6/15
1
H.15. – Emergency Action Plan
Plan Elements
Power Outage
Severe Weather Emergency Procedures
Evacuation
Backup Disaster Recovery Plan
Compromising data
Back-up Procedures
Emergency Response Procedures
Recovery Actions
Review, Revision, and Implementation of
Plan
DEAC—2015
Description
Assess the extent of the outage in your area. Assign a person to
communicate to employees not to come to work or to leave work in
an orderly fashion.
Severe Thunderstorms: do not use the telephone, stay away from
windows and doors, keep the use of electrical devices to a minim
Tornadoes: Tornado Watch does not require taking shelter. If a
warning is issues, shut off electrical equipment and take shelter
immediately, do not go outside, move away from doors and
windows, get as close to the floor or under a table or desk.
Hurricanes: If a Hurricane Warning is issued (this means winds
more than 74 mph are expected to hit the area within 48 hours),
contact your supervisor.
Flooding: A flood warning means flooding is imminent. Contact
your supervisor.
A building evacuation is mandatory whenever a fire alarm sounds.
Emergency exits should be marked and prominently displayed
throughout the building. Designate one person to make certain
everyone has left the facilities.
Provide the names, titles and contact information for remote/off-site
personnel who are responsible backing up and retrieve data.
Provide names of the Hardware and Software and the order of
importance for retrieving data, and provide a contact person,
account numbers, passwords, etc. for immediate help.
Provide the names, title and contact information for IT personnel if
computers have been hacked or data is compromised.
List who is responsible for backing up data, how often it is done,
and where the backups are maintained.
Provide the steps the technology personnel should follow to back-up
data during an emergency.
Provide the steps for recovering data, notifying personnel, and
insurance companies
Describe who is responsible for the overall review and revision of
the plan. Who will do any training needed? The plan should be
reviewed and revised on an annual basis.
Distance Education Accrediting Commission, 1101 17th Street, NW, Suite 808, Washington, DC 20036
2
6/15