UMass Boston
Emergency Operations Plan
2012
_________________________________________________
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY
________________________________________________
University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
L ETTER
OF
P ROMULGATION
from Chancellor J. Keith Motley, PhD
Members of the University Community,
As Chancellor, I am committed to the safety and well-being of our University of Massachusetts Boston campus
community. This Emergency Operations Plan offers a comprehensive framework for emergency response and
campus preparedness.
Designed according to the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System, this plan is
intended to be implemented in conjunction with ongoing training and safety awareness efforts as part of an
integrated, collaborative approach to university safety. This approach includes a strong emphasis on planning,
training, and exercising to foster a culture of preparedness at UMass Boston. I am grateful to the individuals
who worked to develop this plan.
Please give this document your full attention and participate in safety awareness workshops and emergency
response drills as they are made available to the campus community.
Sincerely,
J. Keith Motley, PhD
Chancellor, UMass Boston
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
C ONTENTS
Letter of Promulgation........................................................................................................ 2
Preface: Creating a Culture of Preparedness...................................................................... 5
A Plan for the Entire UMass Boston Community ............................................................ 5
Continuous Improvement for Resilience ........................................................................ 5
Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness in Five Phases .............................................. 6
Timeline of Emergency Management Activities ............................................................. 8
Training and Exercise Cycle ............................................................................................. 8
Section 2: Emergency Operations Plan Fundamentals ...................................................... 9
Policy Statement ............................................................................................................. 9
Authorities ...................................................................................................................... 9
Purpose and Objectives .................................................................................................. 9
Emergency Operations Plan Format ............................................................................. 10
Maintenance and Distribution ...................................................................................... 10
A Living Document ........................................................................................................ 11
Section 3: Concept of Operations ..................................................................................... 12
Level 1: Routine Response ............................................................................................ 13
Level 2: Crisis Response Team ..................................................................................... 13
Level 3: Campus-Based Incident Command System ..................................................... 13
Policy Group: ................................................................................................................. 13
Incident Commander: ................................................................................................... 14
Functional ICS Groups ................................................................................................... 14
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Operations ............................................................................................................. 14
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Planning.................................................................................................................. 14
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Logistics/Finance .................................................................................................... 14
Level 4: Incident Command System-Unified/External Command ............................... 14
Level 5: Catastrophic Event .......................................................................................... 15
Section 3: Space Requirements ........................................................................................ 15
The EOC ......................................................................................................................... 15
Policy Leadership Group ............................................................................................... 15
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Public Information Center/Call Center ......................................................................... 15
Command Post/Staging Areas ...................................................................................... 15
Space Marking and Perimeter Security ........................................................................ 15
Section 4 : Plan Activation ............................................................................................... 16
Plan Activation and Notifications ..................................................................................... 16
Section 5: Appendix ......................................................................................................... 17
Plan Activation Chart .................................................................................................... 17
Incident Command Chart .............................................................................................. 18
Annex Plans to this Emergency Operations Plan include: ............................................ 19
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
P REFACE : C REA TING
A
C ULTURE
OF
P REPAREDNESS
A Plan for the Entire UMass Boston Community
This plan has been designed to meet the needs of all members of the UMass Boston
community, including persons with disabilities, health concerns, and mental health
difficulties. Other special populations have been taken into consideration, including
schoolchildren and others who are visitors to our campus.
Continuous Improvement for Resilience
The University of Massachusetts Boston has adopted an all-hazards approach to
emergency preparedness, following the four-part cycle of emergency management:
Preparedness, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation. All phases are highly
interconnected. The cycle as a whole is an ongoing process, just as the plan is a
dynamic document that requires continuous updating. This plan addresses
emergency preparedness in these distinct, yet connected, phases while at the same
time focusing university efforts more generally to become more resilient, flexible,
collaborative, and sustainable. This plan is to be integrated with Strategic Planning,
Continuity Planning, and Master Planning efforts.
Preparedness
Resilience
Mitigation
Sustainability
Collaboration
AllHazards
Response
Flexibility
Recovery
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Comprehensive Emergency Preparedness in Five Phases
This plan assumes that the following activities will be undertaken in an ongoing and
overlapping cycle of six phases of emergency management as expressed by FEMA1 for the
UMass Boston campus community. These phases are:
1
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Preparedness: The preparedness mission seeks to reduce the loss of life and property
and protect the campus by planning, training, exercising, evaluating and building the
emergency management profession. Activities include:
o Personal preparedness training and outreach for the campus community. This
includes events, signage, wallet cards and website materials designed to
promote personal preparedness, as well as efforts to enhance training through
Human Resources.
o A multi-year training and exercise plan based on agreed-upon objectives and
rooted in the H-SEEP system for exercise development and improvement
planning.
o Providing appropriate equipment for emergency response.
o Collaborative planning and testing of plans for response and recovery. This
includes the EOP plans, Annex plans, COOP plans, checklists, and SOPs.
o Implementation of ICS through integrated planning, training and exercising,
including collaborative efforts with other universities and involving outside
response agencies.

Prevention: The prevention mission seeks to avoid, prevent or stop a threatened or
actual act of crime or terrorism. Activities include:
o GIS mapping and security review of the UMass Boston campus through the
Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS).
o Support of Department of Public Safety efforts including those intended to
deter an active shooter on campus undertaken in collaboration with Student
Affairs, University Health Services Counseling and Human Resources.

Protection: The protection mission seeks to protect the campus community by ensuring
that a system is in place to warn of impending hazards. Activities include:
o Maintenance and testing of a multi-modal Emergency Notification System,
known as UMass Boston Alert System, supported by Rave Wireless. Notification
is via:
 Text (since 2008)
 Email (since 2008)
The State of FEMA 2012: http://www.fema.gov/about/state_of_fema/index.shtm
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
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Voice (since 2008)
FaceBook (added in 2011)
Twitter (added in 2011)
Campus Signage (added 2011)
Outdoor Speaker (to be added in 2012)
Desktop Pop-Ups (to be added in 2012)

Mitigation: The mitigation mission seeks to reduce or eliminate long-term risks to
people and property from hazards and their effects. Activities include:
o Annual Threat and Vulnerability Assessment
o Hazard Analysis Study
o Securing mitigation grant funds.

Response: The response mission seeks to conduct emergency operations to save lives
and property. Response activities are guided by the framework provided in the
Emergency Operations Plan and Emergency Response Guide. They include:
o Following departmental SOPs, where appropriate.
o Activating the Emergency Operations Center and calling for an ICS structure for
large-scale incidents.
o Providing appropriate public information.
o Personal Response Actions
o Participation in volunteer efforts (Fire Safety Volunteers, CERT)

Recovery: The recovery mission has as its focus a return to normal functioning. Activities
include:
o Activating Continuity Plans.
o Providing appropriate communications to the campus community.
o Seeking reimbursement for disaster costs through MEMA and FEMA.
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Timeline of Emergency Management Activities
Threat and
Vulnerability
EOP
Revision
-------------------------Ongoing planning, training, exercising------------------------------------Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
---------EOP
Review
COOP Planning
Training and Exercise Cycle
Integrated into the ongoing timeline for emergency planning is a multiyear training and exercise program. The University’s training and
exercise programs are administered by The University of Massachusetts
Boston Office of Safety Planning, in coordination with the University of
Massachusetts Boston Department of Public Safety and local emergency
response agencies.
A regular schedule of training and exercises based on university
objectives is offered as an Annex to this document. Exercises are
conducted according to the framework and standards set by the Federal
government’s Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
The training and exercise program follows the building block approach of
working towards complexity through incremental steps, from seminars
workshops and tabletop exercises and drills to functional and full-scale
exercises.
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S OURCE : FEMA
University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
S ECTION 2: E MERGENCY O PERATIONS P LAN
F UNDAMENTALS
Policy Statement
The UMass Boston Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) has been designed to assist
administrators in times of campus emergencies. The university procedure
contained herein will be followed by all university community members. The Vice
Chancellor for Administration and Finance must approve any exception to these
emergency response procedures. All requests for procedural changes, suggestions,
or recommendations will be submitted in writing to the Vice Chancellor for
Administration and Finance/Office of Safety Planning. Current emergency
procedures shall remain in place provided they do not conflict with the basic
procedures and policies contained within this document. The plan will be reviewed,
at a minimum, annually to ensure attention by the community and relevance of the
procedures.
Authorities
This plan is promulgated under the authority of the Chancellor and managed under
the Vice Chancellor Administration and Finance at the University of Massachusetts
Boston, guided by the policies of the University of Massachusetts President’s Office
and the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. Federal Authorities include
Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) – 8, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act, PL 93-288, as amended by PL 100-707, Title III of the
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA), PL 99-499 as
amended, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 44. Emergency Management
Assistance. State authorities include: Massachusetts Executive Order Number 469,
2005.
Purpose and Objectives
While this EOP addresses all phases of emergency management, it focuses primarily
on the response phase, providing a management structure, key responsibilities,
emergency assignments, and general procedures to follow during and immediately
after an emergency affecting the university community. This plan is designed to
protect and preserve human life, health and well-being, to minimize disruption of
scholarly and business activities, and to protect university resources, facilities and
the natural environment. The achievement of these goals relies upon the consistent
and disciplined planning, training, and exercising by an inclusive university-wide
team, adherence to the plan itself.
Scope
This plan applies to all colleges, divisions, departments, programs, research centers,
administrative units of the University. The plan includes procedures for responding
to a range of levels of emergency regardless of size, type or complexity. Nothing in
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
this plan should be construed in a manner that limits the use of good judgment and
common sense in matters not foreseen or covered by the elements of this plan or its
appendices. Individual departments within the university are encouraged to
develop their own internal plans for department-specific emergencies.
Departmental plans may be used to supplement the EOP, but do not supersede it,
and where conflict arises, the university plan will take precedence. Where the
University occupies space maintained by other entities, the emergency plans for
those entities supersede this plan.
The university will cooperate with federal, state and local emergency management
agencies and other responders in the development, implementation and execution
of its emergency response. This plan and organization shall be subordinate to State
and Federal plans during a disaster declaration by those authorities. This plan is
intended to ensure compliance with applicable state, local, and federal regulations
and cooperation with first responders charged with disaster control.
Emergency Operations Plan Format
This Emergency Operations Plan includes two basic sections, followed by annex
plans and supporting materials. Continuity of Operations (COOP) plans are
maintained under a separate cover. Emergency Response Guide topics are included
on the safety.umb.edu website and on campus posters.
Maintenance and Distribution
This plan is to be revised annually. Revisions are to be informed by the results of
drills, exercises and incident debriefings, wherever appropriate, as well as by the
annual October Threat and Vulnerability Assessment. This plan is sent to the
Inclement weather (Snow) Contact List and Fire Safety Volunteer Contact List. It is
also posted on the safety.umb.edu website and distributed to the following annually:
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Chancellor
Administration and Finance/Directors
Provost/Academic Affairs
Government Relations and Public Affairs/Department of Communications
Athletics, Recreation and Special Projects and Programs
Student Affairs (Including University Health Services and the Department of Public
Safety)
Information Technology
Institutional Research
Human Resources
College of Education and Human Development Dean
College of Liberal Arts Dean
College of Management Dean
College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
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College of Public and Community Service Dean
College of Science and Mathematics Dean
Graduate Studies Dean
University College Dean
A Living Document
This plan is designed to be a living document that is tested and revised annually in
response to lessons learned during training sessions, ongoing threat assessments and
acknowledged best practices in the larger university crisis planning community. Ongoing
planning, training, and exercising are critical in pushing this document forward and
enhancing the overall emergency preparedness of the university. This plan will be
reviewed and updated annually.
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
S ECTION 3: C ONCEPT
OF
O PERATIONS
The EOP is activated when the Chancellor or his designee declares a campus emergency.
The Safety Planning Coordinator is notified and, in turn, notifies the emergency response
team, as needed, via the emergency notification system. If outside first-responders are onscene trained staff will integrate with the ICS sections established, including the Policy
Group, the Public Information Officer (PIO) and Liaison and Safety Officers.
This all-hazards plan is based on a five-level scale of emergencies, which is aligned with the
scale used by MEMA. This plan proposes use of the Incident Command System for major
events, in compliance with the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It also
proposes a crisis response team approach for incidents of smaller scale, in accordance with
previous crisis management strategies. (Please see graphic below).
Level 5Catastrophic
ICS
Level 4Unified Command
(BPD, BFD, EMS)
Level 3 Campus-based ICS,
EOC Activation
Level 2Campus Crisis Committee Response Format
Level 3: ICS Decision Point
Customary
Response
Level 1Routine Response
The following section outlines the crisis levels from Level 1 to Level 5, in order of most
commonly occurring to the extreme of the least common and most severe occurrence.
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Level 1: Routine Response

(Examples: motor vehicle accident with injuries, burst pipe resulting in limited outages, patient with chest
pains transported to hospital from UHS, minor chemical spill in lab.)
Emergencies warranting routine response are handled at the department level.
Responding departments handle the emergency, restore stability, and make appropriate
notifications. Special care should be taken to include Communications in notifications if the
emergency is likely to attract media attention.
Level 2: Crisis Response Team

(Examples: Potential measles outbreak, IT failure, building fire, structural failure that causes serious
injury or disruption of services, severe winter storm, hurricane.)
Response staff aware of an emergency that affects multiple departments and areas of the
university shall notify their Vice Chancellor, who notifies the Chancellor and then calls a
meeting of the crisis response team. This team typically includes representation from the
following areas, as appropriate. The team is chaired by the Vice Chancellor whose area is
most affected by the emergency. The team reports progress back to the Chancellor and
Executive Staff as appropriate.
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Provost’s Office (IT, OITA)
Administration and Finance (Safety, Risk Management, EHS, Fire/Life Safety, Facilities,
CSC, HR, Management, Campus Services)
GRPA (Communications)
Student Affairs (DPS, UHS/UHS Counseling)
Enrollment Management (Registrar)
Diversity and Inclusion (ADA Compliance)
Other response areas, as appropriate
Level 3: Campus-Based Incident Command System

(Examples: Similar to Level 4, but with more widespread or long-term impact)
If the Crisis Response team determines that the impact of the emergency is too great to be
handled by a single team working as a committee, Incident Command System teams will be
formed to allow for separate operational, planning, logistics, and finance activities.
Policy Group:
 Membership: Chancellor’s Office and Executive Staff
 Sets overarching response priorities and strategic goals and objectives.
 Receives regular briefings from EOC manager or designee regarding on-scene tactical
operations.
 Issues public information reports (with assistance from PIO).
 Communicates with external stakeholders, including university and government
officials, with the assistance of the Liaison Officer (GRPA) and PIO (Communciations).
 Signals the activation of COOP plans and oversees recovery effort.
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Incident Commander:
 Typically would be highest-ranking staff member of department most responsible for
the specific incident.
 Directs tactical response to emergency
 Assisted by Deputy Incident Commander
 Provides regular status update briefings to Policy Group/PIO
 Oversees functional ICS groups (listed below)
 Is advised by Safety Officer regarding the safety of the emergency response and larger
campus community
Functional ICS Groups
 Operations – Supports on-scene tactical response in the moment. Determines staging
areas, perimeters, operational periods, etc. Provides current briefings. Requests
resources from Logistics. (Likely to be staffed from the same department that reports to
the IC, with others as appropriate. )
 Planning – Receives briefings from IC/Operations. Develops plans for the next
operational period. IC approves or rejects plans, conveys plans to Policy Group for
approval. (Staffed with people from the main response department and others as
appropriate. )
 Logistics/Finance – Assists with space requests, purchasing, timekeeping, orders
food/refreshments for Policy Group/EOC if 24/7 operation, works with Planning to
anticipate future logistical needs. (Staffed by experts in procurement and campus
services as well as IT.)
Level 4: Incident Command System-Unified/External Command

(Examples: Active shooter, major violent protest, large building fire, terrorist act)
A Level 4 incident is an event so large that it necessitates significant response from external
agencies. We are informed by Boston Emergency Management that most major incidents
involving first responders on campus will involve use of the Incident Command System.
The UMass Boston plan is to integrate response teams where useful, maintaining the Policy
Group to ensure that the University’s interests are represented in response efforts. These
interests include:
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Health and well-being of members of the campus community
o Student/Staff care
o Psychological First Aid
o Relocation assistance for displaced students
o Other assistance as needed
Preservation of university resources; instructional, research and business continuity
Preservation of university reputation
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Level 5: Catastrophic Event

(Examples: terror incident, plane crash into a campus building, Earthquake)
Recent global events all too vividly illustrate the enormity of this category of event.
Response is necessarily shared and recovery becomes a long-term project.
S ECTION 3: S PA CE R EQUIREMENTS
The EOC
The Emergency Operations Center provides a central clearing/control point to assess the
emergency situation, set priorities, and coordinate the disaster response operations. The
University of Massachusetts Boston has identified the Chancellor’s Conference Room in the
Quinn Building to function as the campus Emergency Operations Center. Backup locations
include Campus Center Alumni Lounge or Clark Center Creative Rooms. Depending upon the
scope of the crisis, alternate locations may be sought at the President’s Office, or from
another location to be determined. In addition to IT resources to support response, the
EOC facility should include facilities necessary for a 24/7 response, including cots, and
access to kitchen and shower facilities.
Policy Leadership Group
The Policy Group requires a private meeting space with adequate IT resources, with special
attention to media monitoring and communications requirements.
Public Information Center/Call Center
The PIO and his staff require office space close to the Policy Group for media relations
activities. If a public information line is required, a Call Center may be established in
University Health Services, Customer Service or other designated space to handle public
information calls, with the support of IT/Telecom.
Command Post/Staging Areas
The Incident Commander will establish a Command Post on-scene and, with the assistance
of DPS and P&T, identify Staging Areas, which are temporary locations where response
personnel and equipment are kept while waiting for tactical assignments.
Space Marking and Perimeter Security
Spaces used on campus for emergency response may need to be marked as in use or
otherwise unavailable. Other areas may need to be identified as off-limits. The Customer
Servie Center will provide signage as requested. Department of Public Safety will provide
perimeter security.
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
S ECTION 4 : P LAN A CTIVATION
Plan Activation and Notifications
The EOP is activated when the Incident Commander and Leadership Group representative
(Vice Chancellor or Chancellor’s Office representative) determine that the emergency
exceeds the capabilities of one office and requires a broad, university-wide response.
If the EOP is activated, the Incident Commander or his/her representative must notify the
Emergency Manager, who will then send a notification must be sent by the Emergency
Manager or her designee to members of the Emergency Operations Center group. This
message may be informational only or may invite members to a conference call or inperson meeting.
If the EOP is activated, a member of the Chancellor’s Office staff will notify Leadership
Group members via ENS message. This message may be informational only or may invite
members to a conference call or in-person meeting.
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Notifications should make clear the following:
Identity of the Incident Commander
Identity of the PIO on duty
Nature and impact of emergency
Next steps warranted
When EOP is activated, Emergency Manager or designee begins event log.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
The purpose of the EOC is to serve as the single focal point and command center for the
management of information, operational decision-making, resource support and allocation
during an emergency. EOC staff provide resources, direction and support to field response.
UMass Boston does not have a single EOC but rather a mobile EOC concept. When the EOC
is activated, the EOC will be set up in any of the following locations:
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
S ECTION 5: A PPENDIX
Plan Activation Chart
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Incident Command Chart
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University of Massachusetts Boston Emergency Operations Plan
Annex Plans to this Emergency Operations Plan include:
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Active Shooter Response and Mitigation Plan
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Bomb Threat Response Plan
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Crisis Communications Plan
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Death Notification Procedure
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Distressed and Distressing Protocol for Employees
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Distressed and Distressing Protocol for Students
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Earthquake Plan
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Emergency Fire Response Procedures
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Emergency Notification Policy
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Evacuation Procedures (building and campus-wide)
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Hurricane Plan
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Inclement Weather Plan
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Lab Safety Plan
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Medical Emergency Procedures
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Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan
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Pandemic Plan
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Shelter Plan
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UMass Boston Integrated Chemical Hygiene and Environmental
Management Plan
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