The Emergency Preparedness plan is established procedures for action in response to unusual occurrences.  While there are several types of occurrences, this Emergency Preparedness Plan sets forth primary plans of action. The Emergency Preparedness Plan, in it's entirety, may be referenced in the college's Safety Manual.

Building coordinators can provide specific plans for each building.

Definitions:

Internal Disasters -  Fire, explosion, collapse, etc.  within the boundaries of the college.

External Disasters - Community disasters involving storm, fire, flood, tornado, epidemic, hazardous chemical spill, train wreck, or airplane crash.

Disaster Threat - Disaster threatening the college or surrounding community requiring possible evacuation or the necessity of housing or feeding refugees (i.e., enemy attack, flood, tornado.

Relocation - The moving of individuals to a designated area for greater protection.

Relocation Area - Area within a building believed to offer better or increased cover and protection.

Evacuation - The removal of individuals from a building to a designated external location.

Rally Point -  An external designated location for evacuees to gather to await further instruction from college or law enforcement officials.

Refuge Area - Indoor area designated for housing the disabled until assistance can be given to remove them from the building.

Decision Process

The ultimate decision to evacuate or relocate rests with the President of the college where time permits.

Methods of Notification

In Person Contact

Telephone

Activation of Fire Alarm for immediate evacuation

Discussion

It is important that each faculty and staff member be familiar with the procedures or special assignments, which an emergency or disaster situation may dictate.  In this regard instructions pertaining to individual building procedures have been formulated to simplify the actions that must be taken by all individuals and to clarify the responsibilities of employees.  It should be noted that in order to maintain security during any drill or incident employees should close and lock doors, when possible, once an area has been cleared of personnel, students and visitors.

Building and Floor Coordinators

Primary and secondary building and floor coordinators are assigned to ensure the emergency preparedness plan is carried out and that all occupants are notified of the decision to evacuate or relocate.

The primary responsibility for notifications is that of the primary building coordinator.  In the event the primary coordinator is absent the secondary coordinator will take on this role.  In some instances, when a building is a one level structure, the building coordinator and floor coordinator may be the same individual.

Building Coordinator Responsibilities Include

1. Ensuring there are procedures to evacuate all personnel, including individuals with disabilities
2. Training of faculty and staff in handling of emergency procedures
3. Having persons assigned to maintain order outside the building and to move students and personnel from roadways and away from the building in the event of an emergency evacuation,
4. Know the location of every emergency exit, evacuation route, fire alarm, and fire extinguishers for their work area.

Instructors Responsibilities Include

1. Assisting building coordinators in performing their duties,
2. Know the location of every emergency exit, evacuation route, fire alarm, and fire extinguishers for their work area,
3. Report conditions that might cause a fire to building coordinator,
4. Lead students to appropriate evacuation rally point or relocation area,
5. As the classroom is cleared of students, shut the door to indicate the area has been cleared.
6. Completing all duties and responsibilities as assigned by the building coordinator.

Responsbilities of Department Heads

Each department head will be responsible for ensuring employees under his/her supervision know the location of their related emergency evacuation/relocation plan, what to do and where to go in the event evacuation/relocation becomes necessary.  It is also the department head's responsibility to ensure all employees under his/her supervision properly carry out the evacuation/relocation plan during any drill and/or actual event.  The department head should ensure that all employees shut and lock their office and office suite doors to indicate the area has been cleared of all students, staff or visitors.  In some instances department heads may assist the building coordinators in the notification process and serve as group leaders to relocation or rally point areas.

Responsibilities of Plant Operations Staff

Due to the complexity of the Emergency Preparedness Plan, Plant Operations staff members will have special assignments delegated by the Director of Plant Operations.  It is important for Plant Operations staff to be familiar with the emergency relocation/evacuation plan for the building they are assigned.  Should there be an event during the regular workday, custodial staff, when notified by competent authority, will take on the role of building coordinator for the building assigned, making notification to classrooms and offices of the need to either relocate or evacuate.  Other Plant Operations staff members may be assigned to execute the Emergency Preparedness plan for recreational areas and the Turf Management building.

Responsiblities of Campus Police Staff

It will be the responsibility of on duty Campus Police staff to notify administrative staff, when time permits, of any incident or impending incident occurring or which may occur on campus requiring evacuation or relocation.  In most cases the decision to evacuate or relocate will be made by the President of the college.  Campus Police staff will be in charge of securing the perimeter of any crime scene and making notifications to outside local and state agencies that may need to be involved in rescue and recovery actions.  Police staff will work closely with administrative staff to keep them informed of the progress of the event.

Refuge Area

Area within a building designated to provide cover for disadvantaged individuals until assistance arrives to relocate or evacuate them.

Evacuation Routes

Printed copies of evacuation routes are mounted in the corridors of each building.  It is the responsibility of each employee to familiarize themselves with the plan for their building or work area.

Evacuation

Evacuation is the removal of all persons from a building in the wake of impending or immediate danger.  Includes, but is not limited to, fire, explosion and structural damage.

Emergency evacuation plans will be posted in appropriate locations (i.e., approved by the fire Marshall) in the corridors of all buildings.  Each plan will indicate the direction of travel from the rooms shown on the plan in the event it becomes necessary to evacuate the building as a result of fire or other emergency.  Each instructor will be responsible for announcing to his/her students on a regular basis that there is an emergency evacuation plan for the building and that any time the fire alarm sounds the building will be evacuated.  Students will be made aware of the evacuation plan location and instructed to follow this plan when evacuation of the building becomes necessary.

All persons evacuated from buildings should be escorted by, an instructor or other college staff, by the on-scene supervisor to the designated rally point, which is noted, on the Emergency Evacuation Plans posted in each building.  Should the assigned area be in a hazardous zone, the on-scene supervisor or official in charge should assign a new rally point.

Evacuation of multiple level buildings should always begin with the upper level floor being evacuated first and continuing in a descending order until all floors have been evacuated.

Never return to an evacuated building (unless told to do so by an Emergency Resource Officer).

Supervisory personnel in the immediate vicinity of the posted emergency evacuation plans will be responsible for ensuring that the plans are present in the appropriate locations.  Supervisory personnel must notify the Plant Operations Department if the plan(s) for their area defaced or otherwise need replacement.

Relocation

The moving of individuals to areas within a building believed to offer better or increased cover and protection in the wake of impending or immediate danger.  Includes, but is not limited to, sever weather.  Emergency relocation of multiple level buildings should always begin with the upper level floor being evacuated first and continue in a descending order until persons from all floors have been relocated.

Personnel should be assigned to escort groups to the relocation area.

All persons moved to a relocation area during a tornado warning or similar emergency should be instructed to assume a seated position, knees drawn to chest, head placed between knees, and hands on top of head.  This position should be maintained until the danger has passed.

If any standard relocation area is perceived as an area of threat, a new relocation area should be designated by the on scene supervisor or official in charge of the incident.

The following evacuation patterns for each building on campus together with the listed relocation areas will be used in the event emergency relocation of college personnel becomes necessary (i.e., during a tornado warning).

Evening and Weekend Operations

In the event an emergency requiring evacuation or relocation occurs during evening or weekend operations, primary responsibility for emergency notification rests with the Campus Police Department.  In most occurrences the Campus Police Office will be first alerted to impending disaster information.  However, due to limited police personnel during these hours the assistance of the Plant Operations Custodial staff may be requested during evening hours and local law enforcement during weekend hours.  The following action should be taken:

Evening Operations:

1. Notify Campus Police at 585-6752,
2. If unable to contact Campus Police dial 9-911. 
3. If contact is made, on duty Campus Police will notify outside emergency service agencies of the incident.  Time permitting; Distance Education will also be notified by Campus Police of the plan to evacuate or relocate.
4. Campus Police will notify the Custodian/Lead Worker for evening shift or other available Walters State Morristown Campus staff to provide instructions relative to evacuation or relocation.
5. Custodial staff or other available Walters State staff will begin notification to areas occupied in the building assigned.  Evacuation or relocation should follow the outlined plan for the building.
6. When all persons in the building have been notified and the evacuation or relocation plan has been initiated custodial staff will serve as group leaders.

Weekend Operations:

1. Notify Campus Police 585-6752 or 9-911
2. If unable to contact Campus Police dial 9-911.
3. If contacted, on duty police officer will contact local emergency services and begin notification to each building occupied of the plan to evacuate or relocate.  If multiple buildings are occupied the officer may designate instructors to assist in the notification of other buildings if needed or request local law enforcement assist in notifications.

In all instances, where Campus Police cannot be notified, dial 9-911 to report the emergency.

Hostage or Terrorist Incidents

The threat of hostage, terrorist or other incidents involving weapons occurring in the campus environment has become a grim reality.  Unfortunately these situations are random and unpredictable.  It will be the responsibility of on duty Campus Police staff or Reserve Officers of the Public Safety Division to secure the perimeter of the area occupied or affected by the intruder and call in trained Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), hostage negotiations teams and rescue personnel to begin rescue efforts.

Hostage Situation

In the event a hostage situation or situation involving weapons occurs the following procedure should be followed:

1. Remain as calm as possible and try to keep those around you as calm as possible.
2. Individuals should carry out the instructions of the intruder until rescue attempts can be made.
3. Call 585-6752 or 911 to report activity-taking place, if possible.  However, rest assured that it is the intention of the intruder to make his presence known and, in most instances, to make demands.
4. All other individuals should retreat inside their respective classrooms or office areas, close and lock the door (also referred to as "Lock Down" ).
5. Remain in lock down status, behind closed and locked doors, and await authorized police, SWAT team or WSCC personnel to approach your area for evacuation.
6. Again, remain as calm as possible and leave the building in a quiet, orderly fashion so as not to draw the attention of the intruder.
7. no alrams should be activated.  Activation of an alarm could escalate the situation.

Terrorist Incident

In all instances of terrorist attack, whether international or domestic, the purpose is to cause as much destruction and loss of life as quickly as possible, to cause mass panic, chaos and confusion and to instill fear in those remaining in the community affected as well as the nation as a whole.  Such situations usually involve explosives, biological or chemical devices and may or may not be announced.

In the event of a terrorist attack the following procedure should be initiated:

1. The emergency preparedness plan for evacuating the building affected should immediately be initiated.
2. In this instance, notifications may need to be made in person rather than via telephone.
3. ALL CELL PHONES, AND TWO WAY RADIOS SHOULD BE TURNED OFF.  Signals from these communication devices can cause detonation of other explosives should explosives be involved.
4. Persons evacuating the building should leave the building in the opposite direction of the blast, avoiding areas possibly weakened by structural damage.  Proceed to your designated rally point to await further instruction.

Bomb Threats

These procedures provide written actions to follow in the event the faculty or staff of the college receives a threatening telephone call.

Responsibilities

The individual receiving a bomb threat call should do the following:

• Remain calm and keep the caller on the line as long as possible.  Ask the caller to repeat the message and record every word.
• If the caller does not indicate the location of the bomb or the time of detonation, ask for this information.
• Advise caller that the building is occupied and detonation could result in death or serious injury to innocent people.  Attempt to gather information about the caller as listed below:

1. Exactly what is said,
2. Sex of the person calling,
3. Number of the telephone on which call is received,
4. Time bomb is to go off,
5. Reason bomb is placed in particular building,
6. Method of identifying bomb,
7. Name of person calling (if possible), and
8. Type of background noise (music, cars, trains etc).
9. Notify the Campus Police Office.  Never attempt to inspect a suspicious object or potential bomb.

Morristown Campus

Morristown Campus Primary Building Coordinators

College Center - Vice President for Student Affairs

Judge William H. Inman Humanities Complex - Dean of Humanities

Natural Science Building - Dean, Division of Natural Science

Clifford "Bo" Henry Center for Technology - Dean of Technical Education

Math, Behavioral and Social Sciences - Dean, Division of Behavioral and Social Science

East Tennessee Regional Public Safety Center - Dean, Division of Public Safety

Library - Dean of Library Services

Plant Operations, Outdoor Recreational Areas - Director of Plant Operations

Auxiliary Support Groups

Morristown Campus

City of Morristown

Great Smoky Mountain Exposition Center, White Pine  

Great Smoky Mountain Exposition Center Primary Building Coordinator

Primary Building Coordinator - Executive Director of the Great Smoky Mountain Exposition Center

Auxiliary Support Groups

Morristown Campus

City of White Pine

Greeneville Campus

Greeneville Campus Primary Building Coordinators

Primary Building Coordinator - Dean of the Greeneville, Greene County Campus

Auxiliary Support Groups

Greeneville Campus

City of Greeneville

Sevierville Campus

Sevierville Campus Primary Building Coordinators

Primary Building Coordinator - Dean of the Sevierville, Sevier County Campus

Auxiliary Support Groups

Sevierville Campus

City of Sevierville

Claiborne Campus

Claiborne County Campus Primary Building Coordinator

Primary Building Coordinator - Director of the Claiborne County Campus

Auxiliary Support Groups

Claiborne Campus

City of Tazewell