Emergency Preparedness / Environmental Health & Safety

Emergency Preparedness

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Check out these Links!

Prepare For a Year: Brought to you by Washington's Emergency Management Division. This site gives you 12 easy steps, one per month, to help you prepare for an emergency.

PLU Hazard Mitigation Plan: PLU is working with Pierce County Department of Emergency Management to develop a mitigation plan. The plan will be sent to FEMA for approval in Spring 2008.

Definition of Emergency

The American Red Cross identifies an emergency as any "unplanned event that can cause deaths or significant injuries to employees, customers, or the public; or that can shut down your business, disrupt operations, cause physical or environmental damage, or threaten the facility's financial standing or public image."

How PLU Prepares to Respond to an Emergency

PLU has worked hard to develop systems for effectively managing emergency situations. Some of those systems are integral to some department operations, such as Campus Safety and Information's response to an on-campus injury or Plant Services' response to a power outage. Other situations require a higher level of coordination between departments.

The University has prepared an Emergency Operations Plan to guide response actions that require a high level of coordination. PLU practices various parts of its emergency plan with tabletop exercises, evacuation drills, and unit response drills. This practice, along with the experience gained through the tragedy of real emergencies, allows us to continue to learn, adapt, and improve our response to emergencies.

Emergency Building Coordinators (EBCs)

An integral part of our emergency response system is our emergency building or office coordinators. When an emergency event requires evacuation from a building, please go to the building's emergency assembly point and check in with the emergency building coordinator.

The EBCs and members of RLO are also in charge of ensuring that our Lockdown/Stay in Place Procedures are followed properly in the event that campus needs to be secured.

What You Can Do to Prepare for an Emergency

Employees should become familiar with the Emergency Procedures Handbook. The handbook describes many emergency situations, such as bomb threat, fire, earthquake, and violent behavior, describes the action that should be taken in each situation, and provides information about assisting disabled individuals.

Members of the PLU community should also become familiar with their specific responsibility as a faculty member, employee, or student.

It is recommended that individuals carry critical medications with them at all times in case it is not possible to return home or enter a building after an event has occurred.

What you can do to safeguard your home and workplace

Use the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) two-page Mitigation How To series to reduce hazards in your home and office. Everyday parts of our environment, such as bookshelves, pictures, gas and water lines can create hazards or damage during an earthquake. Protect yourself and your family by mitigating those hazards.

Why you should prepare an emergency supply kit

Emergency service providers recommend that families and businesses prepare to be on their own for three days. It is possible that there may be no power, no medical services, no transportation avenues, or no open food stores. That means that your supply kit should have at least three days of food, water, and medical supplies. Visit FEMA for a suggested list of emergency supplies. You should prepare a kit for home, work, children, and pets.

How you can reach your family in an emergency

Designate an out-of-state contact person for your family. During major events, the local phone systems may become congested or broken, limiting your ability to contact loved ones. Even while the local systems are down, long-distance systems are often still functioning. With a pre-designated out-of-state contact person, all family members can check in to notify each other of their location and safety.