UO Emergency Management - Online Resources

Online Resources

Disaster Resilient University (DRU) listserv
The mission of the Disaster Resilient University (DRU) listserv is to facilitate open communication, discussion, and resource sharing between university/college emergency management practitioners charged with making our campuses more disaster resilient. The goal of the DRU listserv is to provide a simple resource that can increased communication, coordination, and collaboration between universities around the world that can be used to increase the capacity of our campuses to prevent, prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate the risks to all types of crises and disasters. The DRU is a closed list. You must have an .edu email to subscribe or request permission to join the list. Again, the DRU listserv is intended for university and/or college emergency management professionals to share information and engage in discussions and dialogues related to the profession and emerging issues around campus emergency management.

To sign-up http://lists.uoregon.edu/list-interface.html

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), Emergency Planning Web Site
Emergency Planning is part of the Department's Lead and Manage My School series, a group of web sites designed to support school-based administrators. OSDFS presents information and resources regarding general emergency management based on the four phases of emergency management: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Though primarily geared towards K-12 schools, the information and general principles on this site are very relevant for institutions of higher education, as well.

Accessible at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html

Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance (TA) Center Web Site
The ERCM TA Center Website offers additional school-based resources addressing crisis management through the four phases. Resources include the Web cast, training documents presented by experts and newsletters addressing key issues. Information on the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) discretionary grant program administered by OSDFS is updated annually.
Accessible at: http://ercm.ed.gov

National Clearinghouse for Education Facilities (NCEF) Web Site
The NCEF, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools. The Web site includes links to campus safety assessment and campus security resources for colleges and universities.
Accessible at: www.edfacilities.org

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services offers a series of Problem-Oriented Guides for Police that also benefit the school community. This guide on school vandalism and break-ins provides cost-effective strategies for designing, operating and maintaining campus facilities and promoting security. It also addresses how educational institutions and local law enforcement agencies can work together to apply Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to assist in violence and crime prevention. The series addresses numerous topics (i.e., safety and security, drugs, homeland security issues, sexual assault and technology).
Accessible at: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/

Emergency Management Institute (EMI)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and provides training in emergency management. EMI offers free on-line independent study courses for emergency management personnel.
Accessible at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/campussafe.html

Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention
The Center's mission is to assist the U.S. Department of Education in serving institutes of higher education in developing and implementing policies and programs that will foster students' academic and social development and promote campus and community safety by preventing the harmful effects of alcohol and other drug use and violence among college students. The Center is a primary provider of services in alcohol and other drug abuse and violence prevention in higher education founded upon state-of-the-art knowledge and research-based strategies.
Accessible at: http://www.higheredcenter.org/

Pandemic Flu.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services manages a Web site focused on bringing up-to-date government pandemic information to individuals, families, schools, businesses and communities across the nation. The Web site presents a range of information from informational fact sheets, to global activities, to links for state and local planning efforts. Presented on the Web site is a School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist.
Accessible at: http://www.pandemicflu.gov

Ready Campaign
In February 2003, the Department of Homeland Security launched the Ready Campaign, and the Listo Campaign, an English and Spanish version of the national public service advertising campaign. Its purpose is to inform and empower citizens to prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks, disasters and other emergencies. The "Ready Campaign" offers community-based information, guides and strategies for staying safe and secure at home and in the community.
Ready Campaign: www.ready.gov
Listo Campaign: www.listo.gov

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMSHA has a variety of prevention, response and recovery program supporting the safe and healthy development of you and families. SAMHSA offers services pertaining to emergencies and disasters as well.

Criminal & Juvenile Justice: http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_criminal.aspx
Disaster Readiness & Response: http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_disaster.aspx
HIV/AIDS & Hepatitis: http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_HIV.aspx
Suicide Prevention: http://www.samhsa.gov/matrix2/matrix_suicide.aspx

Guides, Tools, and Publications:

Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Communities and Schools
The U.S. Department of Education has developed this guide to provide schools and their communities with a general introduction to crisis management as it applies to schools and basic guidelines for developing school crisis management plans. Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Communities and Schools outlines the four phases of crisis planning (prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery) and provides checklists of the critical issues encountered in each phase. The Guide also provides information on specific elements of crisis management, including leadership, communication and the Incident Command System (ICS). Within the year, OSDFS will be generating an updated version of this Guide specifically for institutions of higher education. The current Guide is accessible at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf

Threat Assessment in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret Service established the Safe School Initiative, a study of 37 school shootings and other school-based attacks that took place between 1974 and 1999. Through this initiative, the two agencies produced guidance and tools for schools putting forth a process for identifying, assessing and managing students who may pose a threat of targeted violence. This process, known as threat assessment, was first pioneered by the U.S. Secret Service and has been modified based upon findings from this study. These guides are intended for collaborative use by school personnel, law enforcement officials and others with protective responsibilities in our nation's schools. Most recently, the initiative has produced an interactive CD-ROM presenting two hypothetical school scenarios to be used for further developing the assessments team's skills.

"Final Report and Findings: Implications for Prevention of School Attacks in the United States"
Accessible at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/preventingattacksreport.doc
"Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climate"
Accessible at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/threatassessmentguide.pdf
"A Safe School and Threat Assessment Experience: Scenarios Exploring the Findings of the Safe School Initiative"
Accessible through EDPubs at: www.edpubs.org/

"Bomb Threat Response: An Interactive Planning Tool for Schools."
The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) collaborated to develop a tool (CD) for schools and law enforcement. The CD is available for free, and it offers a comprehensive guide on how to best respond to bomb threats in schools. The planning tool offers guidance for schools administrators and law enforcement to develop policies specific to the school district and its unique needs. The "Bomb Threat Response" also addresses communication and presents guidelines for how to communicate during the response phase.
Accessible at: http://www.threatplan.org/

Building a Disaster-Resistant University
To help minimize injury, damage, monetary loss and disruption of services, post-secondary institutions should put in place a comprehensive set of pre-disaster planning and mitigation actions. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) presents this alongside lessons learned by six universities and colleges that have been working to become more disaster-resistant.
Accessible at: http://www.fema.gov/institution/dru.shtm

"Campus Public Safety: Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism Protective Measures"
Office for Domestic Preparedness, U.S. Department of Homeland Security produced this guide with resources for the more than 4,000 Title IV institutions of post-secondary education. The guide provides affirmative steps listed below to prevent, deter or effectively respond to a weapons of mass destruction terrorist attack.
Accessible at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/campussafe.html

Homeland Security Best Management Practices
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked with five institutions and developed case studies on campus-based homeland security issues for institutions of higher education the case studies are included in the EPA "Best Management Practice Catalog." The EPA worked with Cornell University, Harvard University, the University of New Hampshire, the University of North Carolina, and Vanderbilt University to highlight best practices in the areas of preparedness, prevention-mitigation, response and communication.
Accessible at: http://www.epa.gov/ne/assistance/univ/bmpcasestudies_hs.html

"Managing Threats: Safety Lessons Learned from School Shootings"
UrbanED, the University of Southern California School of Education magazine, published this article, by Marleen Wong, Ph.D., on school shootings in spring 2007.
Accessible at: http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/UrbanED_Managing_Threats_MWongPhD.pdf

Additional Resources for Institutions of Higher Education:

West Virginia University VMC/ Homeland Security Programs
The West Virginia University VMC/ Homeland Security Programs has developed a series of courses for the Department of Homeland Security/Office for Grants & Training to support higher education emergency management efforts. Additional information, resources and tools are also available for the higher education community.
Accessible at: http://www.vmc.wvu.edu/index.htm

Course Title: "Homeland Security Planning for Campus Executives"
- Course Number: AWR-123
- Course Length: 4.5 hours
- Course Description:
- The goal of this workshop is to support the U.S. Department of Homeland Security program for improving the planning and preparedness capability of higher education institutions by helping campus executive leadership understand principles of campus preparedness and by providing them with examples, tools, and resources for Homeland Security planning.

Sample Institutions of Higher Education Emergency Management Plan
FEMA administers the Disaster Resistant University Project through State and local agencies to support institutes of higher education build their emergency management capabilities. The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) presents samples of college library emergency management plans. These plans were developed out of site-specific characteristics and are designed to support the specific institution. NACUBO presents plans and considerations for specific components of a campus, such as libraries.
Accessible at: http://www.nacubo.org/x2748.xml

Associations Relevant for Higher Education Emergency Management:

International Association of Emergency Managers (College/Universities Committee)
Accessible at: www.iaem.com/Committees/College/
Institute for Business and Home Safety:
Accessible at: www.ibhs.org
Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association
Accessible at: www.cshema.org
National Association of College and University Business Officers
Accessible at: www.nacubo.org
Society for College and University Planning
Accessible at: www.scup.org
University Risk Management & Insurance Association
Accessible at: www.urmia.org