Columbia University Medical Center
Emergency Response Plan

II. Emergency Operational Center

Command Center

In the event of a designated emergency, an Emergency Command Center will be activated and it will be located in the lobby of Alumni Auditorium. This area has emergency power for lighting and outlet power.

• This area will be provided with red emergency telephones that are independent of the normal campus telephone system, data ports for Internet connections and cable television hook-up.



• Folding tables and chairs will be set up by Facilities at the onset of any emergency.



• The Command Center will have access to a locked area that will contain equipment to be deployed in the emergency. Included in this locked storage area will be:
  • hand held radios and extra batteries for the radios;
  
  
  
  • flashlights and extra batteries for these flashlights;
  
  
  
  • emergency extension cords;
  
  
  
  • bullhorns for making announcements;
  
  
  
  • copies of the Emergency Response Plan including phone tree information for contacting the various schools, departments, institutes and centers, which constitute the Health Sciences Campus;
  
  
  
  • computer capability;
  
  
  
  • first aid kit;
  
  
  
  • case of 3x5 spiral notebooks and pens to be used by emergency management staff to make notes and log information throughout the event;
  
  
  
  • a bound ledger which will be kept at the command center, maintained by security and used as the summary log of the incident;
  
  
  
  • emergency tape for cordoning off areas of the facilities;
  
  
  
  • duct tape for general use as needed;
  
  
  
  • Business to Business Yellow Pages for NYC, Bergen & Passaic counties;
  
  
  
  • Stickers for use by Emergency Command Center staff to be affixed to ID cards which will allow designated individuals to have entrance to facilities which are otherwise closed;
  
  
  
  • University credit card (authorized for signature by the Associate Vice Presidents of Facilities Management and/or Financial Services and Systems) to make purchases needed during the emergency and other items as may be identified in the future;
  
  
  
• The CUMC Business Office shall make plans to maintain a cash balance of $5000 in a secure location for use as needed in an emergency.



• Dissemination of information and coordination of the operations of facilities, security, animal care, and other administrative units of CUMC will be coordinated from this Center.



• The Command Center will be the focal point of communication with New York Presbyterian Hospital, the New York Psychiatric Institute, the Central University and other governmental and non-governmental agencies.



• The Facilities Maintenance Control Center will relocate to this Center for the duration of the emergency, and will staff this facility continuously throughout the emergency.



• The Security and Human Resources suites adjacent on the first floor of the Black Building have been provided with emergency power and red emergency telephones, and will be utilized as needed during the emergency.

A back-up Emergency Command Center location shall be established on the first floor of the Hammer Library in front of the circulation desk and will be used in the event that an emergency occurs and the lobby of Alumni Auditorium can not be utilized. In the event that neither the Alumni Auditorium lobby nor the Hammer Library can be utilized, the Emergency Command Center will be set up in the conference room of the Russ Berrie Pavilion. Each of these locations have been provided with emergency power and red emergency telephones and data connections.

The CUMC's Deputy Vice President for Budget and Finance (or first designee Associate Vice President for Facilities Management, or second designee Associate Dean for Research Administration) will direct the activities of this Emergency Command Center, and will be designated as the CUMC Emergency Director. The Emergency Director will activate the Emergency Command Center based upon his/her assessment of a particular situation that will have been brought to his/her attention -- usually by Facilities Management or Security. The Emergency Director is responsible for disseminating the available cash for use in the emergency.

The Emergency Director will identify the individuals that he/she wants to be contacted and who shall report to the Emergency Command Center. Security shall contact these individuals, notify them of the emergency, and tell them to report to the Emergency Command Center.

The activities of Security, Facilities Management, Environmental Health & Safety, Animal Care, Research Administration and other administrative support identified as needed by the Emergency Director will be centrally coordinated by the Emergency Director.

Communications

• An advisory hotline number, 305-7300, has been established to enable people calling the campus to get updated information.



• The Columbia University Medical Center website homepage (http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/) and voice mail will also be used to broadcast information relating to the emergency.



• Public radio stations will be contacted as necessary to disseminate information relating to the opening or closing of University facilities throughout the emergency.



• The Emergency Director in consultation with the staff from External Relations will coordinate releases of information to the media. An individual will be designated to interface with on-site media representatives.



• Each of the emergency response units will maintain a log of events and incidents that occur throughout the emergency. This log should indicate the time of the incident, a brief description of the incident and the individuals who were involved together with their affiliation.

Mobilization

The Alumni Auditorium will be used as the location for mobilizing the work force needed to be deployed for the duration of the emergency.

An assessment shall be made by the Emergency Director as to the need to obtain additional personnel assistance from the Morningside Heights campus, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York State Psychiatric Institute, or any other appropriate entity. The operational manager for whom the assistance will be secured will make the appropriate outreach efforts to secure such assistance.

Locations will be established as needed for the dissemination of supplies, materials and/or information.

Operational Responsibilities

Facilities Management

The research floors in the campus will be divided into a number of segments. Project managers from Facilities will be assigned these segments and will be responsible for coordinating the specific needs of the laboratories in their assigned segment with operations personnel who will be dispatched from the Command Center.

Project Managers will be provided with radios to facilitate direct communication with the Command Center. Project managers will also communicate directly with Research Administration personnel in the Command Center to update them on conditions on the research floors of the campus. Personnel from Facilities Operations will be dispatched from the Maintenance Control Center within the Emergency Command Center to deal with specific facilities issues throughout the campus.

Facilities Operations will provide personnel to operate any elevators that are operational during the period of the emergency.

Facilities Operations will maintain an adequate supply of flashlights and batteries, extension cords, fans and spot cooler air conditioners that will be deployed as needed during the emergency.

• Telephone numbers of vendors from whom various supplies and services may be needed, will be maintained along with a list of contact personnel. This list will include vendors of dry ice and distributors of specialty refrigerant products as well as contractors and subcontractors who we would want to mobilize in the event of an emergency.



• Telephone numbers and names of contacts at Con Edison, Bell Atlantic, Northern Telecom, NEC and different City agencies (Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, Police, Fire, DEP and Sanitation) will be kept as part of this file.

Security

Security will be responsible for controlling access to the Columbia University Medical Center Buildings. The Emergency Director shall establish the criteria for determining who shall have access to the buildings on the Columbia University Medical Center Campus during the emergency.

Security, in conjunction with the Emergency Director, will be responsible for direct liaison to the Police and Fire Departments.

Based upon the type of emergency and the need to limit access to campus buildings, security will identify additional posts that need to be staffed to preclude access to the campus buildings from locations that are not normally staffed by the University. Security staff will be deployed to such locations for the duration of the need for limited access to the campus facilities.

Security will be responsible for assuring emergency transportation outside of the campus as may be necessary.

Security will coordinate the provision of food and beverages throughout the duration of the emergency.

Animal Care

The Director of the Institute of Comparative Medicine (ICM) or his/her designee shall oversee the emergency operations of the animal care facilities on the campus. The Director of ICM shall develop a plan for protecting the health and safety of animals. This plan will be discussed with senior members of the response team.

The Director will be provided with a radio to facilitate communications with the Command Center, and will give periodic updates to the Command Center about the conditions in the animal care facilities.

Telecommunications

Telecommunications will update the emergency telephone message on a schedule to be determined by the Emergency Director. Telecommunication staff will be responsible for emergency telephone services.

Human Resources

Human resources will maintain an operational telephone tree (list). This list shall include the office, home and any other direct means of telephone contact (weekend telephone, pager, cell phone, etc) of each Dean and his/her designee. This list shall include numbers for senior administrators on the campus, hospital and central administration. It will also include numbers for the chairperson of each of the departments on the campus and their designated emergency contact for both clinical and research personnel.

Information Technology Services

Information Technology Services will utilize the Columbia University Medical Center homepage or other appropriate vehicles to disseminate information concerning the emergency to the Columbia University Medical Center community. This information will be updated on a schedule to be determined by the Emergency Director.

Environmental Health and Safety

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) staff shall be responsible for responding to all situations potentially involving any fire, chemical biological agents or pathogens on the campus, and shall be involved in any emergency resulting from extended interruptions involving utilities serving the campus.

EH&S staff shall work closely with Research Administration to coordinate dissemination of essential laboratory support as may be required (eg. dry ice or other refrigerants) to laboratories throughout the Columbia University Medical Center campus. EH&S shall coordinate their efforts with the Facilities Management project managers and with staff from Radiation Safety.

Radiation Safety

The Radiation Safety Office (RSO) staff shall be responsible for responding to all situations potentially involving radioactive material or ionizing radiation producing machines throughout the Columbia University Medical Center campus.

RSO staff shall work closely with Research Administration to coordinate essential laboratory support as required (e.g. ensuring the security of licensed radioactive material and ionizing radiation producing machines) to laboratories throughout the Columbia University Medical Center campus. RSO staff shall coordinate their efforts with Research Administration, staff from EH&S and with staff from Security.

Research Administration

Research Administration personnel shall work with the Emergency Director to determine who shall be admitted to laboratories during the period of emergency.

The Emergency Director or the responsible individual from Research Administration shall determine whether there shall be limited access to the facility. Personnel having authorization to enter the facility shall have a sticker issued which will be placed on their ID card, and which will serve as acknowledgment to Security that the individual is authorized to enter the facilities. These stickers shall be controlled by Security.

Research administration shall coordinate with Facilities Management project managers in their dealings with research laboratories throughout the campus and shall also coordinate closely with the Director of Animal Care concerning the conditions on the animal care floors during the emergency.

Other Administrative Support

The Emergency Director shall identify any other administrative support needed during the period of emergency and shall activate personnel on an as needed basis including, but not limited to:

Audubon Biotechnology Park Management
Clinical Affairs
External Relations
General Counsel
Columbia University Medical Center Housing
Human Resources
Institutional Real Estate
Risk Management
Student Services