Emergency Management Plan
Executive Summary 2003

(Available in PDF) (499K pdf)

I. Overview and Introduction

The Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) Emergency Management Plan addresses the coordinated response to extraordinary events such as man-made and natural emergencies including; fire, hazardous spills, loss of water, steam, electricity, elevator service, explosions as well as noxious fumes, gas leaks and civil disorder.

The Emergency Management Plan may be utilized when any significant event disrupts normal day-to-day operations, including University research activities and employee safety. The objective of the Plan is to utilize University resources in an effective manner should interruption of an essential service occur. In case of an emergency, a Command Center will be activated under the direction of Columbia University Medical Center administration. The Emergency Director, who will report to the Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, who has ultimate authority for the campus, will carry out the establishment of the Command Center.

The purpose of the Plan is to set the parameters for the implementation of the Plan, designate managers responsible for operational centers, and outline the duties and responsibilities of each operational center and department. Detailed plans for individual units are included in subsequent sections of the main Plan.

The Plan is composed of two parts:

1. Response Phase, which anticipates immediate response needed to deal with the emergency;
2. Recovery Phase, which sets forth procedures to assist in the resumption of University operations during the recovery process.

The activities of the Emergency Management Team are under the direction of the Vice President of Administration, Kevin Kirby, the Team consists of a core group of managers:

II. Emergency Operational Center

Command Center

The Columbia University Medical Center's Vice-President for Administration or his/her designee will direct the activities of the Emergency Command Center. The individual directing the Center will be designated as the Columbia University Medical Center Emergency Director. The Columbia University Medical Center 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 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 location designated as the Emergency Command Center

The activities of Security, Facilities Management, Human Resources, Environmental Health & Safety, Radiation Safety, Animal Care, Research Administration and other necessary administrative support identified by the Emergency Director will be centrally coordinated by the Emergency Director. The Emergency Director is responsible for managing the dissemination of all resources needed for dealing with the emergency.

In the event of a designated emergency, an Emergency Command Center will be activated. The Emergency Director will determine the physical location of the Command Center. Various options exist including the Offices of the Executive Vice President of Health and Biomedical Sciences, lobby of Alumni Auditorium, Hammer Columbia University Medical Center Library and the Russ Berrie conference center. These facilities all have emergency power and access to red emergency telephones. The Security and Human Resources suites adjacent on the first floor of the Black Building have also been provided with emergency power and red emergency telephones and may be utilized as needed during an emergency.

The Command Center will be the focal point of communication with the Morningside Campus, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York Psychiatric Institute, Harlem Hospital and other government and non-government agencies as needed.

Attachment 1. Command Center identifies special resources that are available to the Emergency Management Team.

Communications

• Dissemination of information and coordination of the operations of facilities, security, animal care, and other administrative units of Columbia University Medical Center will be coordinated from the Center. At the request of the Emergency Management Director, 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.



• Easels will be set up in the lobbies of University Buildings to convey the latest information from the Command Center to the University Community.



• 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 system will also be used to broadcast information relating to the emergency.



• The Emergency Director will coordinate releases of information to the media. An individual will be designated to interface with on-site media representatives.



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



• 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, involved individuals along with their affiliation.

Mobilization

If so directed by the Emergency Director, Alumni Auditorium will be used as the mobilization point to deploy the work force needed for the duration of the emergency.

An assessment shall be made by the Emergency Director to ascertain the need for additional personnel resources. If necessary, assistance may be obtained from the Morningside campus, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York State Psychiatric Institute or any other appropriate entity. The Operational Manager responsible for the area needing the additional personnel will be responsible for making the appropriate outreach efforts to secure such assistance.

Locations will be established by the Emergency Director 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 utilizing operations personnel who will be dispatched from the Command Center. A list of Project Managers and their assigned segments will be maintained (Attachment 5). If needed, 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 Management, in close coordination with Columbia University Medical Center Housing Management Office will be responsible for coordinating Emergency Management activities in the residential buildings. Responsibilities will be assigned as described in (Attachment 6).

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

Facilities Operations will maintain a 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 (Attachment 4). This list will include vendors of dry ice and distributors of specialty refrigerant products as well as contractors and subcontractors who we may need mobilize in the event of an emergency.



• Telephone numbers and names of contacts at Con Edison, Verizon, Northern Telecom, NEC and different City agencies (Attachment 6) (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, and remain for the duration of the emergency as necessary.

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.

As needed, 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 in coordination with the Office of the Vice President of Administration, will maintain an operational telephone list (Attachment 2). 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 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 (http://www.cumc.columbia.edu) and 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 & 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 to laboratories throughout the Columbia University Medical Center campus. EH&S shall coordinate their efforts with the Facilities Management and 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.

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 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:

• Deans of each School (Columbia University Medical Center Campus) or their designated liaison



• Human Resources



• Student Services



• Columbia University Medical Center Housing



• Clinical Affairs



• External Relations



• General Counsel



• Institutional Real Estate



• Risk Management

III. CHECKLIST for EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
(To be completed by individual directing Command Center)

If action is considered and deemed unnecessary, mark with N/A (not applicable).

Completed by: _____________________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________ Time:________________

IV. Summary/Recovery Phase/Critique

When the Command Center is notified that basic service has been restored or that the situation has been stabilized, the Columbia University Medical Center Emergency Director or his/her designee, will notify the individuals who had been specifically mobilized for the emergency. This group shall reconvene at the Emergency Command Center to assure that everyone knows that the emergency has been concluded.

The recovery phase includes an assessment of damages, the development of a plan for the resumption of normal activities and a communication to the university community of this information.

A meeting shall be scheduled for the next day or as soon as feasible thereafter to collect the original logs maintained by staff and to critique the response to the emergency. The Emergency Director shall designate specific individual(s) to develop a chronology of the events that transpired throughout the emergency. This chronology will be based upon the collected logs and other information obtained from discussions with individuals who had been involved with the emergency.

The Emergency Director will convene a group to review this chronology. This group shall include key members of the Emergency Management Team as well as other individuals deemed necessary such as Risk Management and General Counsel.

V. Review of Plan

The Emergency Director will convene the Emergency Management team to review the Plan after each designated emergency or no less often than annually. At this meeting, the group shall assess the usefulness of the Emergency Response Plan and make appropriate modifications. This review will include verification that the Emergency Command Center is appropriately stock piled, in good working order with contents replaced as needed. All telephone numbers will be verified for accuracy, and batteries, red outlet lines, and data ports will be checked. All aspects of the Plan will be checked to be current and updated.