CHSU Safety, Security and Emergency Response Policy

I. Policy Statement

California Health Sciences University ("CHSU") is committed to the safety of its students, faculty staff, administrators, visitors, and neighbors. CHSU understands its responsibility to take steps to preserve the safety and security of members of the campus community and to respond to emergencies in a way that minimizes the impact on life, safety of the campus community, and campus mission.

This policy outlines general safety and security measures for this campus. Additionally, in preparation for emergencies, CHSU has developed the Emergency Response Plan ("Emergency Plan") contained in this policy to enhance its capability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from all types of emergencies.

The Emergency Plan describes the organizational framework, guidance and authority for responding to and recovering from an emergency. It provides for the coordination of campus services and the use of available resources to minimize the effects of an emergency on life, property and the environment. This plan is not all-inclusive but is intended to provide a systematic approach for responding to emergencies.

CHSU recognizes the need for ongoing safety, security and emergency planning and this policy will be reviewed and revised on an annual basis. As of the effective date noted at the end of this document, this policy supersedes all prior policies governing general safety, security and emergency response. All prior policies are revoked.

II. Foundational Basis for Emergency Response Planning 

In the event of an emergency, the definitions and information in this section shall form the foundational basis for CHSU’s Emergency Plan.

1. Emergency Incidents Defined
   An emergency incident is defined as an occurrence or event, natural or human-caused, which requires a response to protect life or property. An incident may evolve into an emergency when the event overwhelms or nearly overwhelms day-to-day resources, plans, and personnel in place to manage them, while causing a significant disruption of normal business in all or a portion of the campus. Incidents and emergencies can range from a small utility failure or criminal act that can be handled locally to a major flood, earthquake or chemical/biological release that may exceed internal capabilities and require external response support.
2. Planning Assumptions
   The following assumptions provide the basis for emergency planning at CHSU:
   1. Major roads, overpasses, bridges and local streets may be damaged or littered with debris; thus, vehicular traffic may be congested causing a delay in response or resource deployment;
   2. Critical infrastructure (e.g., electricity, sewer, gas and public transportation) may be interrupted and/or inoperable, causing a delay in response or resource deployment.
   3. Communication lines will be impacted and contact with families and households of the campus community may be interrupted
   4. Buildings and structures, may be damaged, causing injuries and displacement of people.
   5. Due to unsafe travel conditions, individuals may be unable to leave the campus.
   6. Normal food service operations may be inadequate to meet campus needs during an emergency.
   7. Resource availability may become strained or depleted. Regional and local supplies may not be available to deliver materials. As a result, the response operations and duration of the recovery may be affected.
   8. Emergency conditions that affect the campus will likely affect the surrounding community, including the cities of Clovis and Fresno.
   9. Emergencies may result in the appearance of spontaneous volunteers and/or donations. Depending on the complexity of the incident and areas at risk, the decision may be made to suspend classes and campus activities, as well as evacuate some or all areas of the campus.
   10. Many faculty members, staff, administrators may be incapacitated or otherwise unavailable to provide support.
3. . Phases of Emergency Management
   The Emergency Plan relies on the following phases of emergency management, each described below:
   1. Preparedness is the process of planning how to respond when an emergency occurs and coordinating the physical and human resources to respond effectively. Preparedness includes establishing procedures, protocol, plans, and agreements; training and acquiring and maintaining resources.
   2. Response is the actual real-world emergency deployment of personnel and equipment to save lives, protect property and contain and stabilize the incident. Response involves alert and warning, search and rescue, emergency medical care, firefighting, security, providing shelter, removing debris and restoring critical services/functions.
   3. Recovery entails the short- and long-term actions necessary to return all systems to normal conditions. This includes repairing/rebuilding infrastructure, applying for disaster reimbursement, and restoring the administrative, instructional and research environment.
   4. Mitigation includes activities that eliminate or reduce the occurrence or effects of an emergency (e.g., hazard identification, floodplain mapping, land use planning.
4. Institutional Priorities
   For every emergency incident, campus leaders and response personnel shall collaborate to make decisions and implement operational plans based on the specific needs of the incident. To guide these decisions and to provide the basis for determining the allocation of limited resources, the University has established the following institutional response priorities in the following order of importance:
   1. Protection of life safety — reduce the risk of death or injury to members of the CHSU community and emergency responders
   2. Incident Stabilization — contain the incident to keep it from expanding or getting worse
   3. Property and Environmental Preservation — minimize damage to property and the environment
   4. Mission Continuity/Resumption — re-establish instruction, research, student rotations and other mission critical activities with minimal disruption.
5. Campus Procedures for Specific Emergencies
   CHSU’s Operations Department will maintain specific procedures regarding the following emergencies:
   • Power Outage
   • Earthquake
   • Fire
   • Bomb Threat or Suspicious Object
   • Active Shooter
   • Hazardous Materials Release
   • Medical Emergency
     The specific procedures shall be included as Appendix A to this policy and shall be communicated to the campus community by posters throughout campus, on the CHSU website, and annual reminders sent by the Operations Department via campus-wide email. The college-specific Student Affairs offices shall ensure all students are trained in such procedures, and the Office of Human Resources shall ensure all employees receive the same training.
6. Individuals with Disabilities or Others with Functional or Access Needs
   CHSU is committed to insuring access, integration, and inclusion of individuals with functional needsinto all phases of the emergency management process — mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
   Individuals with functional or access needs are defined as campus community members who may have additional needs before, during and after an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to maintaining independence, communication, transportation, supervision, and medical care. Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who are disabled, elderly, minors, from diverse cultures,
   Individuals with functional or access needs who are unable to evacuate during an emergency should be instructed as follows:
   1. Stay calm and take steps to protect yourself. 
   2. Call 911 and explain where you are.
   3. If you must move, then:
      1. Move to an exterior enclosed stairwell
      2. Request persons exiting by way of the stairway to notify the Fire Department of your location
      3. Do not use elevators during an emergency
      4. Once outside, move away from the building to allow others to exit
      5. Do not return to an evacuated building until given clearance by emergency personnel

III. Governance and Authority Regarding Emergencies

This section provides an overview of the governance and authority upon which the Emergency Plan is based, including various levels of emergencies, disaster response authority, and declaration of a campus emergency.

1. Levels of Emergency
   Given the potential day-to-day hazards that may affect CHSU, a tiered approach has been established to define the appropriate response to any campus emergency. Each of the response levels is relative to the magnitude of the emergency. This approach is flexible enough to be usedin any emergency response situation regardless of the size, type or complexity.
   1. Routine Emergency Incidents
      Routine incidents occur on campus with some frequency (i.e., a broken beaker, etc.) and are often handled by appropriate members of the CHSU administration, such as the deans, a department chair or facilities management. These incidents are handled through normal campus response procedures and do not require additional resources outside of the campus. For routine incidents, the scope of the incident is well-defined, and it can be resolved within a short time period. Specific procedures relating to routine responses are developed and maintained by appropriate members of the CHSU administration, including the deans, department chairs and/or Operations Department
   2. Limited Emergency
      Limited emergencies are those incidents that significantly impact the campus, are complex or require interaction with outside response organizations (e.g., fire, police, ambulance) or require a more prolonged and/or serious response than CHSU can manage alone. These incidents include extended power outages affecting single or multiple buildings, regionalized flooding and hazardous material releases. Limited emergencies are handled by the President or the President’s designee.
   3. Major Emergency
      Major emergencies include incidents where many, if not all, of the campus is impacted, normal campus operations are interrupted, response and recovery activities will continue for an extended period, and routine response procedures and resources are overwhelmed. Procedures for responding to a major emergency are contained within the Emergency Plan, below.
2. Delegation of Authority & CHSU’s Emergency Response Team
   The overall authority for implementing safeguards, security and emergency response for major emergencies rests with the President. Members of the administration designated by the President to assist with the emergency response are part of the CHSU Emergency Response Team (“CHSU ERT”). The CHSU ERT shall be made of the following persons:
   1. The President;
   2. The Provost;
   3. The Deans of each component college;
   4. The heads of all University-level administration departments, including, but not limited to, operations, communications, business, and legal counsel;
   5. Other members of the administration designated by the President.
      The CHSU ERT is responsible for executive level oversight and internal decision-making during a major emergency.
      The President, with consultation with the Governing Board, has the authority to direct and coordinate emergency operations and may delegate this authority to members of CHSU ERT. If the President is not available or is not reachable when an incident occurs, the line of succession for ultimate authority over emergency matters is as follows: (1) Provost; (2) Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
3. . Declaration of Campus Emergency
   The President, in consultation with members of the CHSU ERT, may declare a campus state of emergency when the following occurs:
   1. Emergent conditions exist on or within the vicinity of the campus as a result of a natural or human-caused disaster, a civil disorder which poses the threat of serious injury to persons or damage to property or damage to property, or other seriously disruptive events; and
   2. Extraordinary measures are required immediately to avert, alleviate, or repair damage to CHSU property or to maintain the orderly operations of the campus.
      Once a declaration of a state of emergency has been issued, authority for further execution of the Emergency Plan described in section V, below, transfers to the CHSU ERT.

IV. General Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness

California Health Sciences University is located in a suburban area. CHSU has instituted certain security measures for faculty, staff and student safety. All are encouraged to remain alert and cautious when on campus, keep personal items out of sight and to keep their vehicles locked. Below are general descriptions of the safety and security measures CHSU has implemented.

1. Identification and Building Access Cards
   CHSU utilizes a card access system on all building entrances. Access cards are issued by CHSU administration to all employees upon hire and first-year students free of charge during orientation week. Access cards also serve as employee and student identification badges and are always required to be prominently displayed by employees and students above the waist, preferably in the upper torso region, and visible from the front. ID badges/access cards must be presented when requested by any member of CHSU administration, staff or faculty.
   Employees and students are prohibited from transferring access cards to other individuals, allowing others to use their access cards or granting access to individuals who are not members of the CHSU community. Employees/students are expected to keep their ID badges/access cards during their entire employment/educational career at the University but must return it to CHSU administration when their employment/enrollment ends. Employees must report lost, stolen or misplaced badges to the Office of Human Resources and students must be report lost, stolen or misplaced badges to their college-specific Student Affairs office.
2. Campus Security Guards
   CHSU contracts with a third-party security company to provide security guards on campus as needed for special events and overnight.
3. Emergency Evacuation Maps
   CHSU’s Operations Department shall maintain campus evacuation maps which identify the procedures for evacuating all buildings on campus. Routine evacuation drills will be performed periodically during CHSU business hours to ensure all members of the campus community are familiar with evacuation procedures.
4. Injury Illness Prevention Plan
   In accordance with California law, CHSU’s Office of Human Resources maintains an InjuryIllness Prevention Plan, available upon request.
5. First Aid Supplies, Defibrillators, Fire Extinguishers
   Non-emergency first aid supplies are in boxes mounted in various locations on campus. Members of the CHSU community have access to these boxes for non-emergency first aid supplies. Additionally, Automated External Defibrillators (AED) are also placed in various locations on campus.
   Fire exits and fire extinguishers are located and marked throughout all buildings. Currently, the campus does not have elevators. However, if elevators are installed, elevators should not be used under any circumstances in the event of a fire.
   The CHSU Operations Department is responsible for overseeing the installation and maintenance of fire alarms, fire-prevention tools, first aid supplies and defibrillator. Tampering with any such equipment is forbidden and may result in disciplinary action.
6. Sexual Violence
   CHSU shall maintain a separate policy governing Unlawful Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Violence which shall outline how complaints of sexual violence are handled. Such policy shall comply with applicable state and federal law.
7. Required Annual Security Reports & Cleary Act Compliance
   CHSU is not currently required to comply with federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Cleary Act, regarding annual security reports. At such time as CHSU becomes subject to such laws, CHSU will comply with legal requirements for annual security reports and related tracking of campus crime.
8. Emergency Services; Rave Mobile Safety Alert System
   As a small, suburban-based graduate health sciences university, CHSU does not maintain a campus police, fire or other emergency services department. Accordingly, all emergencies on campus should be reported immediately to emergency first responders by dialing 911. There are phones located throughout campus that are available for use to call 911 in the event of an emergency. Additionally, all cases, incidents of emergency or non-emergency injuries are to be reported in compliance with the University’s policies governing student or employee injuries, including but not limited to CHSU’s Injury Illness and Prevention Plan and CHSU’s Student Injury on Campus Policy.
   CHSU has partnered with the company Rave Mobile Safety to provide an emergency alert system capable of delivering messages to members of the CHSU community via email and/or cell phone. To ensure the effectiveness of the system, all students must provide their cell phone number to the Office of the Registrar and all employees must provide their cell phone to the Office of HumanResources during initial onboarding. These phone numbers must be kept current for emergency contact. The Office of the Registrar shall be responsible for ensuring all student cell phone numbers are enrolled in the Rave Mobile Safety alert system and the Office of Human Resources shall be responsible for ensuring employees are so enrolled upon hire.
   In the event that a situation arises, either on- or off-campus, that, in the judgment of the President, constitutes a serious or continuing threat, a campus-wide warning will be issued through the Rave Mobile Safety alert system, campus-wide email and posted notices in campus buildings, as circumstances may warrant.
9. . Closure Due to Inclement Weather
   The President may declare CHSU closed or delay opening due to inclement weather. In the event this should occur, a decision will be made no later than 7:00 a.m. Electronic announcements will be sent via the Rave Mobile Safety alert system and through campus-wide email. If an announcement is not made regarding the closing or delayed opening of the University, employees and students must assume that the University is open, and students/faculty should attend class at the regularly scheduled time.

V. Emergency Plan Response

1. Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders
   This section outlines the general roles and responsibilities of students, faculty and staff during an emergency.
   1. Students
      Students should be aware of their surroundings and familiar with CHSU’s specific emergency response plans (e.g., fire response, active shooter response, earthquake response, etc.), which are contained in this policy and posted throughout campus. Students should also be familiar with building evacuation routes, exits and assembly points. Students are enrolled in the Rave Alert system, explained in Section H and should also have a personal emergency kit prepared in their homes and/or cars with basic first aid items, bottled water and non-perishable food items available in the event of an emergency.
      Students involved in an emergency incident should assess the situation quickly and thoroughly and employ common sense when determining how to respond. If directly involved in an emergency,students should call 911 as soon as possible, direct first responders to where the incident occurred if possible and cooperate fully with first responders.
   2. Faculty and Staff
      CHSU faculty and staff are leaders for students and should be prepared to provide leadership during an incident. Faculty and staff should understand this Emergency Plan and building evacuation procedures in areas where they work and teach. Faculty and staff may often be the first people to arrive at an incident scene and are responsible or following standard operating procedures and contacting appropriate individuals. They should familiarize themselves with the basic concepts for personal and departmental incident response as outlined in departmental emergency response procedures.
      Faculty and staff involved in an incident should assess a situation quickly and thoroughly and employ common sense when determining how to respond. When responding, faculty and staff should follow departmental emergency procedures. Faculty and staff are to report emergencies by calling 911. Faculty and staff should direct first responders to where the incident occurred if possible and cooperate fully with first responders. If evacuation of a building is necessary, faculty and staff are expected to evacuate immediately and, if safe to do so, to aid students in evacuating the building
2. External Emergency First Responders
   CHSU does not maintain internal emergency response professionals such as fire, police or emergency medical personnel. The external first responder(s) include city fire, policy and emergency medical personnel. The first responder to arrive at the scene of an incident will establish and assume the position of Incident Commander ("IC"). The IC has overall responsibility for on-scene operations for the incident. In most cases, leadership staff from the fire or police department will serve in the role of IC. If the incident is large or requires multiple agencies or departments, a unified command of primary response agencies may take responsibility for the overall field operations.
   Depending on the situation, the IC or unified command may conduct operations from an on-scene operations for the incident. In most cases, leadership staff from the first responder agency or agencies will serve in the role of IC. If the incident is large or requires multiple agencies or departments, a unified command of primary response agencies (“Unified Command” or “UC”) may take responsibility for the overall field operations.
   Depending on the situation, the IC or UC may conduct operations from an on-scene Incident Command Post ("ICP"). The ICP is a location where field staff convenes meetings, arriving resources check-in, and CHSU Emergency Response Team communicate with the IC or UC about the incident.
3. Role and Responsibility of CHSU Emergency Response Team
   During an emergency, members of the CHSU ERT shall generally be responsible for the duties described below, in addition to other duties assigned by the President:

4. Recovery
   Recovery is the time between the end of life saving operations and the time when the campus has returned to normal operational status.
   The President shall be responsible for implementation of CHSU’s business continuity plan following the end of life saving operations.
   At the direction of the President, the IC/UC liaison will confirm with emergency first responders when it is deemed it safe for re-entry into campus, or, alternatively, if operations should resume a ta different location due to catastrophic loss.