The cornerstones of any emergency and operations preparedness are the policies and procedures that dictate action during critical and high stress incidents. These policies are designed to provide a framework for actions to be taken by both staff and students during emergency situations. They are not designed to cover all specific contingencies and fluctuations that may occur; however they are designed to allow flexibility as emergency situations evolve.
The policies contained in this manual are not all inclusive and the system is designed to expand or contract as emergency procedures evolve both on the local and national level. In addition they are based on the principles of the Incident Command System and are designed to be compliant with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which governs operational procedures during critical incidents.
The nature of the Shady Grove Campus, one not having its own Police force, mandates these policies must frequently rely on staff members taking on multi-dimensional roles and the assistance of off campus and contracted resources. These resources include, but are not limited to; contracted security personnel, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Montgomery Department of Fire and Rescue, and the University of Maryland at College Park. The responsibilities of the University of Maryland College Park as a coordinating institution for the Universities at Shady Grove are described in a Memorandum of Understanding between UMCP and USM.
It is the goal of the policies contained in this manual to create a consistent and reliable response to critical incidents. They are designed, with few exceptions (due to confidential material), to be available to all members of the USG community, both staff and students. Responding to critical incidents can only be successful if the entire community has knowledge of and understands responses during emergency situations.
Wherever possible and appropriate, local and state police, the fire department, local government and community, healthcare providers, and other organizations have been consulted and/or have contributed to the creation and implementation of the USG Emergency Operations Policies and Procedures.
Warnings, notifications, and other communications, both during and after any incident, will be made to students, staff, and faculty as soon as reasonably possible. Notifications will be made through the use of appropriate, redundant notification systems that made include any or all of the following:
- Building evacuation (fire) alarms
- Omnilert text messaging notification system
- Email distribution through USG listservs
- USG Twitter feed
- USG Facebook page
- USG website alert banner
- Digital signage within the USG buildings
Emergency Operations Policies Manual
These publicly available documents are in Adobe PDF format:
- Automated External Defibrilltor Policy (AED)
- Active Shooter Procedures
- Behavioral Assessment Team Policy
- Bomb Threat and Suspicious Packages
- Crisis Communication Plan
- Crisis Management Plan
- Evacuation Plan for Campus Closure
- Fire Emergency Response & Building Evacuation Procedures
- Response to Medical Emergencies Procedures
- Shelter-in-Place Procedures
- Student and Staff Deaths
- Tornado Warning Procedure
Appendix