EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND
CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN

This document outlines the College’s General Emergency Procedures and Crisis Management procedures. It is recommended that each member of the campus community familiarize him or herself with this important information.

I. General Emergency Procedures

In the event an emergency should arise on campus, the following procedures should be followed:

If it is of a serious nature that requires police, rescue squad and/or ambulance, dial 911 immediately.

Always call Security at x 8246 . Apprise them of your precise location and the name of the individual(s) involved. Security will assist medical authorities in finding their way around campus. It is imperative that Security is alerted to any emergency.

If the emergency involves a student, Security will alert the Student Affairs office, as well as Susan Girard, Director of Health & Insurance Services, so she can assist the emergency team by providing pertinent information (e.g., allergies to medications) in the event the student cannot speak for him/herself. Only essential information will be released. Confidentiality of health records is safeguarded at all times.

In our efforts to maintain confidentiality, please remove yourself from the immediate emergency area once assistance has arrived. This will not only give better access to rescue personnel, it will help ensure that confidential information is not overheard beyond those individuals who need to know. Thank you for your compassion and cooperation.

You may be asked to complete an accident/incident report for Security. Your cooperation in giving an accurate and detailed account of the incident will be appreciated.

Evacuation Instructions

In the event of an incident presenting immediate or risk of immediate threat to human safety, an evacuation order should be given by any person in authority nearest the site of the incident. Emergency services should be called, as per the general emergency instructions above. Persons not “in authority” should also call for evacuation if common sense so dictates. There are four designated gathering points in the event of building evacuation:

• The front lawn (in front of Duns Scotus Hall)
• The parking lot between Duns Scotus Hall and Wick Center (do not use if overly proximate to emergency in either building, or impediment to emergency vehicles/services).
• The parking lot between Rosary Hall and the Business Building.
• Campus Drive – “point of the island” – for apartment evacuations.

If indicated by the nature of the emergency, or at the direction of emergency/crisis management authorities, persons should assemble at these points to ensure adequate distance from evacuated buildings and ability to ensure that evacuees are present and accounted for.

A reciprocal evacuation agreement with Amherst High School has also been established in the event evacuation of all of part of either of our campuses is indicated. Contact the Vice President for Business Affairs at ext. 8218 to facilitate.

II. Crisis Management Procedures

In the event of a major emergency which physically, or emotionally, disrupts normal campus operations, the President of Daemen College may direct that the campus operate in accordance with the following crisis management procedures. These procedures are designed to prioritize human safety, provide accurate and timely information to the campus community, and allow for sound decision-making in evolving circumstances. A designated Crisis Team (whose members are listed below) will be responsible for providing services to the campus community under the direction of the Cabinet and the President (or the President’s designated crisis operations officer).

If the President determines that a crisis exists, announcements will be made to the campus community through the Daemen College website (“What’s Happening” page), email to the faculty-staff-announce and students-announce listservs, and information posters in key campus locations , including the Wick Center lobby, Canavan Hall lobby, Business Building center lobby, west, east and center doors of Duns Scotus Hall, and central Campus Village Apartment locations. In the event of loss of electronic communications capability, information posters will be updated on a regular basis, with information also available 24 hours a day for the duration of the crisis in Alumni Lounge, Wick Center.

This crisis information center will be staffed by appropriate members of the crisis team and will provide such services as: (i) up-to-date information on the crisis; (ii) television and/or other news coverage; (iii) emergency telephone use; (iv) personal counseling; (v) first aid; and (vi) sustenance.

In the event Alumni Lounge cannot be used as the crisis information center, the Patio area (Duns Scotus Hall) and Business Building 107-09 are the designated primary and secondary back-up locations for the center.

Anyone off-campus who is seeking information on the crisis, or needing to communicate with a member of the campus community, may call the Campus Switchboard at 716.839.3600, where the call will be directed to the appropriate person for assistance.

Additional Information

DEFINITION OF CRISIS

  A crisis includes but is not limited to events such as the following:

• An on-campus event posing immediate or potentially immediate risk to human safety, such as (i) fire, (ii) dispersion of hazardous substance (e.g., chemical, biological), (iii) explosion, (iv) bomb or similar threat, (v) human activity posing risk to safety (e.g., weapons involvement, hostage-taking), (vi) communicable disease epidemic.
• An on-campus event involving or posing the immediate risk of significant property damage.
• Loss of basic resources (e.g., power, water) of breadth or duration sufficient to imperil the well-being and safety of the campus community.
• An off-campus event posing significant risk or threat of risk to human safety or campus property, or otherwise causing grave human concern sufficient to disrupt normal operations (e.g., terrorist attack, declaration of disaster by civil authorities).

Campus emergencies such as but not limited to the following will not ordinarily trigger declaration of a crisis :

• Events restricted to a specific location and capable of being brought under control without significant risk to human safety.
• Incidents, with or without injury, involving a small number of persons and susceptible to intervention and control by appropriate professionals (e.g., security staff, paramedics, firefighters, police).
• Power or water outages of limited duration and/or scope.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM

The Crisis Management team comprises the following campus personnel:

Executive Team: the President and all Cabinet members (Vice Presidents for Business Affairs, Academic Affairs, and External Relations; Vice President for Student Affairs, and Vice President of Enrollment Management), plus designated Board of Trustees liaison.

Crisis Team

Director of Physical Plant (and designated key personnel as needed)

Director of Security

Director of Information Resources Management

Director of Information Technology Services

Director of Academic Computing Services

Director of College Relations

Director of Food Service

Director of Purchasing & Central Services

Director of Campus Ministry

Director of Health & Insurance Services (and counseling staff if needed)

Associate Dean of the College (and appropriately skilled faculty and academic support staff to assist as needed)

Director of Residence Life (and Resident Assistants as needed)

Personnel Director

Switchboard Operator

Director of Conferences and Events

Members of the campus community may obtain further detail on crisis management policy and procedures on request from the Associate Dean of the College, ext. 8301, DS 102.

Daemen College is located in a community that has been ranked (over the years) among the top 5 "safest communities of its size" in the nation.

US Department of Education web site for crime statistics as filed by colleges and universities.