Purpose
In compliance with OSHA's Emergency Action Plan standard, found at 29-CFR 1910.38,
BYU-Idaho has written this emergency action plan (EAP). The EAP addresses emergencies that the administration anticipates could
possibly occur at any of the university facilities. The EAP communicates to
employees policies and procedures to follow in case of emergency. This written
plan is available, upon request, to employees, their designated
representatives, and any OSHA officials who request it.
The following information is found within this plan:
- employees are informed of the plan's purpose,
-
emergency escape procedures and route assignments,
- procedures to be
followed by employees who remain to perform critical facility operations
before they evacuate,
- procedures to account for all employees after
emergency evacuation has been completed,
- rescue and medical duties for
those employees who perform them,
- preferred means of reporting fires and
other emergencies,
- types of evacuations to be used in various emergency
situations, and
- the alarm system.
The university safety office has overall responsibility for
the plan. Copies of this plan may be obtained from the Safety Office web
page located through the BYU-Idaho Internet Home Page or at the Safety
Office located in Rigby Hall room 162.
If after reading this program, you find that improvements can be made,
please contact the university safety office with your
recommendations. All suggestions are encouraged because the university is
committed to the successful implementation of the emergency action plan
when needed.
Emergency Escape Procedures and Assignments
The emergency escape procedures and assignments are designed with
regard to the following potential emergencies: (See also General
Emergency Guidelines)
- Fire emergencies
- Hazardous material spills
- Oil spills
- Toxic gas releases
- Earthquakes
- Flooding
- Lightning
- Tornadoes
- Winter storms
- Bomb threat/Terrorist attack
- First-aid emergencies
Employees have the responsibility to learn what to do when they are the
first persons to discover an emergency or when they are alerted to a
specific emergency.
The following guidelines are intended to help
employees learn the appropriate response to emergency situations:
1. All employees should thoroughly review the emergency response, fire
prevention plan, and evacuation procedures provided on the Safety Office
web page. Power point training is available and personal
training will be provided by the safety personnel upon request.
2. Employees are encouraged to periodically walk through their
respective workplaces and familiarize themselves with principal and
alternative routes of exit, locations of fire extinguishers, fire pull
alarms and closest accessible telephones for emergency notification.
Looking for and following the closest illuminated "Exit" signs
will generally enable the quickest evacuation of a building. University
safety personnel can be contacted to facilitate building evacuation
orientation upon request. Building evacuation routes are posted on each
floor of every building on campus.
3. As a matter of general practice, stairwells are the primary means
for evacuation. Elevators are used only when authorized by a fire or
police officer.
4. No employee is permitted to re-enter an evacuated building until
advised by the university police (after determination has been made that
such re entry is safe).
5. A list of evacuation gathering areas are provided with the Building Coordinator
List. This list should be printed and retained by employees in the event
of computer inaccessibility due to power failure. Department heads and
emergency building coordinators for the various facilities on campus are to
maintain lists of employees and the designated evacuation gathering sites
for their respective areas of responsibility. Once an
evacuation has been initiated and employees have gathered at their
designated gathering points, building coordinators and department heads
are to conduct a roll call and account for all employees within their
sphere of responsibility. This information should then be relayed to the
emergency response personnel responding to the scene to facilitate rescue
operations.
6. Building coordinators and department heads should be familiar
with all exit routes in their buildings and with the locations of fire
extinguishers and fire pull alarms. They should also be familiar with any
employees with disabilities. A buddy system should be developed with
specific assignments made to assist any disabled employee with the
evacuation process.
7. Building coordinators and department heads should be familiar with
any potential hazards that may exist in their respective areas of
responsibility and should develop contingency plans for directing
employees away from such hazards during an evacuation.
8. Before leaving, building coordinators and department heads should
check rooms and other enclosed spaces in the workplace for employees who
may be trapped or otherwise unable to evacuate the area. Doors and windows
should be closed to minimize the flow of fire if such activities can be
accomplished without undue risk.
Rescue and Medical Duty Assignments:
Rescue and medical aid may be necessary during emergency situations.
Circumstances calling for rescue and/or medical aid include injuries
sustained as a result of fire, explosion, building collapse, criminal or
terrorist activity or other casual factors. When rescue or emergency medical
response is warranted, university police dispatch should be called immediately
(Dial 911). The University Police
Communications Center will dispatch the Rexburg Fire Department and
Emergency Medical Technicians to initiate rescue and medical treatment
operations. If conditions are stable and safe, employees trained in first
aid should initiate necessary life saving intervention until relieved by
competent emergency medical personnel. University emergency medical
technicians, nurses and/or health center physicians may be requested to
provide additional medical assistance as determined by the University
Student Health Center Medical Director.
Rescue operations will be conducted under the direction of the
Rexburg Fire Department Incident Commander with assistance
provided by:
- Rexburg Fire Department Personnel (Dial 911)
- Madison County Ambulance Personnel (Dial 911)
- University Police Officers (Dial 911)
- University Safety Office Personnel
- Emergency Medical Technicians (Dial 911)
- CERT Volunteers as directed
- First Aid Certified Volunteers as directed
Emergency Reporting Procedures
Fire Emergencies:
When a fire is detected, dial 911
and report the emergency to the university police dispatcher and/ or go to
the nearest fire pull alarm station and activate the alarm by pulling on
the lever. (Fire pull alarms are located on each floor near the elevators,
and each entry/exit door). The fire alarm horns and strobe
lights in the building will be activated and the university police
communications center will be automatically notified. A university police
officer will immediately be dispatched to the alarm site. Evacuation
procedures should be initiated. Upon verification, the City of Rexburg
Fire Department will be dispatched and rescue operations will be
initiated.
In the Event of a Tornado or Sever Winter Storm
University police dispatchers monitor and have direct communications
with the Rexburg Police Department, Madison County Sheriff's Department,
Idaho State Police, Rexburg Fire Department and Madison County Ambulance
Service. When a tornado or storm watch has been issued by the National
Weather Service, weather bulletins with further information will be
provided by the university radio stations. Employees should tune into one
of the university radio stations and monitor weather reports. Employees
should not call the university police and tie up phone lines with requests
for information. Only emergencies should be called into the police
communications centers.
In the event of a tornado, warning will be provided by the university
radio stations and employees should promptly seek shelter in the basements
or ground floors of their respective buildings. They should stay away from
exterior walls and windows and immediately report any storm damage or
injuries to the university police. Building coordinators and department
heads should initiate a roll call and account for all personnel in their
charge. (The Manwaring Student Center and the Hart Physical Education
Building are designated shelters for large numbers of persons in the event
of an emergency that necessitates grouping together for food distribution
and bedding arrangements. If necessary, after an all clear notification,
employees should move to one of these buildings for further assistance).
Other emergencies:
Employees who discern other emergencies should immediately notify the
university police by dialing 911 and
providing all pertinent information. If an evacuation of the building is
deemed prudent, the nearest fire alarm pull station should be activated to
sound the evacuation horns and strobe lights in the building. Accidental
releases of some highly toxic chemicals or gases can have immediate life
threatening consequences. It is better to overreact to potentially
hazardous situations than to unnecessarily jeopardize the lives or
well-being of students, co-workers, community patrons or emergency
response personnel.
Critical University Operations Personnel
Unless remaining at their work stations constitutes undue risk to life
and safety, the following employees are designated to remain behind during
evacuation operations to care for critical institutional operations:
- University Police Officers
- University Police Communication Center Personnel
- Disaster Response Council members
- Designated Physical Plant Administrators
- Heat Plant Personnel
- HVAC Personnel
- Electrical Shop Personnel
- Mechanical Shop Personnel
- Vehicle Operations Heavy Equipment Operators
- University Health Center Medical Professionals
- Trained Evacuation Personnel
A sufficient number of employees have been designated by the
institution and trained to assist in safe and orderly emergency evacuation
for all types of emergency situations. The list of people trained includes
at least one person from every area for every shift. These employees are
to help direct all employees during emergency evacuation, serve as a
resource of information about emergency procedures, and conduct head
counts once evacuation has been completed. A copy of the list of
"building coordinators" is available on the Safety Office web
page.
Fire and Safety Office Responsibilities:
1. Develop a written emergency action plan for regular and after hours
work conditions.
2. Immediately notify the local fire or police departments, and
pertinent university administrators in the event of an emergency affecting
the university.
3. Integrate the emergency action plan with the existing general
emergency plan covering the building occupied.
4. Distribute procedures for reporting a fire, bomb threat, or other
emergency, the location of fire exits, and evacuation routes to each
employee.
5. Conduct drills to acquaint the employees with emergency procedures,
and to judge the effectiveness of each plan.
6. Promote compliance with all local fire codes and regulations as
specified.
7. Train designated employees in the use of fire extinguishers and the
application of medical first aid techniques.
8. Keep key management personnel informed in the event of emergency
9. Decide to remain in or evacuate the workplace in the event of an
emergency.
10. If evacuation is deemed necessary, the safety officer ensures that:
- The response of various emergency agencies is coordinated.
- Employees are notified and a head count is taken to confirm total
evacuation of all employees.
- When practical, equipment is placed and locked in storage rooms or
desks for protection.
- Pertinent university administrators are contacted, informed of the
action taken, and asked to assist in coordinating emergency response
operations.
Training
At the time of an emergency, employees should know what type of
evacuation is necessary and what their role is in carrying out the plan.
In cases where the emergency is very grave, total and immediate evacuation
of all employees is necessary. In other emergencies, a partial evacuation
of nonessential employees with a delayed evacuation of others may be
necessary for continued essential university operations. Employees have a
responsibility to review the university electronic safety manual and to
learn what is expected of them during an emergency. Emergency response
training is required by OSHA and it is the responsibility of respective
university administrators and supervisors to facilitate the training of
personnel within their areas of responsibility. Training objectives can be
achieved by means of:
- Periodic departmental study of pertinent topics from the safety web
page.
- Individual or departmental study of power point safety presentations
on web page.
- Schedule personal departmental training by safety office
instructors.
- Attend scheduled institutional training sessions provided by the
safety office.
- Contact safety officer personnel directly for consultation and
specific information. (Phone: 496-2457, Office: 355 Rigby - TFO).