Annexes

While first responder departments / agencies (fire, law enforcement, public works, etc.) understand their roles and responsibilities, challenges have historically arisen in the overarching management: the merging of varying disciplines and organizations that are not accustomed to working together on a regular basis. This annex presents the standardized activities associated with leading the response, and incorporates the organizational responsibilities into a single functional system. This Functional Annex describes the means the university will use to direct and control activities during and following disaster/emergency situations.

Interoperable communications systems are crucial in any type or scale (size) of disaster, and therefore should be both redundant and decentralized to limit the opportunity for any emergency to impact all university systems. They exist to ensure the capacity for timely communications to support security, situational awareness, decision-making, and operations among response agencies and the university by any and all means available. This Functional Annex provides the framework for how information will be exchanged among responders, administrative officials, faculty, students, and other interested persons during and after a disaster/emergency situation.

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is committed to the welfare, health, and safety of its students, employees, and visitors. If a condition arises that constitutes an emergency and/or disaster, the university will utilize all necessary resources to mitigate the situation as efficiently and safely as possible. This Functional Annex references where to find information on the methods and modalities of how the public and campus community will be warned and instructed regarding actual or threatened hazards through the public media or other means.

Well-timed and factual dissemination of incident-specific official reports to the public is crucial immediately following an emergency. In the event that few situational reports and/or briefings are provided, stakeholders (families, the general public, etc.) have historically contacted UIC Police and other university employees with inquiries, overwhelming systems. Local news, social media, and other sources perform an essential role in providing information and updates to the public. This Functional Annex offers guidance on the means, organization, and process by which the university will provide timely, accurate, and useful information and instructions to the community throughout a disaster/emergency. It includes information disseminated to the public through the media and other information sources on what is happening, what the response organization is doing, and what the public should do for its safety. UIC references the circumstances of special needs populations, including limited English proficiency populations.

Researching, coordinating, analyzing, and collating incident-related intelligence is necessary for executive decision-making and to the benefit of the campus community through emergency warning, and to the general public through public information-sharing. A well-designed process is necessary. Inaccurate intelligence may put lives at risk, flawed reports reduce public confidence and trust from external partners, and imprecise damage assessments cause significant fiscal loss in federal government grants on restoration. This Functional Annex describes the means the higher education institution will use to identify, collect, analyze, and disseminate information on the extent and impact of the disaster and those plans for recovery and restoration of operations.

This plan provides assurance of appropriate response to protect the community in the event of an incident requiring evacuation, shelter-in-place, and/or lockdown. It was developed in order to provide for an orderly and coordinated method through campus units, departments, and schools/colleges mobilized to support the response effort. This Functional Annex provides a general illustration on the movement of people to a safe area from an area believed to be at risk, when disaster/emergency situations necessitate that action.

In the event campus facilities are needed to support mass care / sheltering for the university community, UIC will coordinate support resources to provide temporary care. Medical care and mass feeding may be necessary. This Functional Annex provides an overview on actions taken to ensure appropriate services are provided at a mass care facility, including, but not limited to, providing temporary shelter, food, medical care, clothing and other essential life support needs to people displaced from their homes because of a disaster situation.

It is critical to outline the general responsibilities and procedures for a system of coordinated response among hospitals, medical clinics, emergency response medical providers, the university, and local government during emergency operations involving mass casualties, medical emergencies, or major health / infectious disease events. This Functional Annex outlines activities associated with providing health and medical services in emergencies and disasters, including emergency medical, hospital, public health, environmental health and mental health services.

Emergency mortuary services may be needed as the result of an emergency which causes a mass fatality incident. The annex applies to an event in which fatalities are enough to cause shortages in personnel, facilities, supplies, or other resources. This Functional Annex provides a framework for critical activities including the collection, identification and care of human remains; determining the cause of death; inventorying and protecting deceased’s personal effects; and locating and notifying the next of kin.

This annex describes the procedures for requesting assistance and managing resources from internal and external sources required to meet the anticipated needs of the campus at the time of an emergency. This Functional Annex portrays the general process of managing people, equipment, facilities, supplies and other resources to satisfy the needs generated by a disaster. This includes the management of volunteer response teams and spontaneously responding volunteers.

UIC is committed to free speech as a fundamental feature of the United States democracy and a central element of campus institutional and academic culture. The annex was designed to proactively identify strategies that will support first amendment rights and student freedom of expression while also considering impact to the safety and security of the campus and how to mitigate disruption to normal, ongoing operations. Annex themes include advocating a safe space for students to communicate; protecting students and the larger community from harm; protecting property, maintaining ongoing communication with stakeholders; and monitoring news media and social media outlets.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines an active shooter as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Implicit in this definition is the perpetrator’s use of one or more firearms, however, some may be carrying or use other dangerous weapons such as knives and/or improvised explosive devices (IED). The “active” aspect of the definition implies that both law enforcement personnel and the campus community have the potential to affect the outcome of the event based upon their response to the situation. As such, this annex builds on existing resources available to the campus community, and includes guidance on push notifications for protective action strategies, coordination with area agencies, and crucial decisions for executive leadership to make during response and recovery operations.

The campus considers the protection and safety of community in periods of inclement weather (i.e., expected or actual weather conditions that are severe enough to affect university vehicular traffic and/or university schedules). To that end, the university leverages a strategy that promotes consistency and a streamlined, efficient approach when changes in the operating status surrounding periods of inclement weather, is warranted. At such times, the campus has a prescribed method for evaluation, determination, and communication of these changes to faculty, staff, and students. The safety of the campus is a shared responsibility; all stakeholders are expected to abide by any decision made by the administration, and convey information to direct reports.

The location of UIC in a Midwest urban environment makes the campus susceptible to severe heat and extreme winter weather events. Prolonged extreme temperatures in recent years have caused injuries and fatalities, loss of electricity, and buckling of roadways, to name a few effects. As such and as specified in the UIC Emergency Operations Plan, response and coordination personnel are responsible for the protection of life and property, and to ensure that emergency management operations are effective during these events. This annex provides guidance on resource management for at-risk populations; policies, procedures, and operations which may be temporarily waived or modified to strengthen the health and safety of the campus, and services available to the community that provide relief.

The Family Reunification and Assistance Center (FRAC) is a unique site that provides a safe and supportive environment to the families of survivors and victims in a mass casualty incident. In the hours after an incident where members of the UIC are injured, families anxiously seek information about what happened and want help in finding their loved ones. The center helps assure families and the public that UIC has the ability to share critical information about their loved ones, and offer assistance and referrals (emotional support, financial assistance, etc.). As such, the annex was developed to describe how it will be managed.