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Emergency Management Policy

Title: Emergency Management Policy

Responsible Official: Executive Director of Public Safety

Responsible University Office: Division of Public Safety

Review History: Yearly 

Related legislation and University policies: Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act (also known as the Clery Act)

Review Period: Reviewed annually by the Office of Resiliency in the Division of Public Safety

Date of Last Review: December 2019

Relates to: Faculty, Staff, Students and external partners

  1. Summary of this Policy: This policy outlines how and when the Division of Public Safety notifies the campus community of crimes that occur on or near campus.

  2. Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to ensure Case Western Reserve University has a written framework outlining university response to existing or potential emergency or hazardous situations on campus.

  3. Definitions:

    1. Emergency  Operations Plan (EOP): The EOP is the CWRU documents that outlines roles, responsibilities, and procedures for the university response to various potential emergency situations on campus.  The EOP is written and revised by the CWRU Office of Resiliency in consultation with internal and external partners.  

    2. Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP):  provides a set of guiding principles for exercise programs, as well as a common approach to exercise program management, design and development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning. Exercises are a key component of university preparedness - they provide responders and stakeholders from across the whole community with the opportunity to shape planning, assess and validate capabilities, and address areas for improvement.

    3. Incident Command System (ICS):  is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure.

  1.  Policy: The EOP is maintained by the Office of Resiliency. It is reviewed on an annual basis with a complete revision every three years. While the EOP is not a public document, procedures for reacting to specific emergency situations can be found in the Emergency Preparedness section of the Division of Public Safety website, case.edu/publicsafety. Emergency procedures information can also be found in the CWRU Annual Security & Fire Safety Report published every Oct.1.

    1. Case Western Reserve University departments develop, test and maintain emergency response, continuity and recovery plans responsible for the protection of life and property on campus. The Division of Public Safety is responsible for the all-hazard emergency operations plan and its annexes and appendices that detail the response to an imminent or potential emergency.  CWRU operates in accordance with the National Incident Management system. CWRU Police and other Public Safety staff are trained in the incident command system. CWRU Police officers are usually the first on the scene when an emergency occurs on campus and as the incident evolves other university departments may be required to resolve the emergency. 

    2. Exercises designed to test Case Western Reserve University’s emergency operations plans and procedures are conducted on an annual basis in accordance with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).  HSEEP is the standard that drills and exercises should meet and sets forth minimum requirements that include the assessment and evaluation of emergency plans, response capabilities, and evacuation procedures. Additionally, HSEEP requires proper follow-up and corrective actions when necessary.  These exercises often include university personnel, surrounding jurisdiction first responders, government agencies, and members of the university community. The Division of Public Safety documents all exercises through detailed description of what core capability had been tested, the date and time of the exercise, and information about whether or not the test had been announced or unannounced.  CWRU Office of Resiliency works closely with local and state offices of emergency management. Local and State emergency management agencies are notified of exercises conducted on campus.