Internal Organization

Organization of the Building Emergency Response Team will vary from building to building. The Center for Environmental Health and Safety (www.cehs.siu) has developed a BERT Start up Organizational Checklist (see Appendix A). In the Communications building, the organization is rather straightforward. There is one BERT team leader for the entire building. Currently, that person is Gary Kolb.

In addition to the BERT team leader, each floor has BERT team members. One of these persons may be designated as primary. The roles and responsibilities may be the same for each team member, but the designation may facilitate communication procedures during an emergency. The primary will be the first to be called in an emergency; this person will then disseminate information to other team members on their floor. All BERT team members respond directly to the BERT team leader. The BERT team members are listed on page three and four of this document.

External Organization

Emergencies may be restricted to a particular building (e.g., fire, chemical spill), but often they are campus-wide and may require the involvement of building and emergency services. In such a case, the BERT organization extends beyond the Communications building and involves other campus and community resources.

In the event of a major disaster, the University will convene the University Emergency Operation Center (UEOC), which will be located at the Department of Public Safety Office in Building A, Washington Square. The University has established this center as the central point to direct all emergency operations during major emergency situations (see Appendix B for Organizational Chart). The UEOC is comprised of representatives from a variety of campus facilities and departments. The BERT team leader will be provided with information and directions from the UEOC.

It is unlikely that BERT team members will be involved directly with the UEOC. This information is provided only so that you may better understand the organizational relationships among the various SIUC services that may respond in an emergency situation.

Warnings

To begin, consider that emergencies may arise in three different ways:

• Public Warning (e.g., tornado, fire)
• Building Warning (e.g., chemical, bomb threat)

• No Warning (e.g., earthquake, medical, tornado) Each of these situations presents different communication concerns and requires a means of getting information to and from BERT team members, faculty, staff, and students.

Public warning: When the fire alarm or emergency siren sounds, all personnel receive warning of an imminent threat to life. Your role as a BERT team member is immediate and clear. Follow the procedures indicated for the specific emergency situation found later in this manual.

Building Warning: The Communications building internal emergency communication system may be activated as necessary. Emergencies limited to our building may require notification of BERT team members prior or concurrent to involvement of outside agencies.

If the threat is campus-wide, the SIU Department of Public Safety’s telecommunicator will initiate the Emergency Notification System. This will be accomplished through a series of conference calls. Twenty-five areas will be contacted simultaneously. There will be three conference calls to reach the 75 areas on campus.

The area in the Communications building assigned to receive this call is the Dean's Office reception area. When the conference call is answered, there will be a recorded message ("Stand by for an Emergency Message"). This message will be repeated for 50 seconds to allow all parties to answer the conference call. At the end of the prerecorded message, emergency information and instructions will be given to all persons on the line.

Once the call has been received in the Dean’s office, the information is then passed to BERT team leaders and members by telephone or voice. The BERT team members then communicate the necessary information to their Bert team contacts, students, faculty, and staff on their floor.

No warning: The primary example of a no-warning emergency is an earthquake. In such cases (unless an isolated injury), communication through BERT channels is still recommended. Whenever possible, communications to, from, and within the building should be through the BERT team leader.

Communicating with Emergency Personnel

Under ideal circumstances, information will be communicated quickly and accurately from BERT team members to the BERT team leader and from the BERT team leader to emergency personnel. Maintaining this line of communication helps to ensure that miscommunication is avoided. However, under real emergency conditions, following this chain of communication may not be possible or practical.

If you have information about the emergency that is vital for emergency personnel, you or an appointed person should proceed immediately to entrance that the emergency personnel was directed to use. Stand outside the door and watch for the emergency vehicle you have called. You should be prepared to identify yourself and provide the following information:

• The location & type of emergency
• The number of people involved and the extent and severity of any injuries
• The presence of any potential hazards that must be considered

Communicating with faculty, staff, and students

When faced with an emergency situation, BERT team members may have to communicate vital information to faculty, staff, and students. While this may sound simple, the pressure of responding in an emergency can make even the simplest task surprisingly difficult. For this reason, we encourage you to rehearse a “script” for each of the emergency situations you are likely to encounter.

In general, there are three things you need to communicate to others in an emergency:

1. You must identify yourself,
2. Describe the nature of the emergency, and
3. Provide appropriate instructions.

For example, when entering a class that is in session, you might say…

“Excuse me; I’m from the Building Emergency Response Team. A tornado warning has just been issued, and everyone in the building must move immediately to a storm safe area. Please go down to the ground floor using the stairwell down this hallway (pointing in the appropriate direction). Another BERT team member should be on the ground floor to provide more information.”

Or

In the event of a bomb threat (don’t start a panic by mentioning a bomb)…

“Excuse me; I’m from the Building Emergency Response Team. We have been ordered by the police to immediately evacuate the building. Please exit the building following the classroom map and move out the appropriate exits and gather together in the North and South parking lots with your instructor or Bert team member who will take attendance to make sure all have exited this area.”

Your goal is to be polite but authoritative. Your voice, tone, and body language should convey the seriousness of the situation without also causing panic. Avoid confrontation: if someone refuses, simply advise him or her that you are required to notify campus police of their decision.

Sources of Information

For current severe weather information, a radio that receives NOAA frequencies can be useful. If power and a computer are available, current advisories, warnings, and even storm radar tracking can be accessed through the regional National Weather Service Website at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah.

Local emergency information may be available on the emergency public service radio frequency at 1620 AM or WSIU at 91.9 FM.

Knowledge

• Building floor plans, including all exits, location of offices, etc. (See Appendix C)
• Location of faculty, staff, and students
• Special needs of faculty, staff, or students with disabilities
• Location and identifications of other BERT team members
• Channels of Communication
• Location and nature of high risk areas labs, chemical store rooms, etc.)
• General emergency guidelines (e.g., do not use the elevator)

Skills

• Remaining calm
• Providing leadership
• Giving directions
• Acting quickly and decisively
• Accessing all areas of the building
• Using building emergency equipment (fire extinguishers, first aid kits, defibulators)
• Providing basic first aid and CPR

While many of these items may seem simple, learning them will make you far more prepared to deal with an emergency. The following sections contain information for specific emergency situations.

FIRE