Emergency Preparedness - Mission & Concept

It shall be the mission of PCC to respond to an emergency situation in a safe, effective, and timely manner. PCC personnel and equipment will be utilized to accomplish the following priorities:

Priority I: Protection of Life Safety;

Priority II: Maintenance of Life Support and Assessment of Damages; and

Priority III: Communicate to the Community and Media; and

Priority IV: Restoration of General Campus Operations

It is anticipated that, as operations progress from Priority I through Priority III and IV responses, the administrative control of the campus will transition from the NIMS/SEMS/ICS structure back to the normal PCC organizational structure. To the greatest extent possible, regulations regarding the protection of the environment will be complied with during disaster response activities. When an Emergency occurs, this plan is invoked for the emergency and a multiple-tier graded approach is utilized for response. Initially, the PCC Police Department (PCCPD) assumes Incident Command (IC) and initiates appropriate mitigate/protective actions and notifications.

If the event requires support for fire or Emergency Medical Services (EMS), appropriate agencies/organizations are notified and respond. Depending upon the nature of the event and in accordance with SEMS, the PCC Police Department IC may utilize a "Unified Command" structure with other agency response personnel.

When required, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be activated to support the ongoing response. The PCC EOP and associated building plans/procedures have been developed, and personnel have been trained and assigned to the EOC to promote integration for a multi-organizational response, if required.

Emergency Preparedness Plan

Introduction:

The Pasadena City College Emergency Preparedness Plan identifies natural and man-made emergencies that may impact the campus community. It details the response procedures that campus officials should follow in case of an emergency. All departments within the Pasadena Community College campus community should become familiar with this plan. As appropriate, they should formulate their own action plans or emergency operations checklists to complement this plan, and submit a copy to the Chief of Campus Police for review and approval. The Chief of Campus Police will seek assistance as necessary from other PCC staff in evaluating the appropriateness of plans submitted for review and approval.

Campus Police will maintain copies of all plans. Campus emergency operations will be conducted within the framework of PCC guidelines. Any exception to these procedures will be conducted by, or with the approval of the PCC administrators directing and/or coordinating the emergency operations.

An Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee, chaired by the Chief of Campus Police, shall meet every two years to review the College's Emergency Preparedness Plan for necessary updates and revisions. During alternate years, all requests for procedural changes, suggestions, or recommendations will be submitted in writing to the Chief of Campus Police for evaluation. All changes recommended by the Chief of Campus Police will be submitted in writing to the President for approval and inclusion in the plan.

Purpose:

The basic emergency procedures outlined in this guide are to protect life and property through effective use of PCC resources, and to provide for the physical and emotional well-being of the members of our campus community during and immediately following an emergency. This document describes an integrated plan for responding to a PCC emergency. Whenever an emergency affecting the college reaches proportions that cannot be handled by routine measures, the President, or his/ her designee, may declare a state of emergency and implement the Emergency Preparedness Plan. It is recognized that the specific actions implemented will be dependent on the nature and severity of the situation. Since an emergency may be sudden and without warning, these procedures are designed to be flexible in order to accommodate contingencies of various types and magnitudes.

Scope:

An emergency or a disaster may occur at any time of the day or night, weekend or holiday, with little or no warning. The succession of events in an emergency are not predictable, hence, published support and operational plans will serve only as a guide and checklist, and will require modification during an event to meet the requirements of the emergency.

This Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is a campus-level plan that guides the emergency response of appropriate PCC personnel and resources during an emergency. It is the official Emergency Operations Plan for PCC and supersedes previous plans and precludes employee actions not in concert with the intent of this plan, or the emergency organization created by it. Nothing in this plan shall be construed in a manner that limits the use of good judgment and common sense in matters not foreseen or covered by the elements of the plan or any appendices and annexes hereto. The Plan and organization shall be subordinate to State or Federal plans during a disaster declaration by those authorities.

This EOP applies to all activities conducted by PCC personnel, students, and visitors. The emergency management programs and procedures for specific building/facilities and areas are consistent in framework, but may vary in scope based upon the individual building activities, operations and hazards. 

Campus emergency response map