嘿嘿视频 Department Safety Coordinators, or DSCs, have worked together with Emergency Management to update the process and documentation for implementing building evacuation plans, establishing a repository of newly approved Emergency Action Plans.
Emergency Action Plans, or EAPs, contain procedures that are to be followed during emergencies, outlining actions that will promote safe evacuation from buildings.
The updated EAPs will be accessible to members of the 嘿嘿视频 community, so that they can familiarize themselves with the updated procedures for a safe evacuation. Individuals are encouraged to contact their DSC for additional information or concerns about building safety and evacuation, or .
The updating process began this month, starting with updating the EAPs for highest-risk occupied buildings, before gradually working towards updating the EAPs for all occupied buildings on campus.
Campus Emergency Manager Benton Best hopes that the new EAPs will streamline evacuation procedures and eliminate the organizational challenges of the previous system.
鈥淲e want to do a reset on the evacuation process, and the goal is for departments to prioritize communicating with each other,鈥 Best said.
Previously, each department within a building had its own EAP, and many departments operated independently. The lack of communication between departments often resulted in multiple evacuation plans being carried out within a single building, causing confusion on which evacuation procedures to follow.
鈥淲hen first responders come to the building, it would be helpful for someone to walk in and say, 鈥榮o-and-so is missing,鈥欌 Best said. 鈥淏ut that person could have evacuated to a different assembly area, and without inter-department communication, it鈥檚 hard to keep track of everyone.鈥
The updated EAPs would require all departments in a building to follow one building plan and work together to maximize coordination during evacuation drills.
The process of updating the EAPs has also shed light on other issues that require addressing, such as questions about AggieAccess, how to best evacuate secure, high-containment labs and how to best accommodate people with functional needs during an evacuation.
鈥淲e have a template that we give every building to submit and test, and we have been updating that template to make sure to include everybody鈥檚 voice,鈥 Best said.
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Julie Huang is an intern in the Office of Strategic Communications.