university of newcastle upon tyne · web viewlog book template interaction with city council/...

Major Incident Plan

Contents

BackgroundDefinitionsEmergency Management TeamManaging the IncidentEmergency Management Team roles and responsibilities – checklistsImmediate Post Incident ProceduresRole of the Emergency ServicesOff Campus Incidents

Appendices:

1. Emergency Management Team contact details2. Incident Rooms3. Log Book template4. Interaction with City Council/ Multi-Agency response (produced by

City Council)

Background

The Major Incident Plan is designed to facilitate the management of any major event, which will impact upon the operation/reputation of the University. This document will support the mobilisation and operation of the Emergency Management Team (EMT) who would be responsible for managing the crisis.

The University emergency planning has been designed so that local incidents, unlikely to have severe repercussions, can be managed at a local level by Local Incident Teams (LITs). Each School and Service will have developed a Local Incident Plan, these plans must remain current and must be reviewed and/or revised when there are changes to how the business operates or when there are changes in staff or their responsibilities. Local Incident Teams may be called upon to support the EMT in the management of a major incident.

The University has a clear escalation/ accountability route for all incidents:

Incident Type Management & Accountability

MinorMinor incidents that may cause short-term inconvenience to the School/Service and can be corrected by calling in appropriate services

Routine controlprocedures

LocalAn incident likely to affect the smooth running of the School/Service and unlikely to affect other Schools/Service or University reputation/operation

School or Service controlCovered by the Local Incident Plans supported by the Local Incident Teams

MajorAll incidents likely to affect the smooth running of more than one School/Service or could impact on the reputation/ operation of the University

Central Major Incident controlCovered by the Major Incident Plan supported by the Emergency Management Team

GW/GM April 2013 Page | 2

DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this document the following definitions apply:

EMT

The University Emergency Management Team (EMT) is a small group of Senior Executives who have the authority to make swift and very major decisions in the event of a major incident. The EMT is supported as and when required by specialists and the relevant LITs affected by the incident.

LITA Local Incident Team (LIT) comprises members appointed by the Management of the School/Service from across the various operations within the School/Service. It is responsible for drawing up and maintaining an Incident Plan. The LIT will operate autonomously in the event of an incident.

Local IncidentIncidents that generally happen quickly, unexpectedly and demand immediate action. These will generally only affect the smooth running of one School/Service although local incidents can escalate into major incidents. Local incidents will be managed by the Local Incident Team (LIT).

Major IncidentA major incident is defined as “a time of acute danger or difficulty”, a “turning point”. It may involve an event that has outstripped the ability of a LIT to manage or may have extended to include areas of the University occupied by other Schools. A major incident may impact beyond the University or be an external event which adversely impinges onto the University.

Business RecoveryRecovery is the key to getting the University back to normal operation as soon as is practicable.

All schools and services are required to have a current Business Continuity Plan, the plan identifies risks to critical activities and how to mitigate against them, the plan also identifies key responsible persons from within the school/service.

The EMT will establish a recovery team depending on the nature/scale of the incident.

School/ServiceAll University academic and support services such as, Schools, Research Institutes, Information Services and Systems, University


Library Services, Estate Support Service, Executive Office and all similar services etc.

Third PartiesAll non University staff and companies located in or working on University property such as NHS Trust, INTO, Northern Stage, Student Union, Commercial tenants and Building contractors.


EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM (EMT)

The first person listed under each role is the principal contact (the deputy would only be called out in the event of the first member being unavailable). The EMT core team would be contacted by University Security in the event of a crisis/ major incident.

Core Team

Role Member (First choice contact)

Deputy

Co-ordinator Registrar Nominated by RegistrarCommunications Manager

Head of Press and Communications

Nominated by Head, Press and Communications

Damage Manager Head of Maintenance ESS

Nominated by Head of Maintenance ESS

Business Continuity Coordinator

To be identified by the co-ordinator

Insurance Officer Insurance Officer Nominated by Insurance & Risk Manager

Security Estate Security Manager

Nominated by Estate Security Manager

Secretary From Executive Office

Co-opted Members (depending on the nature of the major incident)

Role Duties Member (First choice contact)

Spokesperson Liaises with senior management and arranges the release of information to staff, families, media and external organisations

Nominated by Co-ordinator

Telecoms Co-ordinator

Establish helpline to deal with all related internal and external calls

Telecoms Manger

IT Network advisor

Provision of information on status of network and anticipated recovery requirements.

Director of ISS

Legal and Finance

Advising on financial and legal matters

Executive Director of Finance & Planning

Human Resources

Liaising over all matters concerning the welfare of staff

Executive Director of Human Resources

Student Liaison Liaising over all matters concerning the welfare of students

Student Registrar


Property Advising on the recovery and availability of alternative premises

Director of ESS

Accommodation and Hospitality

Advise on loss of residential facilities and the provision of welfare and catering support

Director of Accommodation and Hospitality Services

Secretarial Support

Clerical support to EMT To be appointed by Secretary

Health and Safety Head of Health and Safety Nominated by Head of Health and Safety

Members of the relevant Local Incident Team(s) may also be co-opted in order to provide expert localised support. Their contact details are contained within the relevant Local Incident Plans.

MANAGING THE INCIDENT

Within the first hour the priority is to contain the incident and ensure the welfare of staff/students/visitors. Contact and liaison with Emergency Services should be established and the EMT be advised. The approach to managing an incident will depend on the time of day and time of year. The following time lines assume that the incident takes place during term time:-

Invocation Process – During Working Hours

a) The LIT Manager or Security Manager would inform the EMT Co-ordinator of a major incident and provide available information.

b) After consideration of the information the Co-ordinator will decide whether to invoke the Major Incident Plan.

c) Security Control will begin call-out procedure.d) The Security Manager will dispatch officers to site to secure

area and await further instruction.

e) Security Control open Major Incident Room and commission equipment and IT systems.

f) EMT members begin to arrive.g) The EMT Co-ordinator briefs the core team on the nature of

the Major Incident and confirms roles and responsibilities.h) The EMT Secretary opens the Events Log.i) The EMT Co-ordinator to determine who should be co-opted

in order to provide expert support and will identify an appropriate Business Continuity Coordinator dependent upon


the nature of the crisis. Details will be passed to Security Control who will begin call-out.

j) If not already available appropriate LIT(s) (and Local Incident Plan(s)) to be co-opted to support the EMT (ongoing action).

k) Take time to step back and assess. The team should be able to assess who is doing what, and the actions that still need to be taken. The University has adopted the CHALETS system as a checklist of initial actions.

Casualties Have all staff, students and visitors been accounted

for? Have third parties been informed? Have all known visitors been accounted for?

Hazards Have danger areas been evacuated?

Access Has the Security Office been informed/the area secured and a rendezvous point established for Emergency Services?

Location Have necessary building plans been made available?

Emergency services If appropriate, have the Emergency Services been called?

Are the Emergency Services getting all the help they need?

Have lines of communication between the incident location and Incident Room been established and are they working effectively?

Type Can business be carried on?

Start-up What additional support is required?

Is the Incident Room and Incident Plan in use? Has a Secretary been appointed to maintain the

Incident Log and has it been maintained fully and accurately?

Have all EMT members been contacted and briefed?

Has the Switchboard been informed?

Has the Estate Support Service been informed? Has the Safety Office been informed? Has the Insurance Office been informed?

The above list is not exhaustive and other steps may be required depending on the nature of the incident.


l) The EMT may find it useful to define their aim for the duration of the incident. This should be summarised in no more than three words e.g. in the case of a power failure they may decide their aim is ‘minimise business interruption’. The aim should be used to help the decision making process; which of these options best achieves our aim?

m) Manage the on-going incident. Members of the LIT should continue to liaise with specialist staff at the site of the incident and with the Emergency Services.

n) As the incident develops the EMT Co-ordinator may co-opt other members as required.

o) At all times an accurate record of events and decisions taken should be recorded in detail on the Event Log.

p) If the incident becomes protracted, the senior LIT member should consider drafting members of the relief team to allow LIT members to rest and attend to welfare issues.

q) Stop and Review. - do you have enough information to make decisions?- have staff been evacuated and if so have you made provision for their welfare?- is information reaching staff and students? - are the Emergency Services getting the help and support they require?

Invocation Process – Out of Hours/Closure Days

The process will broadly follow the above, however, response times will be much slower as EMT and co-opted members will have to travel to the Incident Room, or may take some time to contact. In these situations greater emphasis will be placed on containing the incident and securing the site. The Security Manager will liaise with the EMT Co-ordinator regarding what steps should be taken to contain the incident until such time as the EMT can be assembled.


Business Recovery Process

If appointed by the EMT Co-ordinator the Business Recovery Coordinator will consider the following actions: -

a) Address insurance and financial requirementsb) Initiate clean up and salvage operationsc) Gather information on which critical activities have been affected by the

incident and how on-going damage can be mitigatedd) Gather information on operational status of staffing and building

resourcese) Co-opt specialist staff to advise on the reinstatement of building

services or alternative accommodation

Total Evacuation of the Campus

The only circumstances when the whole of campus or a large part of the estate would need to be evacuated would be very unique and be under the control of the EMT in liaison with the Emergency Services such as the Police. In certain circumstances events elsewhere in the city may necessitate the evacuation, in whole or part, of the campus. This will be under the control of the Civil Authorities who have their own city-wide evacuation plan.

EMT ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES - CHECKLISTS

Co-ordinator: Overall control of Major Incident management, damage evaluation, critical business recovery management and flow of information from the moment a Major Incident is declared and until such time as the Emergency Team can be stood down and a controlled business recovery phase is established.

Co-ordinatorReceives initial briefing from Security Manager/LIT CoordinatorDecides whether to call out EMT membersBriefs the core members of the EMTAllocates roles and responsibilitiesNominates a Business Recovery Manager, if requiredDecides who should be co-opted onto the EMT to provide specialist adviceCo-ordinates the information flowing into the incident roomMakes decisions based on an appraisal of the available optionsInvokes Business Recovery Plans (where available)Responsible for closing the incident and handing over the site to specialist servicesProvides Hot Debrief to VC

Secretary: Maintains a comprehensive record of Team activities. Specific duties include:


SecretaryEnsure major Incident Plan plus relevant Local Incident Plans are availablePrepare Diary/Log to maintain contemporaneous record of eventsLiaise with Telecoms Manger to ensure Control Room telephones are available and Helpline established if necessaryCheck availability of following supplies, purchase if not immediately to hand and issue as required:

Photocopying facilities Laptops Office stationery Visitors signing-in books Flipcharts and felt pens Medical kit Reels of fluorescent safety tape Personal Protection Equipment Torches and spare batteries Site/building maps

Arrange for supply of drinks/refreshments

Communications Manager: The primary function of the Communications Manager is to ensure efficient, accurate and effective controlled release of information to external organisations. The Communications Manager will provide communiqués for customers and supplies and assist other Team members in informing staff, students, visitors and contractors of emergency arrangements and the issue of warnings to surrounding properties.

Specific duties include:

Establish accuracy of all available information with the CoordinatorMake contact with Police Casualty Bureau (if set up)Prepare Holding statement for issue when neededCheck Statement wording with CoordinatorArrange Press briefing location and prepare room Contact, instruct and rehearse Persons who will be needed at press briefingProvide instructions to redirect staff, visitors, vehicles etc to alternative locations Issue instructions for dealing with incoming telephone calls, emails and faxes from the following:

1. Staff/students2. Relatives3. Contractors/consultants4. Media

Arrange for Lines to be reserved for the above and staffed accordinglyRequest Mobile phones if requiredWith the Coordinator/Emergency Services provide Public warnings and notify neighbouring properties if required


Damage Manager: The Damage Manager liaises with the Emergency services and the Insurance Manager; establishes the building/area safety and access regime; instructs on measures to stabilise and mitigate damage; advises the EMT on the likely duration of denied access the potential for reuse of buildings and the recovery of assets.


Damage Manager ChecklistMake contact at damage site with Emergency services and arrange ongoing liaisonProvide Emergency services with building plans, health and safety information, relevant hazards and high value/vulnerable assets to be preserved if possible (majority information should be contained within relevant Local Incident Plan(s))If access is not possible, establish what delay is anticipated and prepare accordinglyEstablish if structural surveys are necessary and instruct specialistsEstablish presence/absence of an asbestos risk, instruct specialists if necessaryEstablish if there is a continuing fire risk and procedures to be followed to isolate electricity and gas supplies and to ensure safe evacuationEnsure external advisers, specialist contractors and the Insurance Manager, are fully briefed on their role and precautions to be takenProvide EMT/LIT with regular updates

Business Continuity Coordinator: Coordinates and implements continuity of Critical business activities – those activities vital to the business as identified in Local Incident Plans as in need to being operational in a work-around mode or better within hours (up to 48 hours). Local Incident Plans identify relevant critical business activities and the actions required to manage their recovery.As recovery proceeds and recovery brought under control (unlikely to exceed 7 days) the Business Continuity Team is to be reorganised to ensure an effective return to business as normal. Specific duties include:

Business Continuity Recalls managers and key staff of affected buildings/departments

Checks business recovery Priorities with the Coordinator (note: these priorities may override those specified in Local Incident Plan procedures)Invokes Priority Recovery as above and relevant Critical Business Continuity procedures as specified in relevant Local Incident Plans.Checks special needs of building/department managers and arranges assistance as appropriateMaintains log of actions taken Advises daily on progress, level of critical business recovery and measures to expedite recovery


Human Resources: Deals with staff welfare and liaises with Emergency Services (if required). Specific duties include:

To make available staff and student contact detailsTo be in a position to provide Next-of Kin information if requiredNotify next-of-kin of fatalities and injured in conjunction with PoliceCheck and arrange help for next-of-kin if required e.g. transport, hospital details etcEstablish names and location of walking wounded, including persons who may be traumatised. Provide help as appropriateArrange medical check-ups for persons who may have been exposed to a health risk and/or hazardous environmentMaintain a register of all persons that have been injured or exposed to a hazardous environment, their condition and actions takenMaintain Police and other emergency services that may have been called liaison Provide the Coordinator with details of injuries that could impact on business continuity

Health and Safety: Investigate and report H&S, liaise with internal and external H&S stakeholders and provide specialist advice on radiation and biological safety.Specific duties include:

Health and Safety – Action ChecklistLead investigations of health and safety related accidents/incidents including gathering evidenceLiaise with HSE, Environment Agency and NACTSO and undertake the statutory H&S external incident reportingLiaise with SSO/Local H&S representatives from the LIT’sProvide specialist biological safety and radiation safety adviceContact the University external specialist H&S legal advisorsLiaise with the University Fire Officer who will in turn liaise with The Fire Authority as necessary

Insurance Manager: Liaises with insurance companies and provides advice on asset recovery and business interruption.


Insurance Officer – Action ChecklistLiaise with Damage Manager to establish extent of lossAppoints specialist contractor to begin asset recovery and mitigate against further loss On-going liaison with insurers.


Security Manager: Is responsible for the development of the security plan which covers the following tasks in conjunction with the LIT, other areas, external agencies as appropriate.


Security Manager – Action ChecklistControl of the incident scene/deployment of resourcesOnce instructed, initiate call-out proceduresProvision of access control to the site/buildings as requiredGeneral control of vehicle access on/off the siteLiaison with external agencies as required within remitAllocation of suitable parking areas for external agency vehicles as required, particularly Press and MediaReport to the Director of ESS for an incident briefingMaintain contact with Security Control Room ensuring allocation of resources as requiredEnsure any immediate actions that are required in respect of operational services (within remit) are made in consultation as necessary with external agenciesMake available emergency contact details of staffMaintain contact with LIT as necessary and assist with any operational aspectsIn conjunction with the Director of ESS formulate a plan for recovery/business continuity

Other Team Members: Other Team members are placed on standby for emergency attendance and to assist and advise as directed by the above Team.

IMMEDIATE POST INCIDENT PROCEDURES

Handover

Prior to final closure of the incident responsibility for managing repairs, restoration of operations etc should be handed over to the specialist Service Units.

Invoke Business Recovery Plan

Each Academic or Service unit should have a Business Recovery plan to facilitate the smooth restoration of operations. This plan should be invoked upon closure or in the final phase of the incident.


‘Hot’ Debrief

The EMT Co-ordinator (Registrar) should ensure that the Vice Chancellor receives an initial report on the incident and the response together with copies of the log and other relevant documents as soon as possible after the incident is shut down.

The Vice Chancellor (or his nominated representative) will conduct the hot debrief of the LIT and anyone else involved in the incident within 24 hours.

The debrief is looking to establish what key decisions were made, what worked well and what areas of the plan need to be improved.

Communication

Ensure staff and students are briefed on the current situation and what will happen in the next few days and how they may be affected.

ROLE OF THE EMERGENCY SERVICES

It is anticipated that the majority of incidents will be dealt with by the EMT and not involve the Emergency Services in a proactive role (only reactive matters such as collecting casualties or basic fire fighting). Examples include structural damage from storms, flooding inside a building from burst pipes.

In a protracted incident the Emergency Services may take overall command and control by way of co-ordination, communications and investigation. They will be operationally in charge of the incident.

In the event of a large number of casualties Northumbria Police may establish a casualty enquiry bureau at the Police Headquarters (Ponteland). The bureau will have exclusive telephone numbers which would be made available to the public through the media. The bureau will handle all enquiries relating to casualties and liaise with hospitals. They will therefore need the support of Human Resources/Schools/Services Administration Teams for key contact details, names/addresses/telephone numbers/next of kin contact details.

Onsite facilities for emergency services may be called for in the very early stages of their response to a crisis. The following shows what is likely to be asked for and every assistance should be offered by the EMT to include:

Unobstructed access / egress to the area. Large halls to be made available for treatment of casualties etc. or

the establishment of offices. Communication facilities (e.g. our radios to the use of the co-

ordinators). Places for the Emergency services to park up vehicles and

establish a control point. This includes supplies of electric, water and a drain.

Assistance of University specialist staff.


In the event of the Emergency Services (or other enforcing authority) taking command and control eg the University may be deemed a crime scene.

Northumbria Police may:

Restrict access and egress to / from the scene and wider areas. Establish control points. Demand meetings with key staff Interview all affected staff Call in Local Authority emergency planning unit. Establish Investigating Officer and liaison Officer roles Establish incident bureau to which the University will need to re-

direct all relevant calls. Seconding staff to their investigations. Direct areas not to be disturbed. Take into possession any relevant records.

OFF CAMPUS INCIDENTS

Staff work-related travel destinations can be traced through SAP records, where tickets have been purchased by the University. Procurement would assist in this matter.


Appendix 1

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM (EMT) CONTACT DETAILS/ CALL OUT PROCEDURES

University Security (or Security Manager / Deputy in the event of Security being affected by the incident) is responsible for contacting the EMT at all times of the day. They will have the contact details for all members of the EMT and also Local Incident Teams. The Core EMT contact details will also be contained on the University emergency contacts card distributed to senior staff members. Members of the EMT have also been provided with the contact details of team members. These are updated when required.


Appendix 2

INCIDENT ROOMS

There are two pre-allocated Incident Rooms one on the campus and one off campus. In the event of an incident the most appropriate room should be mobilised for use by EMT. Copies of the major and Local Incident Plans will be retained securely in each of the locations. The rooms are:

First Choice – 10 Eldon Place

Second Choice – Security Control Centre, Armstrong Building

Third Choice – Edwardson Building


Appendix 3

LOG BOOKS – KEEPING A REGISTER OF EVENTS

Below is an example of a Log Book format to be used in recording actions taken in an Incident or Crisis.

Log No Date Time

(accurate)

Details of Event(full details about how the event became

known, contact details for person finding the event, witness information, full details of

chemical, organism etc. involved)

Source Location(as precise as possible – including

room numbers etc. If the event spreads use the ‘specific details’ section overleaf to indicate the

changes in status)

Signed / logged by

Times should be recorded accurately

“Details of the Event” should include the full details about how the event became known, any contact details for the persons finding the event, any witness information and full details of any chemical, organism etc. that was involved.

“Location” should be as precise as possible – including room numbers etc. If an event spreads the Specific Details section should be completed to indicate the changes in status (e.g. new rooms affected)

“Source” will be either the person reporting an event or the person forwarding information to authorities. Contact numbers are needed.


Appendix 4

INTERACTION WITH THE CITY COUNCIL/MULTI-AGENCY RESPONSE (produced by City Council)

MAJOR INCIDENTSIMPLICATIONS FOR UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

Response to Major IncidentsA Major Incident will usually be declared where it is necessary for a co-ordinated multi-agency response to the on-going situation. The decision will be made by one or more of the Emergency Services and at that time the City Council will be notified.

The response to a Major Incident will require each agency to implement its individual plans in co-operation with each other and will see the activation of a multi-agency ‘command and control’ structure involving:

(1) Tactical Level (Silver Command), which will be co-ordinated by the Police Incident Officer and attended by liaison officers from other Emergency Services and relevant agencies. It will be established near to the scene and is intended to provide resources and a central point of contact.

(2) Strategic Level (Gold Command), which will be co-ordinated by the Chief Constable (or delegated representative) and attended by senior officers from other Emergency Services and relevant agencies. Its main task is not to manage the immediate incident but to focus on longer term considerations and key issues such as media management.

The activation of the Strategic Level will only take place during those Major Incidents where it is deemed necessary.

Potential Role of University of NewcastleIn circumstances where an emergency situation directly involving the University is determined to be a Major Incident, there should be an expectation that representatives will be required to participate in both Tactical and Strategic Level groups.

It is likely that the representative at ‘Tactical’ will be expected to have detailed knowledge of the day-to-day operation of the University and maintain close liaison with the University’s own incident management structure.

If a representative is required to attend ‘Strategic’, they will be expected to have the authority to take policy decisions on behalf of the University and contribute, where necessary, to the co-ordinated release of information to the press/public.


Major Incidents Indirectly Involving the University of NewcastleIn circumstances where a Major Incident occurs in the proximity (but not directly involving) the University it is possible that it may be necessary to evacuate the occupants of part/all of the site or notify them to remain indoors whilst the incident is resolved.

The University is unlikely to be involved in the formal multi-agency management structure but will need to utilize its own incident management procedures to protect those in its care at the time. Notification of appropriate action will be given by the relevant Emergency Service and members of staff should know how to report receipt of such information to the University’s incident management structure.

Business Continuity ArrangementsIt is unlikely that a Major Incident will completely interrupt the normal operation of the University. Consequently, any response strategy will require consideration of ‘business as usual’ in those parts of the University not impacted upon by the on-going situation.


university of newcastle upon tyne · web viewlog book template interaction with city council/...

Documents