SECTION 5: DIRECTION, CONTROL & COORDINATION

A. MSU’S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

MSU’s Emergency Management Structure includes the following elements:

  • Administrative Responsibility for emergency management at MSU is illustrated in Appendix C. The university’s Emergency Management Committee (EMC) is a cross-functional team of university leaders that forms an integral part of the administrative structure for emergency management and which reviews and advises emergency management processes, policies and procedures; recommends adoption to the president and the VPAF; and evaluates performance. The EMC, as a body, does not have an emergency response role and does not convene during an emergency. In addition to informing MSU’s emergency management processes, policies and procedures from an overall institutional perspective and representing their functions within the EMC’s responsibilities, members are also responsible for representing and communicating EMC activities to their constituencies;
  • The Institutional Response Group (IRG), as illustrated in Appendix D, is the senior administrative team charged with advising the president in developing the institutional strategy and overall guidance during an emergency or an incident with potential significant reputational risk to the university. During an emergency, all members of the IRG are expected to report in a timely manner to the University Police Conference Room in the Huffman Building or alternate designated location. After initial analysis of the emergency situation, members who may not be needed to advise or support the institutional strategy for that emergency may be released by the president. IRG responsibilities include:
    • evaluating the potential impacts of an emergency and determining courses of action relative to disruption and interruption of business continuity;
    • developing emergency-specific policies as needed;
    • addressing legal and political implications associated with an emergency;
    • determining business resumption priorities; and,
    • ensuring physical and financial resources needed to carry out emergency response functions.
  • The following individuals comprise the liaison between the IRG and other elements of the emergency management structure (e.g.,IMT, EOC, ICS, outside agencies, etc):
    • AVP University Services
    • MSU Police Chief
    • Emergency Management Coordinator
  • Incident Management Teams (IMTs): Incident Management Teams, as illustrated in Appendix D, are established and charged by the President when needed to handle an incident or crisis that represents a significant institutional risk but that usually does not require activating the EOC. IMTs operate under the strategic guidance of the President or IRG and the supervision of a IMT Coordinator assigned by the President. An IMT (with other key individuals that have a specific connection to the situation) assembles relevant information about the crisis, engages subject matter expertise as required, keeps the President or IRG informed as the crisis evolves,
    and coordinates the resources required to address the crisis, and implements the recovery process;
  • The EOC Management Team is also illustrated in Appendix D, and serves as the coordinating arm of the IRG by creating plans to implement strategies developed by the IRG; evaluating the incident as it unfolds; adapting tactics to match the scope and direction of the emergency; and operates in direct support of the IC. The EOC serves as the single point of contact for field emergency response operations and coordinates response efforts between on-scene responders and executive management. The EOC is located in the multipurpose room at the University Police Department in the Huffman Building.
    • A declaration of emergency is not required to activate the EOC. The decision to activate the EOC is based on demands of the incident or situation on a case-by-case basis with consideration for damage assessments, incident type and needs, location, escalation potential, complexity, etc. Individuals authorized to activate the EOC are as noted in Section 3.B.
    • When the EOC is activated, all members of the EOC Management Team are expected to report to the EOC in a timely manner and be prepared to fulfill their assigned roles or any of the other EOC roles as necessary. Roles within the EOC Management Team are delineated in Functional Annex C.
    • After initial team analysis, EOC Management Team members who may not be needed in their primary role may be assigned to support another role or be dismissed from the action.
  • Incident Command (IC) is also illustrated in Appendix D, and consists of the on-scene resources and command structure required to handle the incident at the scene.

B. NIMS/ICS COMPLIANCE

MSU has adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5: Management of Domestic Incidents – as adapted to align with MSU resources. NIMS provides a nationwide template enabling federal, state, local, and tribal governments and private sector nongovernmental organizations to work together effectively and efficiently to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents regardless of cause, size, or complexity. Use of NIMS facilitates the university’s ability to communicate and coordinate response actions with other jurisdictions and external emergency response agencies. Compliance with NIMS includes the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) and Multi-Agency Coordination Systems (MACS) for emergency response. ICS is the model tool and framework for command, control, and coordination of a response and provides a
means to coordinate the efforts of individual university departments and units, as well as external partner agencies and organizations as they work towards the common goal of stabilizing an incident and protecting life, property, and the environment. MACS is a coordination process that supports ICS when a multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional incident response structure is activated and when an incident requires a comprehensive response from agencies across more than one jurisdiction.

 C. EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST

The Emergency Management Coordinator will maintain and distribute the official Emergency Contact List, as prescribed by the EMC, to all pertinent university officials on at least a quarterly basis.

D. MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION

Multi-jurisdictional coordination will be facilitated through the MSU EOC. Representatives in the MSU EOC will maintain communication and coordination with the Gallatin County EOC, local hospitals, and the Incident Command Post(s). The MSU EOC will fulfill a communication and coordination role in identifying and addressing emergency issues and tasks requiring a multi-jurisdictional approach. Where necessary, MSU will participate in briefings conducted by the Gallatin County EOC and university operations will be congruent with Gallatin County plans and procedures when applicable. External resource requests will primarily be facilitated through communication with the Gallatin County EOC. Additionally, the university may send a representative to the Gallatin County EOC, if activated.

E. DEACTIVATION OF THE EOC

The EOC can be deactivated when the emergency situation has stabilized and diminished to the level that remaining operations are within the scope and capability of normal university response services. Deactivation of the EOC can be authorized by the same persons who have the authority to activate the EOC. All EOC positions will be responsible for effecting the transition of their area of responsibility back to day-to-day operational responsibility. The EOC Team Leader will ensure that all documentation is completed prior to deactivation. All documentation will be maintained by the university for a period of five (5) years following the activation of the EOC.

F. POST-INCIDENT ASSESSMENT

Following deactivation of the EOC and effective recovery of normal operations, at its earliest convenience but not longer than 60 days, the Emergency Management Coordinator will schedule a post-incident review for the EMC to assess the incident response and to identify key lessons for improving the university’s preparedness and response to emergencies. The post-incident assessment process will document the incident and review actions taken and produce an improvement plan comprised of any identified corrective actions. The Emergency Management Coordinator will track the implementation of any changes in procedures, resources, training, etc., as recommended by the EMC.

The post-incident assessment is intended to examine the emergency response efforts and/or ensuing recovery efforts to improve operational readiness, update plans and procedures, and train or re-train personnel as needed. Investigations into the root cause of an incident are not the focus of this section. (Investigations into the root cause of an incident are important, but are the responsibility of other administrative processes.)