In
the event of and emergency or accident involving the students and crew aboard
the USTS Texas Clipper while at sea or in port, the campus will immediately enact the following procedures:
ü
Securing Campus
o If the situation warrants, the order to secure the campus will be given
by the Office of the Vice President and CEO.
This order will be given only if there is a perceived threat to the
campus associated with the emergency or accident on the Clipper (i.e. terrorist
attack/threat).
o
No student, faculty or staff member will be allowed to leave campus
until released by the Vice President and CEO or designee
o The Incident Command Team will report to the
§
§
All Campus Police Officers will be called to duty immediately
o
Campus Police will be dispatched to the main entrance of campus and to
the intersection of
§
Campus Police will remain in radio contact with the Police Chief and
ü
Communications
o
Coast Guard and
§
The campus response to the emergency will
be coordinated by the Incident Command Team with the U.S. Coast Guard and local
law enforcement officials
o
Parent Notification of On-Campus Students
§
Parents of students on campus will be
notified following a report from Campus Police that the campus is secured and
all occupants are accounted for
§
Notification will be conducted by the
Office of Student Affairs
§ Parents will be instructed to contact their child in
their residence hall rooms or through the main
§
If necessary, evacuation of the campus will commence
according to campus shelter in place and evacuation procedures following an
assessment of the situation by the Incident Command Team. At which time the
order to evacuate will be given by the Office of the Vice President and CEO.
o
Initial Notification Of Family Members of Students
Aboard Clipper
§
Family members of students aboard the Texas Clipper will be
notified by the Office of Student Affairs as soon as information is available
·
A list of students and personnel on board will be
obtained from the Maritime Program Office or Campus Police
§
In the event of a death or hospitalization,
notification will be made to the family/families affected, by the Vice
President and CEO or designee
§
Family members will be kept informed by the Incident
Command Team as much as possible
§ If the family/families of the individuals involved in
the emergency reside out of town, notification is appropriate by law
enforcement agency with jurisdiction. Simultaneous telephone contact by the
Incident Command Team should coincide with the notification
o
Family Notification of Employees Aboard Clipper
§
Family members of employees aboard the Clipper will
be notified by the Office of Human Resources as soon as information is
available
·
A list of personnel on board will be obtained from
the Maritime Program Office or Campus Police
§
Campus employees will be allowed to contact their
families following a report from Campus Police that the campus is secured and
all occupants are accounted for
§
Information concerning the emergency will
be posted on the TAMUG website and local media sources as information becomes
available:
·
Radio/Television Station Contacts:
o
KHOU -TV Channel 11
o
KTRK -TV
Channel 13
o
KTRH – Radio 740 AM
Clipper Emergency – In Port (Foreign or Domestic)
ü
Communications
o The same procedures will be followed as outlined for an emergency or accident at sea for communicating with parents and family members of on-campus students, students and employees aboard the Clipper.
o
Contact
with Foreign Port Authorities:
§
In the event of an emergency in a foreign port, the ship’s Master or
designee will serve as the contact and communication link with the Incident
Command Team
§ If the ship’s master or designee is unavailable or cannot be reached, a contact list of the port authorities and ship’s agent can be obtained from the Maritime Program Office and/or Campus Police.
§
The contact list will have all necessary information for contacting the
ship’s agent at the port in which the emergency occurred
§ The ship’s agent will be able to provide information on the severity of
the emergency, hospital contact numbers, flight information/arrangements any
other information pertinent to the emergency.
§
Campus personnel are not to release this information to the general
public or the media.
§
The Incident Command Team will coordinate all communications with the
ship’s agent and ship personnel
o
Contact
with
§ In the event of an emergency in a domestic port, the ship’s Master or designee will serve as the contact and communication link with the Incident Command Team.
§ The campus response to the emergency will be coordinated by the Incident Command Team with the U.S. Coast Guard.
§ The same procedures will be followed as outlined for an emergency or accident at sea for communicating with parents and family members of students and employees aboard the Texas Clipper.
§
All travel to the domestic location will be coordinated through the
Incident Command Team
o
Immediate Support Services
§
The second floor of the Classroom Laboratory Building
3007 will be used for a private
area for families to gather following initial notification and upon arrival to
campus. Access to the second floor will
be maintained by Campus Police.
§
Arrange for return transportation of family to their
home if necessary.
o
Campus Liaison:
§
The Campus Liaison should be a member of the Incident
Command Team who will work with families from the Texas Clipper as a
facilitator (not
as a decision maker) to present available options,
information, and support
§
Duties:
·
Ensure family/families are continuously informed
·
Be constantly available 24 hours daily
§
Arrangements for out of town parents and family
members is very important
ü
Crisis Counseling for Students, Faculty and Staff
o In the event of an emergency involving the Texas
Clipper, UTMB’s Employee Assistance Personnel will be
asked to respond to campus
o
A support group should be established for the
families for food and household preparation, screening of telephone calls,
childcare, etc.
o
The Office of Student Affairs will provide counseling
to students.
ü
Media Management
o
A media center will be established in SAGC 601 or PE
107 to accommodate the electronic and data outlet needs of the responding media
§
Refreshments will be provided by Food Services for
media representatives throughout the duration of the emergency
o
The Incident Command Team will coordinate all media
interactions with campus members. The
Vice President and CEO or designee will serve as the chief spokesperson for the
campus
o
If employees are called by outsiders or members of
the media, they should refrain from comment and refer the individual to
o
Employees should be wary of video cameras and their
coverage of the incident at the scene
o Family members affected should be discouraged from
agreeing to provide media with an interview, but, if not, questions should be
prescreened. A member of the Incident
Command Team should be present during interviews with family members to ensure
that ground rules are followed and inappropriate questions are not addressed