How to Develop a Department Emergency Action Plan

• Read the campus-wide UCSD Emergency Operations Plan to understand when and how UCSD's critical departments respond to emergency situations.

• If your department is on the main campus (Regions 1-10), use this map (PDF).
  • Find your building, and the map will give you the region number.
  • Click on your region number for a printable (PDF) enlargement.
• If your department is not on the main campus, use this list:
  • Region 11 (PDF); Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Region 12 (PDF); Hillcrest Medical Center
  • Region 13; all other UCSD satellite locations in San Diego County

• E-mail EH&S with your request. Ask for a printout or electronic image file of your department's:
  • Emergency response region
  • Building floor plans
• Review the building floor plans when you receive them. Note any differences in the location of emergency response devices or evacuation routes.
• Identify areas of refuge in your building. Areas of refuge are building locations where people who are unable to exit may await evacuation assistance from emergency personnel.
  • Note: Emergency exit corridors and smoke-protected stairwells are resistant to fire and smoke for approximately 2 hours. These are the safest areas during an emergency evacuation. Rescue personnel are instructed to check all exit corridors and stairwells first for any stranded persons.
• Request revisions to a map by sending it (with your changes indicated) to EH&S:
  • Mail Code: 0089
  • Fax: (858) 534-1564
• For special services, contact EH&S to:
  • Customize your maps to show unique hazards or special features for your Emergency Action Plan
  • Laminate maps to make them more durable

• Assembly areas — large open spaces with easy access (usually parking lots or recreational fields)
  • Designate an assembly area where your group will gather in case of evacuation.
  • Avoid selecting a site near fire hydrants or building entrances, which are likely staging areas for emergency responders.
• Emergency container — each region's 8-by-10-foot steel container stocked with equipment and supplies for emergency responders
  • Emergency containers will also serve as the regional operations center (ROC)
• Hazardous materials usage area — buildings where chemicals, radioactive materials, or infectious substances are used
  • These areas are marked in red on the regional maps.
  • Direct people to move away from these buildings and avoid gathering downwind from them after evacuating.
• Emergency call boxes — usually bright yellow
  • Several dozen call boxes are located around campus and SIO mostly in parking lots, as well as near residential housing and in remote locations.
  • Callers are immediately connected with the UCSD Police dispatcher who can send officers as needed.
• Public telephones — phones that are not part of the campus phone system but that belong to SBC (formerly Pacific Bell) and receive high priority during emergencies
  • You can make 911 calls from these phones without coins or cards.
  • Public phones are often operational when other phones are not.

• Read Emergency Evacuation for People With Disabilities.
• Request that individuals who feel they may need special assistance notify the Department Safety Coordinator so arrangements can be made in advance to meet their needs.

• Check the Emergency Guide flip chart for relevant information. Topics include:
  • Acts of violence
  • Bomb threat
  • Building evacuation
  • Considerations for people with disabilities
  • Earthquakes
  • Emergency procedures and phone numbers
  • Fire response
  • Hazardous material spills
  • Utility failure
  Not every topic will apply to every department. Copy applicable information directly, or rewrite it for your needs.
• Read:
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Building Evacuation Procedures
  • Corridor Safety Requirements
  • How to Prepare for a Power Failure in a Lab

• Determine who will assist students, patrons, and visitors during an emergency.
• Identify individuals with disabilities and the people assigned to assist them.

• Use this template (Word file), if you need a starting point.
• Customize the template for your department.
• Keep it simple! Your co-workers are more likely to read a short, concise emergency plan.

Make sure you've answered these questions:

• How do I summon emergency personnel?
• What are the potential risks in my department's workplace?
• Where are the fire extinguishers, alarm pulls, and emergency exits in my building(s)?
• How do I operate emergency equipment such as fire alarms and fire extinguishers?
• What are the quickest routes for evacuating my building(s)?
• Where are the areas of refuge?
• Has an outdoor assembly area been identified?

• Distribute copies of the Emergency Action Plan to co-workers.
• Post it on department bulletin boards.
• Update and redistribute your plan annually, or when significant changes impact your plan.
• Make sure new hires receive a copy of the plan.