Purpose
The Berea College campus has occasionally faced a serious emergency. In order to ensure the safety of our students, faculty, staff, guests, and visitors, it has on rare occasions been necessary to close the campus due to such emergencies as crisis, severe snowstorm, tornado, fire, water damage, etc. When an emergency arises, the President of Berea College or his or her designee may decide to close the campus in order to preserve the safety of students, employees, guests, and visitors. This policy specifies how Berea College will respond in such circumstances. The policy also specifies that employees throughout the campus community have a personal responsibility to consider individuals with disabilities in their area. [Revised: 2007]
Those Affected by this Policy
Students, employees, guests, and visitors of Berea College.
Policy and Procedures
The President of Berea College or his or her designee will decide as early as possible before or during the work day that the College campus will be closed.
If the decision to close the College is made before or after the regular workday, the Director of Public Relations will inform the news media of the emergency situation, who is and who is not to report for class and/or work, and, if known, the expected duration of the emergency. Employees should listen to radio channels WKXO (AM 1500 and FM 106.7) or WEKU (FM 88.9) or watch Lexington TV channels for official notification of an emergency closing of the campus. If information is not available on these media, the employee should call the head of his or her department or division, People Services (ext. 985-3050), Public Relations (ext. 3018), or, only if none of these can be reached, a campus operator (985-3000) for appropriate information.
If the decision to close the College is made before or after the regular workday, College faculty, staff, and student employees will also be notified through the College calling tree. When the decision has been made to close the College, the President's Office will immediately activate the College calling tree as follows:
- The President's Office will notify the Vice Presidents, the Director of Public Relations, and the Director of People Services.
- Each Vice President will contact the employee in each department and office in the Vice President's division who has been designated in advance as the "contact person" for that department or office.
- The designated "contact person" in each department or office will activate the calling tree of that department or office. It is imperative that each division, department, and office develop its own calling tree.
- The Directors of Facilities Management and Public Safety will notify their emergency response teams and convey instructions on actions to be taken.
- The Director of Public Relations will advise the Phone Center staff on appropriate responses to callers' inquiries.
- The Director whose area is primarily responsible for handling the incident will maintain close contact with their divisional Vice President, who will keep the President's Office informed about the situation. The President or his or her designee will keep Public Relations staff informed of developments, and Public Relations will update media information and the Phone Center accordingly.
If the emergency occurs during the regular workday, the President, the Provost, or a designee may direct People Services staff to notify all campus departments of the situation and action to be taken. Or the President, the Provost, or a designee may direct the Vice Presidents to notify the various departments and offices within their divisions through the designated department and office "contact persons" and calling trees.
EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY IN EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES
During an evacuation, if you are aware of a person with a disability being in the area, you should advise responding emergency personnel of the presence of that person and, if possible, give their name, the nature of the disability, and their location within the building. If there are no emergency response personnel in the immediate area, locate the nearest telephone and call “911”. Report the nature of the emergency, the name and location of the person and, if known, the type of disability.
Elevators should not be used to transport a person with a disability unless accompanied by emergency response personnel.
The choice to remain in an area to assist a person during an evacuation is a voluntary decision, not a College requirement.
(This section is an Addendum to the policy; effective 01/07)
Essential employees, described as those persons involved with the required operations of the campus, will be expected to staff their positions during an emergency. During a short-term emergency closure, non-exempt essential employees will be paid at their overtime hourly rate for the hours they work during the emergency closure. When the College re-opens, these employees will again be compensated at their regular hourly rate until the point at which they have worked forty hours that week. As always, they will be paid at their overtime hourly rate for time worked above forty hours. Such essential employees may include the heat plant crew, electric and plumbing shops, grounds crew, safety officers, residence hall staff, telecommunications and telephone operators, food service, housekeeping, and custodial and maintenance crews, and/or others whose expertise makes their services essential due to the nature of the particular emergency. Every effort will be made to inform essential employees immediately of their role in the emergency. If the situation becomes long-term (three or more days), the College's Administrative Committee may decide to change the rates of compensation described above. Employees will be informed as soon as possible if such a change is made.
Non-exempt employees whose work is not essential during an emergency closure will be compensated at their regular rate of pay for regularly scheduled hours whether or not they work during a short-term emergency closure of the College. If the situation becomes long-term (three or more days), the College's Administrative Committee may decide to change the rate of compensation described above. Employees will be informed as soon as possible if such a change is made.
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