Readiness

Readiness means we have resources in place to deal with an emergency, we are able to use those resources, take immediate action, and mitigate the negative impacts of an incident. 

Severe Heat Preparedness

  • Prepare for a prolonged period of hot temperatures and increasing humidity Friday 06/21/24, through the weekend and into the following week.
  • The combination of could result in heat indices around 100 to 105 each afternoon and early evening. The hottest days will be Saturday and Sunday.
  • See Severe Heat Preparedness for Friday 06/21 – Sunday 06/23 for the complete forecast and heat safety precautions.

Staff, Faculty, and Student Readiness

All UMBC staff, faculty, and students all have a responsibility to maintain readiness.

Supervisors:  Ensure assigned personnel are aware of emergency procedures and appropriate means for reporting emergencies.

  • Maintaining Rosters:  Maintain staff rosters and establish procedures to ensure your assigned personnel can be accounted for in an emergency. This includes situations where supervisors and assigned personnel work in different locations.
  • Assisting with Accountability:  Take accountability of your assigned personnel at rally points, assembly areas, and shelter areas and report those missing to UMBC Police.
  • Controlling Visitors:  Visitors go to their escorts’ rally points, assembly areas, and shelter areas and remain there until accounted for.
  • Ensuring Appropriate Actions:  Take appropriate actions to ensure your assigned personnel can safely evacuate their building or relocate during incidents and exercises.  Encourage your personnel to cooperate with law enforcement, first-responders, and emergency team members during incidents and exercises.
  • Assisting with Active Assailant Preparedness:  Facilitate Active Assailant Awareness and encourage your personnel to attend training.
  • Assisting Staff and Faculty with Access and Functional Needs:  Encourage assigned personnel to self-identify with the Office of Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS). Supervisors are encouraged to help develop personal emergency and evacuation plans for assigned personnel who require assistance.

Classroom and Lab Instructors:  In facilities where classrooms or labs are present, instructors may assist students during emergency conditions. Responsibilities include:

  • Maintaining Class Rosters:  Maintain class rosters and establish procedures to ensure your students can be accounted for in an emergency.
  • Assisting with Accountability:  Take accountability of your assigned personnel at rally points, assembly areas, and shelter areas and report those missing to UMBC Police.
  • Controlling Visitors:  Visitors go to their escorts’ rally points, assembly areas, and shelter areas and remain there until accounted for.
  • Ensuring Appropriate Actions:  Take appropriate actions to ensure your students can safely evacuate their building or relocate during incidents and exercises.  Encourage students to cooperate with law enforcement, first-responders, and emergency team members during incidents and exercises.
  • Assisting with Active Assailant Preparedness:  Facilitate Active Assailant Awareness and encourage your students to attend training.
  • Assisting Students with Access and Functional Needs:  Students may self-identify with the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS). SDS can provide information about available campus resources (see https://sds.umbc.edu/) and assist with personal emergency and evacuation plans for students who require assistance.

Personal emergency and evacuation plans may be necessary for some occupants. These may involve temporary or permanent mobility impairments, medical concerns, vision, hearing, mental, or physical impairments. Examples may include occupants unable to independently evacuate or relocate using stairs, and occupants unable to observe visual or auditory alarms.

  • Emergency Accessibility Assistance:  Occupants who may be stranded due to accessibility may contact UMBC Police at (410) 455-5555 for help.
  • Personal Emergency and Evacuation Plans.  These may include: 1) identifying and training volunteers to provide assistance; 2) assistance devices for emergency notification or mobility; 3) ensuring individuals are not separated from assistance devices or service animals; and 4) designating temporary refuge locations if evacuation is not physically possible.
  • Accessibility Routes, Parking, and Entrances:  Accessibility maps indicate routes into and between facilities to support occupants with unique accessibility needs.
  • For assistance, contact:
    • Office of Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS):  Stephanie Lazarus, Accessibility Manager & ADA Coordinator.  Email:  slazar@umbc.edu, Office: (410) 455-5745.
    • Office of Student Disability Services (SDS):  Tawny McManus, Asst. Vice Provost, Accessibility & Disability Services.  Email:  tmcmanus@umbc.edu, Office: (410) 455-2459.

Facility Readiness Assessments

A readiness assessment is not an inspection; it is a conversation meant for problem solving and improving situational awareness.  Our goal is to complete a readiness assessment for each building on campus and for off-campus affiliate locations. 

Our team will conduct a walkthrough of your space, review occupant behaviors, and identify ways to apply active assailiant survivor actions in a real environment.  Email schaible@umbc.edu to schedule a readiness assessment for your facility.  Objectives:

  • Identify potential solutions and resources that can improve readiness for all building occupants.
  • Verify our ability to use existing resources, take immediate action, and mitigate negative impacts of an incident.
  • Identify potential changes to the physical environment and to workplace behavior to promote safety, security, and overall situational awareness.
  • Readiness Assessment Overview and Methodology – June 2023

Personal Readiness

Planning for emergencies can feel overwhelming.  Use these on-line guides to help simplify the process,