Emergency Response Plan: Levels/Definitions of an Emergency

Levels/Definitions of an Emergency

The following definitions of an emergency are provided as guidelines to assist HCC Faculty, Students and Staff in determining the appropriate response:

Level 1: Any incident, potential or actual, which will not seriously affect the overall functional capacity of the college. Campus Police and maintenance personnel will handle all minor emergencies.

Level 2: Any incident, potential or actual, which affects a building or department which can be resolved with existing college resources. Limited duration and impact on college community outside area of occurrence.

Level 3: Any incident, potential or actual, which involves possible student oriented emergencies requiring coordination of Institutional and Student Support Services.

Level 4: Any incident, potential or actual, which affects an entire building or buildings and which will disrupt the overall operations of the college, may impact the campus and outside community. Outside emergency services (i.e. Police, Fire, Con Edison) will probably be required, as well as major resource efforts (Outside Contractors) from Operations and Facilities. A major emergency may require the implementation of the Emergency Response Plan at the direction of the President, who shall be immediately advised of all major emergencies by the Director of Campus Police & Security Services and/or the Dean of Facilities Management.

Level 5: Any event or occurrence that has taken place and has seriously impaired or halted the operations of the college. In some cases, mass personnel casualties and severe property damage may be sustained. A coordinated effort of all campus-wide resources is required to effectively control the situation. Outside emergency services will be essential. In all cases of disaster, an emergency command center, occupied by the Emergency Response Team, will be activated, and the appropriate support and operational plans will be executed. The Emergency Response Team shall make major decisions.

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