The California Administrative Code, Title 5, Education Chapter 3, Article 2, Section 560 requires public schools (kindergarten through community college) to have written disaster plans that are reviewed annually by local governing boards. This Plan is prepared in compliance with this law.
California Government Code, Article 9, Section 8607 requires all local governments (including cities, counties, school districts and special districts) to use the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) when responding to, managing and recovering from disasters or major emergencies. To be eligible for state and federal reimbursement of qualifying emergency expenditures, the Marin Community College District is required to use SEMS when the District’s Emergency Operations Center is activated, or a Local Emergency is declared or proclaimed. This Emergency Operations Plan meets or exceeds the requirements of these laws.
NIMS (National Incident Management System)
FEMA requires all public agencies to follow NIMS guidelines. The five components of NIMS are Communications and Information Management, Resource Management, and Command and Management. It specifies responsibilities and activities for developing, maintaining, and sustaining NIMS training. The NIMS Training Program outlines responsibilities and activities that are consistent with the National Training Program, as mandated by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. This program integrates with FEMA training offered through the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and United States Fire Administration (USFA). Under NIMS, SEMS (Standardized Emergency Management System) is used. Under these guidelines, the ICS (Incident Command System) is trained and used. The acronyms NIMS and SEMS are often used to mean the same thing. However, there are distinct differences.
This Plan is designed to establish the framework for implementation of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) for the Marin Community College District, which is located within the Marin County Operational Area and the Governor's Office of Emergency Service's Mutual Aid Region II.
The purpose of this document is to describe the authority, responsibility, functions and operations of the Marin Community College District as related to emergency response, recovery, preparedness, mitigation, and training. To meet the needs of all users, this plan provides both a general concept of operations and detailed action checklists by position title (the 5 Branches of ICS). The planning, training, response and recovery priorities for the District are:
- Life saving
- Life safety
- Environmental protection
- Property protection
- Resumption of normal business activities
This Emergency Operations Plan addresses the coordinated response to, the management of, and recovery from extraordinary emergency situations associated with natural disasters, technological incidents, and national security emergencies affecting the District.
This Plan accomplishes the following:
- Establishes the emergency management organization required to mitigate a significant emergency or disaster affecting the Marin Community College District.
- Identifies the policies, responsibilities, and procedures required to protect health and safety, District property, and mitigate the environmental effects of natural, technological or human caused emergencies and disasters.
- Establishes the operational concepts and procedures for the coordination of field response with the Marin Community College District’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activities.
- Mutual Aid: The College will follow the state guidelines for the Master Mutual Aid Agreement.
The Emergency Operation Plan applies to all Marin Community College District personnel, and all buildings, grounds, and properties owned and operated by the District.
The Emergency Operation Plan is based on a systematic approach to the problems likely to be encountered by the Marin Community College District during a major emergency or disaster. This Plan assumes that:
- Responsibility for emergency preparedness rests with all faculty, staff, and students of the District.
- Warning time and alert notification, when used effectively, will decrease life and property losses.
- Organizational preparedness and training are essential to effective emergency operations.
- Adequate pre-emergency testing of facilities and equipment will increase their reliability during emergencies.
- The nature and extent of an emergency will govern which elements of the emergency organization will mobilize and respond.
- Individual employee and student levels of personal preparedness will affect the overall preparedness of the District.
This Plan also assumes that:
- An emergency or disaster can occur at any time with little or no warning.
- Disasters may affect widespread areas; therefore, city, county, and federal emergency assistance may not be available for 72 hours or longer.
- Since events during an emergency or disaster are not predictable, published emergency plans will serve as a guide and that on‑the‑scene judgment based on actual circumstances must be the final guide for protecting lives, property and the environment.
Authorities and References
This Plan is based on Federal and State laws and on Marin Community College District policies and procedures.
Protection Of Vital Records
For mission critical data, HP backup protocols are followed. A full system backup is performed weekly and an incremental backup is performed daily. Full backups are housed in a fireproof safe and copies are sent offsite to a secure location.
Marin Community College District’s Emergency Operations Plan will be reviewed annually and revised, if necessary, by the District Police Chief. The Plan may be modified as a result of post-incident analyses and/or post-exercise critiques. It may be modified if responsibilities, procedures, laws, rules or regulations pertaining to emergency management and operations change.
Every four years, the entire Emergency Operations Plan will be reviewed, updated, republished, and redistributed.
Emergency Operations Plan Distribution
The Marin Community College District’s Emergency Operations Plan is distributed to all administrators, deans, department heads and any District staff that has a function in the EOC or as emergency responders. A copy of the Plan will also be distributed to the Marin County Operational Area Office of Emergency Services.
Training and Exercising
Every administrator, dean and department head has the following general responsibilities prior to an emergency:
- Develop and maintain a Contact List for notifying all staff in case of an emergency (Contact Lists should be sent to the District Police prior to the beginning of each semester and updated when a name or contact number changes). Develop and maintain a list of employees who would be on duty at any particular time. Have instructors maintain current roll list.
- Allow time for training staff in emergency techniques such as fire extinguisher usage, first aid, CPR and building evacuation procedures (contact District Police or Health & Safety for information about these training.)
- Educate students and/or staff concerning the District’s emergency procedures as well as evacuation procedures for their building and/or activity.
- Inspect and evaluate your assigned building facility or activity to determine the impact of a fire or earthquake. Report all safety hazards to District Police. Submit work orders to correct hazards to the maintenance and operations department
The best method of training for emergencies is through exercises. Exercises allow the District staff to become familiar with the procedures, facilities, equipment and systems that they will actually use in emergency situations. The Marin Community College District will conduct an EOC exercise on an annual basis.