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Using Rapid Assessment to Determine Response at Institutions of Higher Education
Comprehensive preparedness programs include activities before, during, and after an emergency, but a critical period is when an institution of higher education (IHE) is notified or becomes aware of an occurring or impending emergency situation. The strategy that is deployed upon this notification should be based on information in the Rapid Assessment Annex of a higher ed emergency operations plan (EOP). The EOP should include information to guide the Incident Commander, with the response team, to make decisions regarding the type and scale of the incident, the IHE’s response, the activation of additional annexes, and protective actions to be taken immediately. The role of “Incident Commander” is a part of the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System. Use of these frameworks make common terminology available for use within the IHE, as well as, integration with community partner response.
When developing or updating the Rapid Assessment Annexes IHEs should consider the requirements put forth by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), as applicable. For example, requirements may include emergency response and evacuation procedures, such as a campus notification system outlined by HEOA. Additionally, IHEs participating in the Title IV student financial assistance programs need to ensure that they address the requirements put forth by the regulations described in the Clery Act Appendix for FSA Handbook. Furthermore, in accordance with the VAWA, IHEs must address and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus and report a spectrum of crime statistics under the Clery Act. It is also important to integrate these requirements into the higher ed EOP, as applicable.
