Residence Life Emergency Plan RA/CA Tabletop Exercise Spring 2009

Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and PDAs or set to

a silent/vibrate setting.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yay!!!!Emergency Planning!!!!!

Learning ObjectivesParticipants will:

Learn about RA & CA expectations in relation to Residence Life and Housing’s Emergency Plan

Take part in an interactive exercise that will allow them to imagine what roles they might play in an actual residence hall emergency

Be able to identify RA/CA roles, coordinator roles, and other staff roles in emergency situations

Emergency Levels

• Level 1 Monitoring OnlyLevel 1 Monitoring Only• Level 2 Partial Activation Level 2 Partial Activation • Level 3 Full Scale Activation Level 3 Full Scale Activation • Level 4 Full Scale Activation for more Level 4 Full Scale Activation for more

than 12-24 consecutive hoursthan 12-24 consecutive hours

Level 1: Monitoring• Standard operating Standard operating

procedure with procedure with Housing & Residence Housing & Residence Life staff conducting Life staff conducting rounds, observing the rounds, observing the environment and environment and reporting any issues in reporting any issues in the buildings the buildings

Level 2: Partial ActivationLevel 2: Partial Activation• Localized incident involving a loss of Localized incident involving a loss of

service, a disruption to the student’s service, a disruption to the student’s living environment or a brief living environment or a brief interruption in the security and safety interruption in the security and safety systems in the residence halls. systems in the residence halls.

• Examples: loss of heat or water for a Examples: loss of heat or water for a brief period of time, card reader brief period of time, card reader failure, a water pipe or fire sprinkler failure, a water pipe or fire sprinkler break/leak/flood impacting student break/leak/flood impacting student housing area, student suicide.housing area, student suicide.

Level 3: Full Scale Activation; less than 12-24 hours

• A large scale loss of service, a disruption to A large scale loss of service, a disruption to the student’s living environment or a the student’s living environment or a significant interruption to the security and significant interruption to the security and safety systems in the residence halls. safety systems in the residence halls.

• Examples: loss of heat or electricity for an Examples: loss of heat or electricity for an extended period of time, water pipe extended period of time, water pipe break/leak impacting an entire residence hall break/leak impacting an entire residence hall building, severe weather related building, severe weather related disturbance, bomb threat, large scale public disturbance, bomb threat, large scale public disturbance and/or hate crime incident. disturbance and/or hate crime incident.

Grad Circle Oct. 2001

Level 3• Established Protocols

Establish a Command Center Retrieve the Emergency Response Kit Distribute emergency vest & lanyards Activate Emergency Shelter in Commons Building Evacuate the residence hall building (s) Collect extra linens, blankets & pillows Establish a Counseling Area Coordinate Transportation Services (Transportation Services) Post Information

Level 4: Full Scale Activation; more than 12-24 hours

• All of the professional staff (on duty or otherwise) All of the professional staff (on duty or otherwise) in the operation respond to an incident involving in the operation respond to an incident involving an an extended time frameextended time frame with a large scale loss of with a large scale loss of service, a disruption to the student’s living service, a disruption to the student’s living environment or a significant interruption to the environment or a significant interruption to the security and safety systems in the residence halls. security and safety systems in the residence halls.

• Examples: extended (24 hours or more) loss of Examples: extended (24 hours or more) loss of heat or electricity, water pipe break/leak impacting heat or electricity, water pipe break/leak impacting an entire residence hall building, earthquake, an entire residence hall building, earthquake, tornado, major chemical leak or spill, virus tornado, major chemical leak or spill, virus outbreak, bomb detonation. outbreak, bomb detonation.

Graduate Circle

Dec. 16, 2007

RA/CA Expectations

Review Expectations HandoutAny questions at this point, before we begin the exercise?Please be sure you are familiar with all the expectations outlined in this document.If you have questions or want to discuss what you learn today further, please speak with your coordinator or assistant director.Later this semester, we are conducting a mock shelter activation, and will solicit help from RAs to participate as mock RAs or mock shelter residents. Please consider participating, as it will give you a more concrete idea about how the department approaches emergencies.

The Scenario

• Saturday, September 26 2009—

• For the Fall 2009 semester, Penn State has welcomed another large freshman class, and housing is again very full. RAs in regular double rooms have again been assigned roommates, and so far, the party scene at Penn State is really hopping. On campus, Residence Life has seen an increase in large-party drinking incidents in the halls.

• This weekend has shaped up to be a big party weekend, as the Nittany Lions have begun the season undefeated, after coming off 2008’s good record. Penn State is set to play Iowa in the weekend’s 8 p.m. matchup on ESPN. It’s a White Out, and promises to be a real grudge match. There is a lot of buzz on campus, and students, families and alumni are all really excited.

The Mayhem Ensues

• 11:39 p.m. Penn State pulls out the win, with a 1-point, last second field goal, 37-36. Fans spill onto the field, and officers try their best to control the ensuing mayhem. After some brief scuffles, and a few arrests of disorderly fans, the stadium empties and students start to filter back to the halls, to downtown, and to other areas of campus.

• 1:00 a.m. The duty coordinator assigns you extra rounds in the building and to asks you to call back after rounds to report on the environment in the halls.

• Questions:– What should you be doing at this point?– Who do you report to?– Who is ultimately “in charge”– How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?– What else can/should you be doing to help?

Coordinator Responds toMedical Emergency

Your coordinator assists you in responding to an intoxicated underage (17 years old) female student, after which the coordinator goes to the hospital to check on the condition of the student.

Questions:• What should you be doing at this point?• Who do you report to?• Who is ultimately “in charge”• How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?• What else can/should you be doing to help?• What’s the next step?

Alarms Go Off!!!

• 3:07 a.m.– Fire alarms go off in your building. You call the coordinator to

report the situation, and the coordinator reports being stuck at the hospital and asks you to call back shortly with more information. The coordinator will report back to campus as soon as possible.

• Questions:– What should you be doing at this point?– Who do you report to?– Who is ultimately “in charge”– How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?– What else can/should you be doing to help?– What else should you be thinking about?– What’s the next step?

Coordinator Calls You

3:08 a.m.The Coordinator reports being en route back to campus but asks you to meet a police officer outside the ground floor of the building

3:12 a.m.As you meet the officer, both of you notice smoke coming out of windows near the laundry room, which is also by a large supplemental lounge.You notice a large group of residents, many inebriated, outside the building, talking on their cell phones and taking pictures of the scene.Fire trucks and more police cars arrive

Questions:•What should you be doing at this point?•Who do you report to?•Who is ultimately “in charge”•How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?•What else can/should you be doing to help?•What else should you be thinking about?•What’s the next step?

Command Center Established

3:20 a.m.Central Staff person on duty arrives as well as several coordinators from across campus. A command center is established in the Housing Office and on-duty RAs are asked to report there for directions

Questions:– What should you be doing at this point?– Who do you report to?– Who is ultimately “in charge”– How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?– What else can/should you be doing to help?– What questions will you have for the professional staff?

Coordinators Call All RAs

3:45 a.m.Coordinators in the area begin calling all available RAs to report to the Commons at 4:15 a.m. for an update and directions.

– Questions:– What should you be doing at this point?– Who do you report to?– Who is ultimately “in charge”– How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?– What else can/should you be doing to help?– What questions will you have for the professional staff?

Identity Program

4:15 a.m.The Director of Housing reports that the fire has been extinguished and that the building will be closed for a couple of days due to extensive fire, water and smoke damage. All residents of your building will need to be sheltered for at least 48 hours. He asks Coordinators and some Housing Staff that have arrived to meet at the Housing Office, and for RAs to stand by and wait to be split into teams to help set up the shelter and deal with the residents displaced by the fire.Questions:

– What should you be doing at this point?– Who do you report to?– Who is ultimately “in charge”– How should you interact with your students? Non-Residents?– What else can/should you be doing to help?– What questions will you have for the professional staff?– What should you be doing next?

Staff and RAs/CAs Assemble

First Hourly Check-In Meeting

5:00 a.m.All RAs are asked to meet again at the previous meeting location in the commons.

Police Services notifies all assembled that there were some fatalities in the building and that more information will be released later, as it becomes available.What sorts of information should you be bringing back to the meeting?What should you do with the information you are given at the meeting?What do you think you would do next?

Identity Program

This is the end of the scenario for the purposes of this exercise.

Let’s discuss the scenario and the issues it brings up for you.

Questions:– Was it easy or difficult to think through what you needed to do at

the different stages?– What are the most important points you will take away from this

exercise?– What issues did it bring up for you?– What questions do you have about RA/CA roles after taking part in

this exercise?

Discussion and Wrap-up

Final Thoughts

Having emergency protocols provides some structure to our response, while allowing flexibility in responding to specific situations.RAs & CAs play an important part in the activating the Residence Life/Housing emergency plan.You will not be alone in responding to these situations. Multiple levels of staff will be involved and we all assist each other.Your ideas and insight can help improve the emergency plan, and your suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to share ideas, thoughts, questions and concerns with your coordinator or Assistant Director.