Emergency Planning and Preparedness – B 708

It is the policy of Portland Community College to protect our students, staff, visitors and facilities in the event a natural disaster or other emergency threatens the achievement of the College’s educational mission. The College will implement reasonable measures to prepare for such events, and will integrate the College’s planning and emergency management activities with other appropriate agencies. The College will strike a “logical balance” that ensures that open access to education is maintained simultaneous with reasonable assurance of the safety and well-being of the communities we serve.

The policy of the Board of Directors is that:

  • PCC will develop and maintain a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Program whose elements and scope will include preparation for those hazards most likely to affect the college community. The elements of this program will address the phases of prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery;
  • PCC will develop and regularly test emergency communication and warning protocols, systems and procedures to support the program and to advise those people potentially impacted by an actual or impending emergency or other potential threats;
  • PCC will designate a Program Coordinator to administer and keep the program current to comply with applicable regulations and standard practices, develop and manage the program budget, and ensure appropriate College personnel are trained;
  • PCC will develop agreements where practicable with other agencies that allow PCC facilities to serve the public interest in the event of an emergency;
  • The Incident Command System (ICS) will be used as the incident management system for managing emergencies and other critical incidents at PCC so that PCC’s efforts will effectively integrate with the incident management efforts of other agencies in the PCC District.

(June 2008)