Roles and Responsibilities
Chief of Public Safety/Public Safety Department Designee
The authority for tactical direction in emergency situations rests with the Public Safety Shift Supervisor, Public Safety Officer on duty or his/her designee. S/He shall coordinate, provide tactical direction, summon additional personnel and equipment to meet the immediate or special circumstances, and provide all necessary assistance required for the implementation of the CEAP. Assistance shall include but not be limited to the security and protection of all College property, traffic and crowd control, training, building evacuation and orderliness, medical assistance, utilization of College employees as may be deemed appropriate and other assistance needed to ensure the safety of employees, students and visitors.
When representatives of local, state, or federal agencies become involved in an emergency response, tactical authority for emergency operations passes on to representatives of those emergency response organizations. Authority to advise, coordinate, and provide advice to these agencies is held by the Public Safety Shift Supervisor or Public Safety Officer on duty. It is the role of the Public Safety Shift Supervisor or Officer on duty to identify, control, and manage each emergency situation. The Public Safety Shift Supervisor or Officer on duty is designated to receive the “all clear” to begin re-entering the building.
Public Safety Staff
H. DeBenedictis 19 Foster St. Building Alarm
Public Safety Desk Officer will go directly to the Fire enunciator panel at the moment the Building Alarm is sounded. He/She will read the information necessary from the panel on the location of reported trouble. He/She will radio this location to Facilities staff and other Public Safety officers. Public Safety Shift Supervisor or Public Safety Officer on duty will remain at the Public Safety desk to greet Worcester Fire Department and assist in evacuation.
T. Borysek Living & Learning Center 25 Foster St. Building Alarm
Public Safety Desk Officer will go directly to the Fire Command Panel at the moment the Building Alarm is sounded. He/She will read the information necessary from the panel on the location of reported trouble. He/She will radio this location to Facilities. Public Safety Officer will return to the Public Safety Desk to assist in the evacuation and contact appropriate parties listed on the call sheet. Public Safety Shift Supervisor or Public Safety Officer on duty will greet Worcester Fire Department (WFD) to convey relevant information.
Director of Facilities/ Facilities Designee
Facilities designee will acknowledge receipt of the information given by Public Safety and inform them of their location by use of the two-way radio. Facilities personnel closest to the reported trouble will head to that location and communicate to others via radio that he/she is doing so.
All other available Facilities staff members will report to the Fire Panel and await Fire Department’s arrival. Upon the arrival of WFD, Facilities designee will identify him/herself to the WFD and relay all information known up to that point. Typically, MCPHS Facilities designee will escort WFD to troubled area upon request.
All remaining Facilities staff will be aware of the alarm’s status and must be prepared for instruction of the Director of Facilities or his designee.
Assistant Dean of Students
The Assistant Dean of Students or designee will report to the Public Safety Desk and assist in the evacuation. He/She will be in direct contact with other Emergency Response Personnel. Information and matters pertaining to the student population and Residence halls will be handled by the Assistant Dean of Students, as well as any student disciplinary action required as the result of non-compliance with the College’s evacuation procedures and policies.
Note: As with any fire emergency, the WFD Incident Commander has the final authority on site until the WFD Incident Commander relinquishes it.
Fire Marshals
Fire Marshals have the responsibility to expedite timely evacuation of occupants by directing traffic flow to specific stairways or exits respective of their position in the building. This will facilitate even distribution of occupants to all available exits thus evacuating the building in a minimal amount of time. Fire Marshals are selected on a volunteer basis. One individual and one back up will be responsible for their position. A Fire Marshal’s responsibilities will be in effect during regular business hours (during hours of 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM) when he/she is scheduled to be on campus. He/She is expected to inform the backup Fire Marshall when he/she will be unavailable.
Fire Marshals are not to re-enter the building or travel through the building if they were not already relatively close to the area assigned when an alarm was sounded.
Fire Marshals are to exit the building immediately when it is apparent the majority of the occupants have exited or when unsafe conditions are present.
Faculty
- Faculty must be familiar with their evacuation routes before an alarm is sounded.
- Faculty will advise students on the first day of class about evacuation procedures and routes and stress the importance of evacuation.
- Faculty will identify to the students in their class the nearest fire extinguishers and pull stations in the area to be used in case of a fire.
- When the alarm sounds Instructors must stop class immediately. Instructors, without hesitation, are to direct and lead the students out of the classroom as quickly as possible.
- Laboratory Instructors are to shut off hazardous equipment such as Bunsen burners. This does NOT apply to appliances that are normally left on such as refrigerators, computers, etc.
- Close all doors/windows as you leave. This will help contain the fire and smoke. DO NOT lock doors. Locked doors will hamper the response of emergency personnel
- If a student with a disability that impairs ability to evacuate is in class, the Instructor will become familiar with how to assist him/her during an emergency at the beginning of each semester. An Instructor may designate a fellow student to accompany this person during an evacuation and ensure his or her safe evacuation.
- Faculty should know the location of each Incident Command Center and how to request assistance during an emergency. Classroom telephones include posted Command Center/Public Safety phone numbers to assist faculty and students in all campus classrooms.
Resident Director
In conjunction with the MCPHS Director of Environmental Health and Safety, the Assistant Dean of Students/Worcester, and the MCPHS Chief of Public Safety, The Resident Director is responsible for the administration, implementation and evaluation of the Emergency Action Plan for residence hall students. In conjunction with the Director of Environment Health and Safety, The Assistant Dean of Students/Worcester, the Chief of Public Safety s/he will conduct appropriate training or evacuation exercises to test the preparedness and response procedures of the residence hall staff and students. S/He will provide a complete list of residence hall staff names and contact numbers to the Chief of Public Safety and the Public Safety Shift Supervisor.
The Residence Hall staff is responsible for communication regarding the evacuation plan on the residence hall floors. If residence hall staff are present in the residence hall during business hours, they will have the responsibility of seeing that proper evacuation routes from the residence hall floors and buildings are followed and students assemble in the designated location. After business hours, the residence life on-call staff will have the responsibility of seeing that proper evacuation routes from the residence hall floors and buildings are followed and students assemble in the designated location.
Emergency Response Personnel
Public Safety, Facilities Departments, Resident Director have specific duties to identify the situation and maintain function of the building until notified otherwise by the Worcester Fire Department. All Emergency Response Personnel will, taking all reasonable care and safety, verify the source of the emergency and report to the Fire Command Center. Facilities will verify that critical building operations are functioning and shut down all non-critical systems as warranted by the emergency.
Rescue and Medical Duty Assignments
All rescue operations will be performed by professional services (i.e. EMT) trained in the proper procedures and protocols for emergency rescues. Licensed and/or trained personnel in the field or in a local emergency room will conduct medical services beyond first aid.