Respond



The Unit Action Plan (UAP) is developed so that you and your colleagues know what to do during an emergency.

The university also has a response plan.

It is essential to understand that the framework of plans for the University of Alberta begins with municipal emergency plans, which form the basis for all emergency planning in Canadian municipalities. In Canada, we respond only in the context of local authority emergency response, which may be represented by fire, police, ambulance, disaster social services, or other responders. Though we are larger than most local authorities in terms of population, we are always IN a local authority

Based on the responsibilities delegated in municipal plans, the university has developed an Integrated Emergency Master Plan (IEMP) to direct emergency response at the highest levels of the university's executive leadership. The IEMP is maintained by the University of Alberta Emergency Management and approved by the Provost's Executive Committee - Operations.

The IEMP is based on the Incident Command System, and delegates specific actions to various university personnel. It is based on the principle that it is easier to over-respond and scale down than it is to under-respond and attempt to scale up.

We do not share the IEMP publicly, though we are happy to discuss it at any time.

The IEMP also has sub-plans that direct specific parts of the response, or the response to specific hazards. These plans are maintained by Emergency Management and subject matter experts. They approved by the leadership in their respective subject matter areas.

The final and most tactical emergency plans are the ones for each university unit. The Unit Action Plans (UAP) are maintained by individual work units and approved by leaders of the individual units. More info about Build Your Unit Action Plan.


Life, Property, Environment

During an emergency, our institutional priorities are:

  • the health, safety and security of students, faculty and staff on or off campus, including ensuring best possible medical care
  • determination of injuries and the extent of injuries
  • contain and control further damage. Provide support to get at the source of the problem
  • well-being of contractors, renters, residents and visitors
  • support to the families of seriously injured or dead, exhibiting care, compassion, responsiveness in a proactive manner
  • the continuity of essential services on campus and essential support for remote locations including:
    • learning/teaching and related student services
    • patient care services
    • research programs and activities
    • essential administrative services (regulatory compliance, pay, benefits, leave, student financial aid, student records)
    • supply management
    • security and preservation of University facilities, equipment and sensitive areas such as collections, libraries, archives, and information technology
    • prevention of harm to the environment
  • the capacity to communicate with internal and external audiences in a timely, accurate and comprehensive manner
  • security of the site
  • traffic plan
  • the maintenance of effective partnerships with key external agencies contributing value to the community, in keeping with the University's vision mission and values and preservation of reputation.
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