A. Objective
The objective of this annex is to define the actions and roles necessary to provide a coordinated emergency response by students, administration, faculty, support personnel, visitors and departments of Binghamton University during a domestic travel emergency situation or disaster. This plan provides personnel and departments at Binghamton University with a general concept of potential emergency assignments before, during and following emergency situations.
B. Situational Overview
The Binghamton University domestic travel emergency response protocols are intended to safeguard the well-being of students, staff and faculty and to protect the University’s interests while traveling within the United States. These protocols are designed to effectively prepare for and rapidly respond to emergencies associated with domestic travel related to Binghamton University.
These protocols become effective in situations where students and/or employees become ill, suffer accidents, are the victims of crime, find themselves involved in potentially violent political situations or subject to terrorism, fail to return on time to programs at the end of weekends or other situations that may be considered a crisis or emergency.
C. Concept of Operations
What is an Emergency?
An emergency is any circumstance that poses a genuine risk to, or that has already disturbed the safety and well-being of, travelers. Emergencies will include, though not be confined to, the following types of events and incidents:
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- Disappearance or kidnapping of a participant;
- Criminal assaults against the traveler(s);
- Serious illness, physical or emotional, injury or death;
- Hospitalization for any reason;
- Arrest/incarceration;
- Terrorist threat or attack;
- Local political crisis;
- Natural disasters.
A "perceived emergency" results from events that are not immediately threatening to the health or safety of program students or staff, but which may be viewed as such by family and friends at home, or by the media. In many instances, a perceived emergency must be treated as a real emergency.
Immediate action to be taken by fellow travelers:
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- Move to a safe location.
- Ensure emergency services personnel have been notified (i.e. call 911 and request appropriate assistance)
- Obtain information about the incident
- If the traveler is injured, assign a University employee (if available) to accompany the injured traveler to the hospital.
- Notify the Binghamton University 911 Emergency Services Dispatch Center of the incident by calling 607-777-2393.
Immediate actions to be taken by University personnel:
Upon receiving a notification of a domestic travel incident involving a serious injury, death, or emergency, the Binghamton University 911 Emergency Services Dispatch Center will:
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- Immediately begin a log of all calls and activities.
- Get the following information from the caller:
- Name of caller
- Name of victim(s), if any
- Brief description of accident, injuries and/or emergency, the steps that have been taken and the status.
- Location of caller- state, city, street, etc.
- Location of accident or emergency. How close is it to students and staff?
- Phone, cell phone, fax or contact number where caller is
- Find out if local law enforcement, fire department, EMS, etc. have been called if appropriate
- Has any information been released to the media?
If an emergency, real or perceived, occurred, the Binghamton University 911 Emergency Services Dispatch Center will ask for detailed answers to these questions:
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- What impact, if any, did any emergency have on availability of food, water and medical supplies?
- What was the target of unrest, if the event was political?
- What is the intensity of the emergency or of the political unrest?
- Are there emergency personnel at the site of the emergency?
- How able are our students and staff to travel?
Only individuals authorized by Binghamton University may speak to the family members, media, other staff members and student-athletes.
When appropriate, Communications and Marketing will inform the campus community of the incident with necessary facts while trying to discount any rumors. Communications and Marketing will implement the Crisis Communication plan if/when necessary.
Post-Incident Coordination
Following the stabilization of the incident, Binghamton University shall be responsible for ensuring the traveler(s) additional needs are met. These needs may include, but are not limited to, the following items:
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- Short term transportation/housing
- Assistance with replacement of identification/travel documents.
- Financial assistance for replacement tickets, meals, clothing, toiletries, etc.
- Travel arrangements to return to Binghamton, N.Y. (or original intended destination if not Binghamton, N.Y.)
- Mental health support, prior to arriving in Binghamton, N.Y.
This assistance may be provided by the department, college or the University’s Incident Management Team (IMT).
