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Emergency Management, a Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University Police Department, provides guidance and response to all-hazard emergency situations that occur on the SFA campus or have the potential to affect the campus.  The goal of Emergency Management is to increase the administrative capabilities of emergency responders, ensure that SFA is well prepared for emergencies, and assist in educating the university community in emergency preparedness.

Emergency Operations Plan

The university provides HOP policy 05-506 and the Emergency Operations Plan as an all-hazard emergency management guidance. This EOP is built upon scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating systems to align key roles and responsibilities across the university when an emergency occurs, since it is not always obvious at the outset of a seemingly minor event whether the incident will remain minor and contained, or whether it might be the initial phase of a larger and rapidly growing threat. This plan describes both authorities and practices for managing and coordinating the response to incidents that range from the serious but purely isolated, to large-scale incidents and natural disasters.

This plan is founded on the principles of the National Incident Management System, which provides a national template that enables federal, state, and local governments and private sector nongovernmental organizations to work together effectively and efficiently.

Implementation of this plan will require cooperation, collaboration, and information sharing among all university departments, as well as with external agencies that may assist the university during major emergencies and disasters.

Emergency Operations Center

The Emergency Operations Center is activated whenever an emergency situation exceeds the capabilities of normal operations and immediate action is required to save and protect lives; coordinate communications; prevent damage to the environment, systems, and property; provide essential services; temporarily assign university staff to perform emergency work; and/or invoke emergency authorizations to procure and allocate resources.

Upon activation, EOC staff will report to the EOC. The President, Vice President, Chief of Police and Director of Emergency Management may activate the EOC. The EOC is typically activated via telephone recall and/or text messages using the university mass notification system. The EOC consolidates decision makers to ensure the flow of information and the development of response strategies. Other organizations involved in the response to an emergency may be called upon to provide a representative in the EOC.

The general roles and responsibilities of the EOC are:

  • provide and collect accurate information regarding the emergency situation and current resource data to allow an on-scene official to make informed decisions on courses of action;
  • determine and prioritize required response actions and coordinate their implementation by working with representatives of emergency services;
  • provide resource support for emergency operations; and
  • provide emergency information to the public as warranted. 

The EOC will also coordinate with the City of Nacogdoches and Nacogdoches County Unified or Joint Command as appropriate.

Emergency Management Committee

Function

The Emergency Management Committee is a university-wide committee consisting of representatives from across the institutional. The committee's mission is to collaborate on emergency management strategies and initiatives designed to enhance preparedness and improve the university's ability to respond to, and recover from, all threats.

Scope of Authority

The purview of the committee is limited to matters that pertain to the Emergency Operation Plan's prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation strategies.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for:

  • Continuously analyzing all risks which expose the university to the potential disruption of its activities, including risks that are natural and man-made.
  • Overseeing the development of emergency preparedness and response plans in response to the risks identified.
  • Presenting university-wide emergency response plans to the VP of Finance and Administration for approval and further presentation to the Executive Group for approval to implement.
  • Assisting with the development of emergency response plans for operational units, and for ensuring they align with the university-wide plan.
  • Facilitating communication of the emergency operations plan through updates to the appropriate website and written materials as needed.
  • Designing and conducting two internal disaster drills per year, with one of the drills to include participation by external emergency response agencies.
  • Developing training materials and facilitating the appropriate training for the university community.
  • Serving as the university's emergency response team, managing the university's response to an emergency.
  • Annual review of existing emergency management plans and related policies and procedures, with changes to be recommended to the VPBA for approval and further presentation to the Executive Group.
  • Recording minutes and distributing them to its membership.

Reporting Structure

The committee reports through its Chairperson to the VPBA on all matters related to its charge. The VPBA represents, and serves as the liaison to the Executive Group (senior officers) of the university. The overall authority and responsibility for the emergency management plan rest with the Executive Group, which provides support and direction to the committee. The Chairperson of the EMC will be appointed by the VPBA.

Committee Chair

Jeremy Pickett, Director, Emergency Management

Co-chair

John Fields, Jr., Executive Director/UPD Chief of Police

Representation on Committee

The following departments will be represented on the Emergency Management Committee:

  • Student Affairs - Andrew Dies, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
  • Physical Plant - John Branch, Director
  • Safety, Environmental Health and Risk Management - Dr. Jeremy Higgins
  • Student Services / Residence Life - Carrie Charley, Executive Director of Campus Living, Dining and Auxiliary Enterprises
  • Information Technology Services - Mike Coffee, Chief Information Officer
  • University Marketing Communications - Graham Garner, Chief Marketing Communications Officer
  • Academic Affairs - Dr. Lorenzo Smith, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost
  • Athletics - Ryan Ivey, Director 

Additional ad-hoc consultants (i.e. legal, consultants) can be engaged to assist when needed.

The representative from each unit should be a key administrator for the operational area represented, thereby facilitating timely decisions. Due to the number of operational areas represented, each area is limited to one representative, with one alternate to participate when the regular representative is not available.

Meeting Schedule

The Emergency Management Committee will hold regular quarterly meetings, and may meet more often if the need arises.

Related Policy

HOP policy 05-506 

Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT)

SFA’s University Police Department and Office of Emergency Management are seeking dedicated individuals who wish to volunteer in limited capacities to aid first responders during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks. Duties and responsibilities will include basic fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operation assistance during or after major weather events. No prior experience is required.

Qualifications

  • Must be at least 18 years of age
  • Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher

Requirements

  • Mandatory training
  • Background check
  • Signed waiver
  • Volunteer commitment

View the CERT flyer.

Apply online to be a CERT volunteer.

Contact

University Police Department
936.468.2608 | 800.816.4657
Fax: 936.468.3984
updemail@sfasu.edu

Physical Address:
232 East College St.

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13062, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962