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This
Emergency Preparedness Plan has been developed in compliance with the State's Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and Board Policy 2340. (See also organizational chart showing the emergency preparedness functions identified by SEMS and the individuals and teams who will be performing those functions.) All Office employees are expected to be familiar with this
Plan so that they will be prepared to take the appropriate actions and carry out their responsibilities in the event of an emergency.
1.1 Purpose and Scope of the Plan
The major purpose of this Plan is to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property in the event of a disaster. To that purpose, the Plan contains information on a number of vital topics: the roles of the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) Director, Safety Officer, Public Information Officer, Liaison Officer, Operations Chief, Planning/Intelligence Chief, Logistics Chief, and Finance/Administration Chief; the responsibilities of the emergency teams which report to the foregoing individuals; communications during a disaster; and individual emergency readiness. The appendices to the Plan contain legal references and maps showing the layout of the Ridder Park site.
A secondary purpose of this Plan is to serve as a model for the SEMS emergency preparedness plans for sites operated by the Office, and to thereby set a standard for the content and approach of these plans.
The scope of the Plan encompasses emergencies and disasters that may occur at the Ridder Park site. Emergencies and disasters that may occur at schools operated by the Office, the Transportation facility, or any other Office facility should be covered in separate, individual emergency plans maintained at those sites.
1.2 Jurisdiction
In the event of a disaster, the Office will utilize the emergency services of the City of San Jose and the County of Santa Clara, if available. All Office personnel shall cooperate fully with these governmental agencies, and shall perform disaster services work under the shared jurisdiction of Office administration and emergency services officials.
1.3 Legal Obligations of All Staff
All employees of the Office, excluding aliens legally employed, are by law disaster services workers in the event of a declared emergency. (See
Appendix A - Government Code, Chapter 8, Division 4, Title 1, Sections 3100 and 3101.)
Upon the declaration of an emergency during working hours, most employees will be assigned to their usual supervisors and will take directions from those persons. The exceptions will be those individuals who have been trained to perform special duties as members of the Office's emergency teams, described in sections 3.0 - 6.0 of this Plan. All employees will be expected to remain at work until released.
If an emergency occurs during non-working hours, or continues after employees have been instructed to go home during working hours, employees are not relieved of their obligations as legally designated disaster services workers. At the direction of the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) Director, and, in some cases, emergency services officials, employees may be required to perform disaster-related tasks at the Ridder Park site, at other Office sites near to their homes, or in the community. (See
section 1.4 below with regard to obligations of the Management Team.)
It is impossible to specify, in advance of an actual disaster, the exact tasks that could be required of an employee as a disaster services worker. The nature, severity, and outcome of a possible disaster are too variable to allow a prediction of the exact tasks that an employee could be asked to perform. However, all employees can be assured that the tasks required would be within reason and their ability to perform, and that their safety and well-being, as they fulfill their obligations, would be paramount.
1.4 Obligations of the Management Team
In the event of an emergency, whether it occurs during working or non-working hours, the Management Team (all managers, supervisors, and confidential staff) may expect to be assigned special disaster-related duties at the direction of the Emergency Operating Center Director.
If an emergency occurs during non-working hours, Management Team members should immediately see to the security of their families and homes, and then attempt to establish contact with their branch via the pre-determined "phone tree" (see
section 7.2). They should plan on performing special duties, as required, such as reporting to a nearby site to offer assistance or to inspect the premises for possible damage.
1.5 Visitors to the Office
In the event of a disaster, visitors to the Ridder Park site shall be expected to abide by all applicable sections of this Plan, especially with regard to appropriate emergency actions such as "duck, cover, and hold" and evacuation.
Employees, to the extent possible, shall take responsibility for seeing that visitors follow the appropriate emergency actions by giving them instructions and guidance, such as directing them to "duck," to proceed to the nearest exits, and to stand well away from the building.
1.6 Arrangements for Employees with Disabilities
Whenever a person with disabilities is hired to work at the Ridder Park site, Human Resources shall notify the Safety Officer (see
section 2.5). The Safety Officer shall then work with the appropriate Assistant Superintendent to ensure that arrangements are made to safely evacuate the employee from the building and to provide the employee with any required assistance.
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