Cornell's Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant that will allow EH&S to review, develop and enhance emergency management efforts across the Ithaca campus.

With 243 detailed emergency plans in place to meet the unique contingencies of each department and unit, Cornell is considered one of the best-prepared universities in the nation. Now, with the $587,684 Grant for Emergency Management of Higher Education, the university will develop one unifying program to enhance the coordination of response and recovery capabilities of the campus community.

"This all-hazards approach to emergency management will provide the framework for managing any emergency situation, whether it be a medical or health emergency, a weather-related event, a utilities failure or a threat of violence," said Christine Stallmann, director of EH&S. "By clarifying the roles and responsibilities of such units as Facilities Services, Gannett Health Services, Cornell Police, Transportation Services, University Communications and Emergency Management, and better integrating the efforts of first-responders, CUEMS student volunteers, units and individuals, we hope to better coordinate communications to streamline decision-making and ensure a swift response to and recovery from emergencies," she said.

If an emergency occurs, officials want students, staff and faculty to think about their own safety first, said Benjamin Kuo, associate director for Emergency Management Services at EH&S. "Those in charge during an emergency would know what response capabilities are available within the campus and local community. The activation of the all-hazards plan will allow the appropriate resources to be applied to the situation."

Specialized responses, such as the care of students and housing of animals, will still need to be developed and implemented on the department or unit level. These plans will allow the affected unit(s) to maintain business continuity and return post-emergency to a state of normalcy. "Our job will then be to make sure that everyone gets what they need," Stallmann said.

Stallmann said that EH&S responds to some 2,400 emergency calls annually. Of those incidents, only about 0.1 percent will reach the most serious level, but nevertheless, such incidents can be devastating in their impact. "The all-hazards emergency management plan will allow us to better prevent these serious emergencies and to mitigate their effects should they occur," she said.

Stallmann said that the grant will also be used to provide emergency management training. This includes conducting table-top scenario exercises with individual units providing National Incident Management System certifications for Cornell's emergency staff and leadership, and strengthening the partnership between Cornell's emergency management team and such local and county organizations as Cayuga Medical Center, the Tompkins County Mental Health, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response and the Ithaca Fire Department. Michael Lonon, Cornell's emergency manager, is already developing memoranda of agreement with these agencies to help coordinate their efforts.

The two-year grant begins Oct. 1.