Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management promotes campus safety to students and staff in order to provide the university community with the tools needed to prepare and respond to a campus emergency. The Office of Emergency Management is located at the University Police Department, 3118 Sun Bowl Drive.

Incident Levels:

Level I: Minor Incident

A Minor Incident is a localized campus incident that is quickly resolved with internal resources or limited help and does not affect the overall function of the campus. The incident may result in minor injuries to members of the campus community and may affect a single localized area of the campus. Most normal operations of the Campus are not disrupted.

Examples:

• Small fire.
• Small hazardous material incident.
• Limited power outage.
• Ambulance – minor injury.

Level II: Emergency Response Incident

An Emergency Response Incident is a serious incident that disrupts one or more operations of the campus and may affect mission-critical functions or life safety.  External emergency services may be required, as well as major campus support services. Portions of the campus may not be accessible to students, faculty and staff and may require the evacuation of partial sections of the campus.  Coordination between departments is normally required.

Examples: 

• Inclement weather which may close or delay opening the University.
• Isolated laboratory explosion or chemical exposure.
• Significant fire.
• Death of a student, faculty or staff member (depending on circumstances).

Level III: University Disaster

A University Disaster is a campus wide incident that seriously impairs or halts the operation of the University.  External emergency services would normally be needed and the incident may escalate quickly and have serious consequences.  It may require full evacuation of several sections or the entire campus. Activation of the campus Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be required.

Examples:  

• Mass casualties.
• Natural disaster: earthquake, tornado, sand storm.
• Large scale hazardous material spill or biological threat.
• Health epidemic.
• Hostage and active shooter situation.

In case of an emergency and as a member of our UTEP community, you can prepare for an incident by:

• Becoming familiar with campus building names, locations, etc…
• Providing clear and precise information to campus and rescue personnel.
• Being aware of disabled co-workers and students who may need help.
• Being prepared to remain inside the building “Shelter in PlacE” when instructed to do so.
• Remaining calm and follow instructions do not leave until instructed to do so.
• Becoming familiar with the University’s Emergency Management Plan found at the UTEP Police Department website.