In the wake of multiple national tragedies over the last several years, the need for organizations to develop emergency response plans is greater than ever. Many variables play into any given scenario, but having a basic plan in place that has been discussed and practiced decreases the unknowns in an emergency situation.

One local organization, Beaufort County Community College, has developed a plan specific to its needs and environment to ensure safety of its students, faculty and staff in the event that an emergency occurs, according to Mark Nelson, vice president of administrative services at BCCC. With a 112-acre campus, school officials thought formulating a plan was vital in making sure everyone on campus is safe. The college’s plan was put together by its safety coordinator Hal Miller, who once worked at Potash Corp-Aurora as a safety employee, and the college’s chief of campus police Chris Harrison, according to Nelson.

“The biggest thing is safety for staff, faculty and students,” Nelson said about the plan. “That’s the main thing — to make sure we’re prepared to handle any type of emergency.”

In the past year, considering that several active-shooter situations have happened around the nation, one at Lenoir Community College this year, officials thought its plan needed to put emphasis on that scenario. The plan also focuses on an emergency fire situation and weather-related incidents, Nelson said.

Nelson said the implemented plan has resulted in the college taking measures to make sure its staff and administration are as ready as possible to react in an emergency situation. The school conducts fire drills and checks fire extinguishers once a semester; its employees watch active shooter training videos, enabling them to better respond in a similar incident; and its administration has put in place several modes of communication via technological tools like sending messages out on computers in use on campus, mass text messages alerting those on campus of an emergency and a PA system, according to Nelson.

The college also has an emergency response team made up of senior staff members that operates based on levels of activation — how serious the threat is.

“Basically, the plan kind of gives us something to go with,” Nelson said. “It gives us a guide to go by. There are some gaps we do have. Safety is No. 1, and then education is probably No. 2. If (students and staff) don’t feel safe here or if someone gets hurt or we have situations where we could be liable for something, we’re not really fulfilling our mission and allowing folks to concentrate on their education and not having to worry about whether they’re safe or not.”

Another important facet of any emergency response plan is making sure plans are discussed, practiced and simulated, according to Al Powell, former FBI counterterrorism expert and president of Beaufort County Police Activities League. Powell brought the need for having a FEMA-compliant plan to the attention of the college’s administration and has consulted for other area organizations, including the Washington Housing Authority. As part of PAL initiative, Powell says he wants to aid area organizations that help improve the quality of life for youth.

“We’re just trying to make it so the small businesses and other organizations have some kind of game plan in place that helps the first responders so it won’t be a big mystery when things happen,” Powell said. “It’s a matter of when something is going to happen and not if. (The plan) can be 10 pages or 100 pages, but you need to have something in place. Based on my experience as terrorism chief and being involved in some pretty significant threat assessments, I would like to be a part of helping local entities develop and emergency response plan.”

Powell said it is important for organizations to understand the benefits of having an all-hazards type of emergency response plan in place. For those who already have one in place, consider updating it, Powell said.

Implementing a plan would allow an organization to identify its vulnerabilities, as well as assess the logistics of transportation, resources, equipment and communication in relation to area first responders, Powell said. Organizations can partner with local first responders to conduct tabletop exercises that help sort through barriers of communication, jurisdiction, chain of command and language in a non-threatening situation. Following a tabletop exercise, the organization can simulate a threat with the help of local first responders, allowing any bugs to be worked out, Powell said.

Beaufort County Community College has conducted tabletop exercises in relation to its plan and has a few exercises scheduled for the near future, Nelson said.

“At the time of crisis, that’s not the time to find out what your emergency protocol shortcomings are,” Powell said. “A lot can be in jeopardy with the absence of some kind of protocol that has been practiced in a non-adversarial environment beforehand. That is also the time to find out what your county first responder capabilities are. You need to find out what resources there are and what the normal geographical time frame may be. You need to know what’s available and what their response time is. An emergency response program is not meant to include every conceivable situation, but to identify situations you anticipate in your line of business, it does lay the foundation for any extraordinary situations that may develop.”

Powell said a plan should be easy to read and understand and organized, but doesn’t have to be overcomplicated and long.

“Sometimes a two, three or four-page plan might be just as appropriate as a book no one can read in a time of crisis. Whether it’s terrorism, an employee that has emotional issues or a weather-related issue, one must not wait until the crisis to look at what the appropriate response might be.”