Recommended by Emergency Preparedness Committee: April 21, 2009 Recommended by President s Council: May 1, 2009 Approved by Executive Committee: May 5, 2009 NAIT Procedures CS1.2.6 Flood Implementation Date: May 5, 2009 Replaces: New Table of Contents Section Description Page 1.0 Description 1 2.0 Initial Response 2 3.0 Emergency Notifications 3 4.0 Incident Management 5 5.0 Communications 8 1.0 Description 1.1 These procedures have been developed in order to guide students, staff and visitors through a flood emergency. 1.2 Typical causes of floods include: a) Intense thunderstorms ( flash floods ), which can result in the sewer systems not being able to handle the excessive amount of water. Flash floods are extreme and short-lived, but they can result in heavy damage. b) Overflow of the river bank, because of an excessive rise in the water level. This rise in water level can result from heavy rains, the rapid thawing of snow or ice, or when dams or levees break. Flooding can occur at any time of the year, but is most common in late spring when melting snow combines with rain.
-2- c) Overflowing sink, burst piping, an activated sprinkler system, vandalism, or other local conditions resulting in an unexpected but containable flooding of an office, lab or hallway. Such flooding can create major damage to equipment, furniture, information systems technology, and records on both the flooded floor and floors below. In addition to physical damage, the standing water creates a significant electrical shock and slip hazard. 2.0 Initial Response 2.1 Weather conditions shall be continuously monitored by Campus Security and Parking Services, with the objective of receiving an early warning of the potential for flooding on NAIT campuses. 2.2 A forecast of severe weather conditions and the potential for flooding shall be communicated to the extent possible, in accordance with the Communications Guideline CS1.6, asking students and staff to take appropriate precautionary measures, to ensure that their life safety and personal and institute property is protected. 2.3 The Campus Security and Parking Services department, the Capital Projects and Facilities Operations department and the Materials Management department shall be on alert in the event of severe weather warnings, to be in a position to respond as quickly as possible to reported cases of flooding on NAIT campuses. 2.4 The response to a minor or non-life threatening flood will primarily be addressed internally. To report any flooded building areas on NAIT campuses, and if no students and staff in the area are in imminent danger, contact Campus Security Services at 780.471.7477, and give your name and exact location (Building and Room number). 2.5 The response to a major or life threatening flood will engage emergency personnel, and requires the following quick response by occupants of the building(s): a) Proceed quickly to a higher level within the building or an adjacent building. If you are in a basement level, leave the area as soon as possible and move to a floor that is above the ground floor. Do not enter underground parkades for shelter, or to retrieve your vehicle in an attempt to escape the flood. The ability of building occupants to evacuate affected areas is facilitated by the fact that many of NAIT s buildings on the main campus are connected by pedway at the second level. b) If you are in a single level building, and it is not safe to evacuate or you become trapped, move to the highest point possible within your location, such as on top of furniture, filing cabinets or equipment. If you have a cell phone, immediately call 911 and identify your location (Building and Room number). Call Campus Security Services at 780.471.7477 and also provide them with the information. If you do not have access to a telephone, make as much noise as possible to draw attention to your location.
-3- c) Do not attempt to walk through floodwaters and stay away from outside stairs and storm drains. Storm drains can overflow and begin to flood the surrounding area. 3.0 Emergency Notifications 3.1 In the case of a minor or non-life threatening flood, the following calls need to be made as soon as possible, in the following order: Personal Responsibility a) Campus Security Services Call 780-471-7477 Campus Security Responsibility b) Emergency Preparedness Committee members and NAIT Emergency Operations Centre members Campus Security Services shall send preprogrammed e-mail messages to member s personal data assistants (PDA s), using pre-established address lists. In addition, members of the NAIT Emergency Operations Centre shall receive a voice message or text message. c) Emergency Notification System Campus Security Services shall send preprogrammed specific instructions to occupants of buildings as to the flood. For occupants in the zone where the nonlife threatening flood has occurred, the instruction will be to evacuate the building. For the adjacent zone(s), the instruction will state that there is an emergency in an adjacent zone, and to be prepared to evacuate if required. d) NAIT Power Plant 780-471-7445 Give exact location of the flood. e) Facilities Operations Service Provider(s) Campus Security Services shall notify the applicable facilities operations service provider(s), and what actions they are to take.
3.2 In the case of a major or life threatening flood, the response is similar to that of a fire or explosion, with the following calls needing to be made as soon as possible, in the following order: Personal Responsibility a) Emergency Response Activate the fire alarm or call 911 by the person observing the flood. Give exact location. Remain on the line. -4- b) Campus Security Services Call 780-471-7477 Campus Security Responsibility c) Call the Fire department Campus Security Services will call the fire department (911), identify themselves as NAIT Security, and give NAIT s address, building location and floor where the life threatening flood was reported, to ensure that the fire trucks and emergency personnel arrive at the correct location. d) Emergency Preparedness Committee members and NAIT Emergency Operations Centre members Campus Security Services shall send preprogrammed e-mail messages to member s personal data assistants (PDA s), using pre-established address lists. In addition, members of the NAIT Emergency Operations Centre shall receive a voice message or text message. e) Emergency Notification System Campus Security Services shall send preprogrammed specific instructions to occupants of buildings affected by the flood. For occupants in the zone where the life threatening flood is occurring, the instruction is to evacuate to a higher level in the building or an adjacent building. For the adjacent zone(s), the instruction will state that there is an emergency in an adjacent zone, and to be prepared to evacuate to a higher level if required. f) NAIT Power Plant 780-471-7445 Give exact location of the flood. g) NAIT Website and Digital Screens Post messages to NAIT s digital network providing the most current information available. See Communications Plan in Guideline CS1.6 h) Facilities Operations Service Provider(s) Campus Security Services shall notify the applicable facilities operations service provider(s), and what actions they are to take.
-5-3.3 Members of the NAIT Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) will be on standby. The Manager, Security and Parking Services will assess the severity of the situation, and activate in whole or in part, the NEOC. Upon receiving notification from the Manager, the members of NEOC shall immediately assemble in the President s Conference Room (O102F), or another room on Campus or alternative Campus, as appropriate, and commence the implementation of Section 6.0 of the Emergency Preparedness Guideline CS1.1. 4.0 Incident Management 4.1 The sequence of events in managing a minor or non-life threatening flood caused by mechanical failure or acts of vandalism, involves a quick response by contacting Campus Security Services at 780.471.7477, giving your name and exact location (Building and Room number). The public address will be activated to evacuate the zone in the building, and notify adjacent zones regarding the flood. Capital Projects and Facilities Operations personnel will immediately attend to the source of the flooding, by turning off the water valve to the area, and then commence clean up operations. A determination will be made as to whether external assistance is required. Following clean up and repair of the flooded area, the Occupational Health and Safety department will conduct the appropriate testing, and indicate whether it is safe to resume normal activities. Upon receiving approval, normal activities will resume. 4.2 The sequence of events in managing a major or life threatening flood is similar to a fire or explosion emergency, requiring the use of fire wardens to activate their responsibilities in the affected zone. The major difference in the evacuation, is that in the case of a major or life threatening flood, the evacuation is to a higher floor of the building or an adjacent building because such a flood is typically caused by severe weather conditions and it is not safe to leave the building until the weather condition has passed, whereas in the case of a fire or explosion, the evacuation is to an assembly point outside of the building. a) Evacuation Upon the activation of the fire alarm and instructions to evacuate the zone within a building, NAIT s fire wardens within that zone (or peace officers if after regular business hours, on weekends, or on statutory holidays) shall immediately undertake their responsibilities, as follows: i) Identifying themselves as a fire warden (or peace officer) by either wearing their fire marshal identification badge or vest. ii) Ensure that occupants evacuate the building while checking their assigned areas of responsibility. iii) If possible, ensure that any openings (such as doors and windows) are shut as they carry out their duties.
-6- iv) After completing their duties, exit the affected zone to a higher level in the building or an adjacent building in the safest, most direct route. v) Report to their assigned chief fire warden and/or NAIT Campus Security Services. This may include disclosing locations of individuals that refuse to leave, locations of individuals who are mobility impaired, or areas that could not be checked due to imminent danger. b) Meeting in Safe Location within the Building or Adjacent Building All staff and students who have vacated the building zone shall meet in a safe location within the building or adjacent building for further instruction. The purpose of meeting at the assembly point is as follows: i) For instructors or service department managers, to determine whether all of their students or staff, as applicable, have been evacuated and ensure that no one leaves until the severe weather conditions have passed. ii) To provide information regarding activities for the remainder of the day, which may range from sending affected students and staff home when it is safe to do so, or operating in an alternative location, depending upon the severity of the flood. c) Secure the scene. Fire trucks and emergency personnel will arrive on Campus at the designated area and take control of the scene. In the case of a major flood, the officer in command may establish a Unified Command Post. In such case, emergency services could include the fire department, ambulance, police, hazardous materials tactical unit, and other emergency and investigation services as appropriate. NAIT s point of contact at the Unified Command Post is the Manager, Security and Parking Services. A NAIT Peace Officer will meet the fire department at the designated entrance. Campus Security Services will call all available Peace Officers and Security Guards to help in evacuation and crowd control. The focus of activity will be: i. Ensure no one is entering the affected area, and ensure all people within the area have been evacuated. ii. Gain as much information as quickly as possible from NAIT Capital Projects and Facilities Operations staff, including: Floor plans. Location of water valves, gas shut off valves, water drains, and other mechanical functions. Compressed gas storage.
-7- iii. Access the database containing information on chemicals or toxic materials in the vicinity. [Note: The database is being compiled by Occupational Health and Safety, which will be accessible by the Security Desk when completed, so that they have this information available on a 24/7 basis. The targeted completion date of the database is August 2009.] iv. Determine an action plan as quickly as possible to drain the area to limit the damage. The commanding officer in attendance will direct the fire crew regarding the appropriate response. d) Attend to the injured and casualties. If it is determined that not all people were able to evacuate, emergency personnel will enter the scene as soon as it is safe to do so, to attend to the injured and casualties. e) Conduct appropriate service(s). In the case where a flood has resulted in significant injuries or casualties, the appropriate service(s) will be planned and conducted, to ensure that NAIT and the community has an opportunity to come together in an effort to support one another. f) Investigate the cause of the flood The fire department and other officials will investigate the cause of the flood, which may take several days to complete. The NAIT Occupational Health and Safety department will also carry out an investigation and issue a written report. g) Repair the damages to the building and property. The Capital Projects and Facilities Operations department shall determine as soon as possible, the extent of the damages to the building and property, and recommend the appropriate course of action to the Executive Committee, and to the Board of Governors Campus Development Committee. h) Resume normal activities. i. Temporary Location The Capital Projects and Facilities Operations department, working together with the leadership of the affected programs and services, shall determine the requirements for resuming their activities in a temporary location as soon as possible, to minimize the impact on students and staff.
-8- The plan to resume classes or services in a temporary location shall be communicated to students and staff, as appropriate. The costs incurred to prepare and operate the programs or services in the temporary location shall be documented, in order to pursue cost recovery, as appropriate. ii. Permanent Location A Steering Committee to guide the restoration of the damaged facilities shall be established as soon as possible, with the appropriate membership from the Executive Committee, Capital Projects and Facilities Operations department, external specialists as applicable, and leadership of the affected programs and services. A capital plan shall be developed, including the scope of the project, estimated capital infrastructure and equipment costs, and a schedule to complete the project, for approval and funding/insurance recovery, as appropriate. Following approval of the plan, the project shall be completed in accordance with the schedule. The capital and operating costs incurred for the permanent location of the affected programs and services shall be documented, in order to pursue cost recovery, as appropriate. The plan shall be communicated to students and staff, as appropriate. 4.3 The Manager, Occupational Health & Safety will ensure that the environment and atmosphere within the area has been examined and/or sampled to determine appropriate measures for safe re-entry, select and ensure that the appropriate personal protective clothing and safety equipment are used by workers entering the area; provide appropriate communications and briefings to NAIT Executive and appropriate senior managers, and contact Alberta Labor Occupational Health & Safety as soon as possible, when the potential for a serious injury or fatality exists, and when a serious injury or fatality occurs. 5.0 Communications 5.1 The Communications Plan as presented in Guideline CS1.6 shall be activated.