• The Fine Arts Building, built in 1958, is seismically satisfactory, and is fire-resistant (one hour). It is not scheduled for remodeling in the next five years. (Information on other buildings of interest is available on p.11 of the Plan.)
• The Fine Arts Building has fire alarms and battery back-up for lighting (some buildings have battery back-up and some emergency generators). (Information on other buildings of interest is available on p.10 and 12 of th Plan.)
• What the University will do:
  
  • Driven by the emergency event - CSULA will take action based on the nature of the emergency and in conjunction with the University's Multi-Hazard Plan.
  • Notifications - During an emergency, notifications will be disseminated primarily through your news media in a major event and to information points throughout campus, primary among them will be the assembly areas where evacuees will be located. Although assembly areas are predetermined they are to remain fluid depending on the condition of nearby buildings and the nature of the event. Additionally, the use of the electronic signage at entry points to the campus; as well as temporary information centers deployed to various locations on campus after the occurrence; the use of public address systems by police officers will also be utilized to convey information. The campus police have a Mobile Communications Center that can be deployed to serve as an alternate Emergency Operation Center. There are cell phones, walkie-talkies, satellite phones, 2-way radios and Ham (Amateur) radio available for use by Public Safety and emergency personnel.
  • CSULA Emergency Operation Center (EOC): is located in Lot G where dependant on the emergency will be activated. The emergency management team will convene to assess the situation and determine what actions will be taken based on the severity of the event. If safe to occupy the EOC will serve as the centralized location where information will be received and disseminated from and where resources and personnel will be deployed from. The EOC facility is for the emergency management and response teams use only. Numerous campus personnel have attended Community Emergency Responder's training facilitated by LAFD. These individuals are qualified to assist with light search and rescue and will be deployed if available and as appropriate driven by the nature of the event.
    • The CSULA Emergency Operations Center is equipped with a myriad of emergency supplies for emergency personnel use in the assembly areas and to sustain emergency personnel working the event for a short duration of time. It is highly recommended that each individual carry with them a modest emergency supply kit equipped with water and rations etc to sustain them for a period of time.
  • In the event of a major campus emergency campus roadways will be reserved for emergency vehicles and responders.
  • Designated pickup points will be announced via local news and to assembly areas as practical.

Recommendation: Check your local news and information disseminated by the campus for designated pickup points where you will be allowed to travel on and/or off campus to a nearby location to pickup your children.

• Medical Assistance - The CSULA Student Health Center as practical will be relied upon to set up and manage medical operations for a major emergency event (the Health Center is located south of the Fine Arts Building - the second building past the gymnasium, across from Biological Sciences -- bottom red dot on map). Each assembly area as practical will have minimum first aid supplies deployed to their locations from the EOC. There are five hospitals in close proximity to CSULA, these numbers are provided to you as a convenience if you should need to contact them:
  • Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center -- 323/226-2622
  • White Memorial Medical Center -- Emergency: 323/260-5800, Admitting: 323/260-5737
  • Alhambra Community Hospital -- 626/570-1606
  • Santa Marta Community Hospital -- 323/266-6500
  • Monterey Park Community Hospital -- 626/570-9000

Recommendation: Please know that in the event of a major disaster all emergency responders and hospital personnel will be inundated with calls and overwhelmed with patient care based on the extraordinary demands of the emergency. Please prepare your home, yourselves, and your children by having a family disaster plan, supplies, and the ability to turn off your utilities as prescribed in the Emergency Preparedness links.

• What you can do to help:
  • Get Prepared - Have a Family Disaster Plan, have emergency supplies on hand at home, in your office, in your school backpacks, vehicles, and learn how to turn off your utilities at home. Talk to your children and hold practice drills at home (see American Red Cross website for emergency preparedness planning tools).
  • Get Information - For information it is recommended that you consult your local news first, establish communication with your out-of-state and/or out-of-area contact and with your children via cell phone directly. This will help assure you of their status and keep emergency telephone lines open.
  • Communicate - Have a buddy system established with other PEEP's for pick-up and drop-offs as necessary. Example: A PEEP that works near campus and lives near you could pick up your child and transport them to the valley or inland empire etc on their way home.
  • Expectations - In a disaster it takes time for emergency personnel to assess the magnitude of the situation to determine if the campus should be closed or if a particular building should be closed, again this is all driven by the nature of the disaster. Know in advance that in a major disaster there will be chaos, expect it. Know that emergency services and personnel will be inundated and overwhelmed with calls for service but are doing the best they can to serve those that are in despair on a priority basis.

Recommendation: Know that you can help by being prepared and having your child prepared with enough emergency supplies to remain on campus for a period of time until it is determined safe for them to be escorted to an area on campus for subsequent pickup by parent or parental designee.

• What EEPsters should do in an emergency:
  • Follow Instructions: Initially, EEPsters and other students, faculty, and staff will be directed to appropriate assembly areas where they will await further instructions, obtain additional information, where triaging and first aid will be provided as available and practical based on the emergency. In case of evacuation, EEPsters are to follow the directions of the Building and Evacuation coordinators (BC & EC) of the respective building they are in. They should not try to join friends, or reach the EEP lounge or any other specific location until they are advised of safe passage or escorted by the BC and/or EC, police personnel, or official police designee.
  • Evacuate Calmly: Dependant on the emergency they may be directed to calmly evacuate the building. Each emergency be it earthquake or fire has particular actions to take. Please familiarize yourself and your child with CSULA emergency procedures located in the quarterly class schedules.
  • If Trapped or Injured: To facilitate a safe exit EEPsters should be aware of the exits available in each building. Also, remember during an earthquake to stay clear of vulnerable areas such as pedestrian bridges, ramps, brick facades and large glass windows. Upon exiting a building during or after an earthquake be sure to look up to avoid any falling debris. If you become trapped and/or injured where you cannot walk on your own power, seek help from someone close by, and/or call 911 or on-campus numbers too:
    • Campus security -- 323/343-3700
    • Campus medical -- 323/343-3301

  Recommendation: If trapped in a building or injured if you are able when calling for help be ready to provide your exact location such as King Hall, B-Wing, and room number or stairwell so emergency personnel are able to locate you.

  • Assembly Areas: During regular business hours a Building and Evacuation Coordinator or their designees as well as Floor Monitors will be on hand to direct building occupants to the assembly areas. Many of these individuals have had CERT training. A situation report from the BC and/or the EC will be sent from the respective assembly area(s) to the EOC to provide the status of the building and the occupants. From there emergency supplies and personnel will be deployed to that assembly area as available and practical. The EEPster should follow the directions of their instructor and emergency personnel such as Building and Evacuation Coordinators, Floor Monitors, and Public Safety personnel.

  Recommendation: Each person should have an emergency preparedness mindset and carry with them a modicum of emergency supplies to sustain them for a period of time.

  • What the EEPster should do upon arrival at the Assembly Area:
    • Identify - them as being an EEPster to the BC and/or EC so that they can be accounted for on the roll call list portion of the Situation/Status Report subsequently provided to the EOC.
    • Seek medical attention - as necessary by contacting the BC and/or EC in the assembly area.
    • Communicate - Once physically safe, EEPsters should call first their out-of-state and/or out-of-area contacts, then try to establish contact with parents/guardians (leaving multiple messages at work, home and cell phones/beepers), realizing that parents will be desperate to find out how they are and where they are. If an EEPster does not have a (working) cell phone, borrow one from a fellow student. It is estimated that over 90% of EEPsters carry cell phones, so communication is not expected to be a problem.
    • Notify EEP Office - Next EEPsters should call the EEP office to leave a message of how they are and where they are, and where they have been instructed to go.
      • EEP Office -- 323/343-2287
      • EEP Lounge -- 323/343-5488
      Be advised that the EEP office telephones may be out of order in the event of a major disaster. EEPsters should maintain status updates with out-of-state and/or out-of-area contacts and parents as practical.
    • Works in progress:
      • PEEP Telephone Tree - The EEP department is establishing a PEEP telephone tree, to be updated each year, to make sure that all parents stay informed.
      • Buddy System - Establishing a buddy system that allows all EEPsters to pick a buddy, someone who lives near or on the way home, so that in case of a major emergency, there is help available for both the student and the parent. In a major emergency, it may not be possible for parents to pick up their children, or for the children to take the normal mass transit home. In these cases it will be important for every child to have a pre-arranged alternate place to go, that both the EEPster and the parents agree upon once they are able to be picked up from campus.
      • Emergency Card - Another useful idea is to create a handy wallet-sized emergency card with information on what to do, whom to call, and when to call, designee for pickup. Forms to allow the release of an underage child to a designee authorized by a parent should be included on the emergency card. Be prepared to show identification when picking up your children or as the designee to pick up another's child.
      • Class Schedules - Also, parents need to be aware of their EEPster's schedule of classes to know where their students are likely to be during the course of a school day.
      • EEP Department Emergency Preparation - Finally, parents should be advised that the EEP rooms contain a modest supply of first aid and food supplies -- a first aid kit, non-battery flashlights, portable radio with batteries, and some water and food supplies. Primary emergency/rescue supplies are arranged by Public Safety for emergency personnel, but the University does not store food and water for students, faculty, and staff. With a population that could exceed 20,000 during peak business hours it is not feasible. Likewise, the EEP supplies would not serve all 150 EEPsters for any extended period of time. EEP office staff (and several EEPsters) have been trained in emergency procedures, but it should be noted that the primary responsibility for safety will rest on the individual student, since most of the time the student will not be in the EEP lounge. They should let common sense prevail in the event of an emergency.
      • Individual Emergency Preparedness Kits - It is imperative that all EEPsters be equipped with and carry with them a modest emergency preparedness kit and be aware of campus emergency procedures. We would also encourage you and your child to obtain age appropriate First Aid, CPR, and CERT training. For information on classes contact the American Red Cross and/or your local fire department.

• For some additional useful safety tips for home and office, you may visit the following sites:
  • In earthquakes, "Drop, Cover, Hold-On" is the most recommended approach (click here for article by FEMA, also endorsed by Red Cross), with a contrasting view of alternative safety beside large masses called "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp of ARTI (American Rescue Team International) disputed by the Red Cross.
  • Earthquake Preparedness Handbook by the LAFD. See also the Red Cross list of 27 things you can do to survive an earthquake -- also available in Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
  • Home Fire Prevention tips from LAFD
  • Extensive preparedness lists and tips from Epicenter and also a "Personal Planning - Emergency Preparedness" list from CSULA.
  • In general, it's wise to keep your cars filled with gas (if there is no electricity, the pumps may not even work!), and to have copies of important papers (insurance, wills, licenses, etc) stored in alternative locations. Also, familiarize yourself with the important utility shut-offs in your home (gas, water); it is estimated that 95% of the 911 emergency calls received could be averted if people just knew this type of simple information.

  PEEPs Janice Cheung and Donna Hay met with CSULA Emergency Operations (Desiree Bumgarner -- Administrative Services Manager. University Police) to review the CSULA emergency procedures and capabilities. Ms. Bumgarner was a guest speaker to all interested PEEPs at the December 4, 2005 PEEP Meeting; this document includes a summary of the topics she discussed. Please feel free to contact either PEEP Janice Cheung at 213/673-9303 or PEEP Donna Hay at 818/905-6249 for further discussion or with questions. Parents should take comfort in the high level of preparedness by CSULA, and the fact that our children are on campus during the day when there are the least number of students, and the highest number of adults -- approximately a 6-to-1 child-to-adult ratio.
  
  

  Note: Information contained in the CSULA Multi-Hazard Plan; Emergency Inventories and Staffing roles and responsibilities are subject to change.

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