Annex T: Travel and Transportation

Dallas College Support Annex T – Travel and Transportation

This Emergency Operations Plan Annex is hereby approved for Dallas College. This plan annex is effective immediately and supersedes all previous editions.

See Emergency Operations Plan, Authority.

The Hazard Annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan organize the applicable college positions, departments, and outside support agencies into groups according to their roles in response to a pre-determined category of hazard(s) that may create a campus emergency or disaster. Outside agencies may include: governmental, non-governmental, private sector, and other volunteer resources. The Hazard Annex provides basic information for hazard-specific operations and resources which might be needed for an incident that affects Dallas College. Hazard Annexes may trigger EOC and subsequent ESF Annex activations will provide response command and control.

Hazard Annexes provide hazard-specific guidance for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manager and ESFs in response to all activation level emergencies as outlined in the EOP. Designated department and agency resources may be requested to respond or recover from emergency incidents that affect the college. Normally, the response and recovery actions will be coordinated from the EOC as Incident or Unified Command will use the resources at the incident scene.

Purpose

The purpose of the Travel and Transportation Annex is to provide a hazard-specific framework for use during a local rail emergency, domestic, or international travel related emergency or disaster impacting Dallas College.

Scope

The Travel and Transportation Hazard Annex:

• Is applicable to all incidents that are college sponsored, occur on college property, or utilize college transportation resources.

Prior to passenger car or bus travel with college owned transportation, the operator will follow administrative procedures for obtaining a vehicle, declaring the occupants, filing a destination, and following any administrative policies as defined by the college.

Upon the notification of a passenger car or bus travel incident the college may activate the EOC and activate the necessary ESFs to manage the situation. Response and recovery operations will be conducted as identified in the EOP, this hazard annex, and departmental SOPs.

Emergencies and disasters may occur and impact members of the campus community who are travelling within the United States. The college may stand up the EOC for incidents that occur during college sponsored travel. Administrative policies and procedures established by the college shall be followed for all travel events. Response and recovery operations will be conducted as identified in the EOP and departmental SOPs. Potential emergencies within the scope of this annex include, but are not limited to:

• Criminal cases
  • Sexual harassment or sexual assault
  • Assault
  • Theft
  • Arrest
• Civil or Political Unrest
• Terrorist Acts
• Hostage Situation
• Natural Disaster
• Serious Illness or Injury
• Death

Information Sharing Prior to Travel

This information sharing section applies to college sponsored groups of 5 or more traveling more than 75 miles from the service area. For all other travel events, the Trip Leader shall follow college policy and provide the required information to any other department as required by established SOPs.

Before any college sponsored domestic travel event the trip leader will collect the following information for all persons travelling to be provided to their Manager:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Cell Phone Number
• Health Insurance and Medical Information
  • Insurance Provider
  • Insurance Number
  • Group Code
  • Known Allergies or Existing Medical Conditions
  • Existing Medications
• Emergency Contact Name
• Emergency Contact Phone Number
• Emergency Contact Address
• Detailed Group Flight, Train, and/or Shuttle Information
• Detailed Group Lodging Information
• Detailed Group Itinerary

Response Operations

For emergencies occurring during a travel event, and after contacting any needed local authorities or resources, the Trip Leader will contact their Manager to communicate the emergency situation. The Manager will contact the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs and Legal Department. The college EMC upon notification will activate the EOC, if necessary, and begin appropriate actions.

The Manager will communicate with the contracted travel management agency, if utilized, and/or the local agencies in order to share relevant information and assist in coordinating response to emergencies involving members of the college travelling domestically. An incident liaison will be dispatched to the scene as soon as practical if deemed necessary.

The EOC may be fully activated for any natural disaster, terrorist incident, mass casualty event, or other incident deemed significant by the EMC that involves members of the campus community travelling domestically. The EOC will activate the appropriate ESFs for reaching emergency contacts, coordinating any necessary evacuations, coordinating any necessary medical provisions, and communicating externally.

Emergencies and disasters may occur and impact members of the campus community who are travelling internationally. International incidents complicate emergency and disaster response. Emergency plans and procedures are in place to provide a framework for planning, preparedness, response, and recovery for international travel emergency. Potential emergencies within the scope of this annex include, but are not limited to:

• Criminal cases
  • Sexual harassment or sexual assault
  • Assault
  • Theft
  • Arrest
• Civil or Political Unrest
• Terrorist Acts
• Hostage Situation
• Natural Disaster
• Serious Illness or Injury
• Death

Information Sharing Prior to Travel

Before any college sponsored international travel or study abroad event a faculty or staff representative will be designated the Trip Leader for the event. The Trip Leader will provide a final document packet with Emergency Protocols, Incident Report forms, Dallas College Emergency Contact information, and any other items specific to the particular trip will be sent by the Trip Leader via email to the Office of Global Economic Development (see Study Abroad and International Travel - Trip Leaders Handbook)

Emergency Preparation

Each student, faculty, and staff member who is a U.S. citizen and traveling internationally will register with the U.S. Embassies or Consulates through the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) https://step.state.gov/step. Registration will make a traveler’s presence and whereabouts known should it be necessary to contact them in an emergency. STEP also provides the ability to obtain routine information from the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The Trip Leader is responsible for disseminating to all travelers any provided safety guidance issued by The college.

Response Operations

For emergencies occurring during a travel event, and after contacting any needed local authorities or resources, the Trip Leader will contact Office of Global Economic Development to communicate the emergency situation. Office of Global Economic Development will contact the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs and Legal Department. The College EMC upon notification will activate the EOC, if necessary, and begin appropriate actions.

Office of Global Economic Development will communicate with the contracted travel insurance agency, travel management agency, if utilized, and/or the U.S. State Department in order to share relevant information and assist in coordinating response to emergencies overseas involving members of the college travelling internationally.

The EOC may be fully activated for any natural disaster, terrorist incident, mass casualty event, or other incident deemed significant by the EMC that involves members of the campus community travelling internationally. The EOC will activate the appropriate ESFs for reaching emergency contacts, coordinating any necessary evacuations, coordinating any necessary medical provisions, and communicating externally.

The Department of Public Safety and Security will be the primary agency assigned to making or directing local agencies (respective to individual residency) to make family notifications in the event of a significant incident, injury, or death of an individual.

International Travel Restrictions

The college may impose restrictions on college sponsored travel activity to areas of conflict or outbreak of infectious disease. The travel warnings or advisories issued by the U.S. State Department, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization shall be heeded by all college sponsored travel planners (see Study Abroad and International Travel - Trip Leaders Handbook for further details). Additional return-to-campus restrictions may be placed on faculty, staff, or students that are known to have traveled (including personal travel) to locations with infectious disease warnings and public health may be negatively impacted by an individual or group’s immediate return to the campus population.

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Definitions