The Emergency Support Function (ESF) annexes to the Emergency Operations Plan organize the applicable college positions, departments, and outside support agencies into groups according to their roles in strategic response to a campus emergency or disaster. Outside agencies may include: governmental, non-governmental, private sector, and other volunteer resources. The ESF annex provides basic information on available internal and external departments and agencies that might be needed for an incident that affects Dallas College. Each ESF has at least one lead position or department within the College that will lead the specific response, one or more supporting departments within the College that will provide response support, and one or more external supporting departments from the surrounding communities of Gainesville, Corinth, Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, Cooke County, Denton County, Montague County, Young County, and neighboring jurisdictions.
ESFs will normally be activated at the direction of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manager in response to activation level 3 or greater 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.
The primary position/department/office(s) will normally be responsible for coordinating specific requirements associated with the emergency support function. Support position/department/office(s) may be contacted to provide expertise and assistance, as needed. Finally, external departments/agencies may be needed if internal resources are overwhelmed or where College capabilities do not exist (such as emergency medical or fire services.) In all cases, prior memorandums of understanding, mutual aid agreements, or funding issues would need to be addressed prior to requesting assistance.
Purpose
The purpose of ESF 2 is to maintain communication and technology systems to ensure operations and instructional continuity, as well as support public safety in normal operating conditions and emergency situations.
Scope
Emergency Support Function 2:
- Works to ensure accurate and efficient transmission of information during an incident.
- Coordinates communication activities and resources during the response phase immediately following an emergency or disaster.
- Facilitates damage assessments of communications infrastructure to establish priorities and determine needs of available communication resources.
- May be activated to respond to incidents that overwhelm normal Incident Command response actions.
Situation
Dallas College is exposed to many hazards, all of which have the potential for disrupting the community, causing casualties, and damaging or destroying public or private property. Potential emergencies and disasters include both natural and human-caused incidents.
See the EOP Hazard Summary for the potential emergencies that may impact the College.
Assumptions
The College makes the following planning assumptions:
- College resources will be quickly overwhelmed.
- Communication systems may fail during a major incident.
- Backup systems will be available, but may take time to activate.
- Shortfalls can be expected in both support personnel and equipment.
- Local, state, and federal assistance may not be immediately available.