UW’s preparedness and response is made stronger by multi-unit and multi-campus teams involving students, staff and faculty. Teams include:
Preparedness Oversight Committee
The UW Preparedness Oversight Committee provides guidance and strategic direction for the University’s overall emergency, disaster management and business continuity programs. Members include representatives from key UW operational and academic units across the three campuses.
Weather Status Assessment Group
The UW Weather Status Assessment group quickly assesses current weather conditions and future forecasts that have the potential to impact campus operations. The group provides recommendations for changes in campus operations as required for safety. Members include representatives from operational and academic units across the three campuses.
Incident Coordination Team
The UW Incident Coordination Team (ICT) is a group convened at the start of what could be a significant incident posing a threat to safety and infrastructure, such as a building fire, extreme weather event or an earthquake.
The ICT is activated by UWEM to conduct an initial assessment of the incident, monitor the situation, assist any activated unit response centers and support other responders and University decision-makers with real-time information. Members also share information with their areas. UWEM and the ICT decide whether the incident merits activation of the UW’s Emergency Operations Center.
Crisis Communications Teams
Each campus and UW Medicine have a Crisis Communications Team which convenes when incidents occur that may merit notice to students, staff and faculty. That notice takes the form of a UW Alert or UW Advisory messages. The teams evaluate the facts of an incident or evolving situation and develop messages which are then texted and emailed, as well as posted to the UW Alert webpage for each campus. See UW’s Crisis Communication plan.