For nearly two decades, the UW has developed and continually refines a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) in order to be prepared before, during, and following a major emergency or disaster that could impact the core operations of the university. As the general “road-map” by which the University would respond, organize and recover from all-hazards and threats (natural, technological and human-caused), this plan is intended to minimize the impacts of emergencies and disasters and ensure that people and property are well protected.
The UW’s all-Hazards Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan is updated triennially (every 3 years) with input from university departments and units, local and regional stakeholders as well as interested members of the general public. The format of the plan follows national best practices utilizing a modified Incident Command System (ICS) structure by which the university re-organizes its normal decision-making structure in order to facilitate more rapid situational assessment and decision-making when in a crisis.
The CEMP is considered a general “roadmap” for collecting critical incident and event information, analyzing the situation, forming a standard process for response and developing a coordinated system-wide effective response.