Emergency Management Program

We know that disasters and emergencies will occur. Safety and preparedness continue to be at the forefront for campuses and communities across the country. Eastern Michigan University is committed to the safety and security of its, students, faculty and staff and the resiliency of the campus community to deliver its services.

Eastern Michigan University has an emergency management office within the Department of Public Safety.  The contact information for the emergency management office is:

Mark Wesley
Emergency Management Director
204C Public Safety Building
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

Email: mwesley3@emich.edu
Office: 734-487-0799

The emergency management program provides organized analysis, planning, recommendations and evaluation to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of all hazards. The emergency management program’s vision and mission are:

Vision
The creation of a safe and resilient campus community founded on established public safety and emergency management principles and a leader among university emergency management.

Mission
Eastern Michigan University will manage a comprehensive and collaborative program to improve the safety and resiliency of the University from all hazards.

What will the program accomplish?

First, emergency management is working to ensure the safety and welfare of those on campus by providing appropriate policies, procedures, and strategies to maintain a safe campus.  This includes assessing the risks facing the campus, developing proactive strategies, plans and procedures in preparation for events, and identifying the capabilities we need in responding to events.

Second, we are building support and implementing a thorough and systematic process to prepare for and manage emergencies on campus. We will work with external partners as a “community within a community”, making sure that our efforts are integrated, understood and leverage our available resources efficiently and effectively.

How are we going to accomplish this?

We will foster partnerships and collaboration.
Every department responsible for creating a safe environment and enhancing campus functions must be involved in planning efforts. This means involving a variety of departments and functions across the campus and reaching out to community partners. We will work together across departments and disciplines through a campus incident management committee that includes key functional areas – administration, academic affairs, student affairs, housing, facilities, information technology, public safety, health and environmental safety, external partners, and others to build a comprehensive and collaborative management environment that supports a “One Team, One Mission” philosophy.

We will adopt an “all-hazards” approach to account for the full range of hazards that threaten or may threaten the campus.
All-hazards planning is a more efficient and effective way to prepare for emergencies. Rather than managing planning initiatives for a multitude of threat scenarios, all-hazard planning develops capacities and capabilities that are critical to prepare for a full spectrum of emergencies or disasters, including natural hazards, technological hazards, and violence and terrorism.

We will identify new and enhance existing capabilities.
We will work to make the most of the resources we currently have available to us, understanding the realities of current budgetary and fiscal constraints. We will identify new technologies to support alert and notification systems, crisis communications, responder safety and overall campus safety and seek ways to acquire and sustain those that prove beneficial for the university.

We will plan, train, and exercise on a continuous basis.
The more plans are practiced and people trained on them, the better the campus responds to emergencies in a comprehensive and effective manner. The ability to do this comes from practice. Exercises are an effective way to identify gaps and weaknesses in the plan and to train students, staff, faculty, and campus administrators in the emergency management procedures. All practicing and training must be done in conjunction with relevant community partners and focus on the key procedures and strategies outlined in the plans.