Emergencies

Dialing 9-1-1 on any campus phone and any pay phone (no coins needed) on campus property, or pushing the red button on any campus emergency (Code Blue) phone will connect the caller directly into the UC Police Department’s 24-hour Communications Center and be handled immediately. If calling from a cellular phone, the emergency line is 642-3333. An emergency can be an in-progress crime or incident, or an immediate public safety issue, including hazardous materials spills.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) implements programs and projects in emergency planning, training, response, and recovery. Their mission is to prepare the campus to respond to and recover from any type of emergency or disaster. OEM manages the Building Coordinator program and Emergency Management Area Coordinator program and sponsors special events such as the Health and Safety Fair, and CPR Saturday. OEM also manages the HOME Team volunteer program, supporting a network of trained volunteers to assist key departments in post-disaster search and rescue, first aid and triage, shelter operations, and communications support. In addition, OEM maintains and tests UC Berkeley’s Disaster Response Plan to ensure competency and readiness among campus staff. The complete Building Emergency Plan can be found here.

In case of a large-scale emergency, such as an earthquake, the activation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be authorized by the Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor, Administratiion and Finance (VCAF), and/or the Police Chief. Until the campus EOC Manager is present, the EOC will be managed by the highest ranking Police Department employee available. Only the Chancellor or the VCAF may declare a campus state of emergency, and officially downgrade the state of emergency to a business-as-usual state. The Police Chief, acting as the EOC Manager, has overall responsibility for the management of all emergency activities, including the development, implementation and review of strategic decisions, and post event assessment. The EOC Manager also has the responsibility for communicating with the Chancellor's Emergency Policy Group, advising them on the campus status and options for action.

Building Coordinators prepare building response plans and coordinate education and planning for all building occupants. In addition, they serve as the communication liaison between campus service agencies, such as OEP, and building occupants.

Department Safety Coordinators are responsible for the development and implementation of department/unit emergency plans. These plans incorporate the Building Emergency Plan which identifies appropriate emergency assembly points and contains evacuation plans and maps. The department emergency plans also identify possible materials for inclusion in a department/unit emergency kit, identify methods for securing building contents, and plan for the collection and dissemination of emergency information. The Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) has established a web site for Department Safety Coordinators and coordinates the program across campus.

Administrative officials are responsible for appointing Department Safety Coordinators and Building Coordinators. Administrative officials are also responsible for ensuring that all employees under their jurisdiction are familiar with, and understand how to implement, their department’s emergency plan.