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Concept of Operations

The University recognizes that emergencies and disasters can occur at any time, with little to no warning, and may require near-immediate activation of components of the plan as well as the commitment and deployment of all associated resources and personnel. As such, there are a number of primary concepts that, in conjunction with other concepts established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) such as the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), are critical in guiding the University’s operations in a Major Incident.

When an incident that poses an elevated risk to the University and requires a coordinated response occurs, this section will serve as a guide and framework for the activation of the EOP and the University’s coordinated response. Centralization of the University’s operational structure, as established in this EOP, will be necessary to ensure the most effective coordination of response and recovery actions, information sharing and documentation, and resource management.

Plan Activation

The EOP may be activated both formally and informally and will serve as the guiding plan for all major incidents and major events. For major incidents, EOP activation will occur through established methods of communication to ensure appropriate mobilization and activation. The Office of Emergency Management and Planning is responsible for determining when, and to what extent, the EOP and EOC will be activated, and for notifying EMOs, EML, EPOs, and the Chancellor of such decisions.

Following the incident classification model established in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), there are five types of incidents (Types I, II, III, IV, and V), with Type I having the greatest impact and requiring a significant number of additional resources and coordination. As incidents can dramatically change in scale with little to no notice, they can also change types without matching every type in between (i.e.: a Type V Incident can become a Type II Incident without ever being classified as Types IV or III). As an incident’s type changes, all of the activities started at the lower severity levels continue to be performed. A Type I incident will generally include all of the activities carried out in Types V through II.

Incident Levels with EOP and EOC Status
Incident Type (ICS) Risk Level EOP Status EOC Status
Type V
Single incident with response limited to a few hours of one operational period, requiring a few local resources to mitigate/manage.		 Low Not Activated Level 4 – Not Activated
Type IV
Single incident limited to one operational period, requiring several local resources to mitigate/manage.		 Guarded Not Activated Level 3 – Monitoring
Type III
Incident(s) requiring one or more operational periods, multiple local resources, and limited mutual aid to mitigate/manage. May require limited EOC activation.		 Elevated Activated – some ESFs Level 2 – Limited Activation
Type II
Incident(s) requiring multiple operational periods, extensive local, mutual aid, and state resources, and limited or full EOC activation to mitigate/manage.		 High Activated – most, if not all ESFs Level 2 – Limited Activation OR
Level 1 – Full Activation
Type I
Incident(s) requiring multiple operational periods, extensive local, mutual aid, state resources, and limited or full EOC activation to mitigate/manage. May require Governor’s State of Emergency for National Guard.		 Extreme Activated – most, if not all ESFs Level 1 – Full Activation

The University considers a Major Incident or Major Event to be one which rises to Type III or above. The EOP will be activated for all Major Incidents and Major Events, though the extent of the activation will vary based on the Major Incident/Major Event and will be determined by OEMP. Likewise, the incident type will ultimately be determined by OEMP, relying on the advice of the Chief of Police, Executive Director of EHS, and the IC.

The University follows the National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework; utilizing a common understanding of the fundamentals of risk-informed planning and decision-making to guide the University in examining an incident and producing an integrated, coordinated, and synchronized response. Once the plan is activated, the University’s EOC serves as the focal point for coordination across the University and with external agencies. Under the NIMS framework, the terms ‘Command’ and ‘Coordination’ refer to two distinct but equally critical aspects of operational control.

Command refers to the immediate control of the active response to the incident in question. The Incident Commander (IC) maintains command of an incident, regardless of whether the EOC has been activated. The IC is the individual on scene who has the primary responsibility for orchestrating the immediate response, developing incident objectives, and determining the need for and requesting additional resources. They are the primary authority for incident response operations.

Coordination refers to the cooperative action undertaken at all levels of the Emergency Management Organizational Structure to support the active response. The EOC orchestrates the Coordination aspect by facilitating open and active communication between participating units, the IC, the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group, and other parties as appropriate; while the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group facilitates coordination between senior level groups, such as UNC System partners, other UNC System institutions, and the Governor’s Office.

Emergency Support Functions identify critical areas of the University’s response to major incidents and establish expectations, responsibilities, and roles for each area. Within the National Response Framework, FEMA has established fifteen ESFs for use by the federal government. The University has modified these fifteen ESFs, and added additional ones, to more closely suit this community and to ensure that the University is as prepared as possible.
The University utilizes a number of tools and processes to inform emergency operations on campus and to notify the community as appropriate. The most prominent of these tools is the University’s Emergency Notification System, known as Alert Carolina, which utilizes a combination of push notifications through the Carolina Ready Safety App, emails, text messages, social media, and emergency sirens to notify the community of four distinct types of messages: Emergency Warnings, Crime Alerts, Adverse Conditions, and Informational. More information on each of these notifications can be found at alertcarolina.unc.edu.

The Office of Emergency Management and Planning is charged with establishing and maintaining methods of EMO, EML, and EPO notification and coordination. These plans and procedures are maintained internally and involve integrated software solutions from various technologies that provide a host of notification types and coordination capabilities, including remote EOC integration.

The University also utilizes both public and private resources in order to most effectively monitor adverse weather on campus. The University uses various products to provide instantaneous information and relies on the National Weather Service’s Weather Forecasting Office in Raleigh, NC for official outlook and adverse weather forecasting as well as for specific weather-related inquiries and expert advice.

Resource Management involves collaboration and coordination across the University, local, and state organizations to systematically manage resources; to include personnel, equipment, teams, supplies, and facilities. As the University’s coordination hub, the EOC ensures that external partners do not receive duplicate or conflicting requests and/or information. OEMP is the University’s central point of contact for coordination of all resource requests with local and state Emergency Management Agencies.
In response to an Emergency or Disaster, the Chancellor, or their designee according to the Continuity of Administration Plan, may declare a Campus State of Emergency to allow for the allocation of additional university resources as well as aid from external sources, such as the State of North Carolina and the federal government, in order to better provide for the protection of lives and property and to ensure the continuity of critical functions. During a Campus State of Emergency, the Chancellor may temporarily suspend rules which would adversely hinder or delay actions necessary to provide for the health and safety needs of the University’s community. In addition, designated university officials may utilize all campus resources to aid the response to the emergency. A Campus State of Emergency is not necessary to activate any portion of the plan and would typically only be issued after the EOP has been activated, if necessary.

A State of Emergency declaration issued by local authorities in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 166A-19.22 does not necessarily constitute a Campus State of Emergency. When a local State of Emergency has been issued, the University may declare a Campus State of Emergency in conjunction with local authorities or may elect to adhere to the directions, prohibitions, and restrictions issued within the local declaration in whole or in part. A Campus State of Emergency typically complements a local declaration but may be issued independently.

In its pursuit of a prepared nation, FEMA has established five mission areas that are highly interdependent and critical tools in both emergency preparedness and disaster response. The University utilizes these same mission areas in order to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters that may affect it. The five mission areas are: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery.

FEMA has also set forth 32 core capabilities as essential for an effective, whole community emergency management and preparedness system. While most of the core capabilities fall within a single mission area, some cross between multiple areas and three (Planning, Public Information and Warning, and Operational Coordination) fall within all five mission areas. The core capabilities, like the mission areas, are not solely the responsibility of any one business unit, agency, government, or organization. Rather, each core capability and mission area is a combined effort requiring the commitment of individuals and groups across the University. The following sections provide an overview of each mission area.

Prevention consists of the core capabilities that function to avoid, prevent, or stop threatened or actual acts of violence or terrorism. Prevention is the only mission area that does not take an all-hazards approach, but rather focuses solely on human-caused threats and attacks, including on-going and follow-up acts.
Protection builds on Prevention by involving additional core capabilities to protect the University against acts of violence and terrorism as well as natural, technological, and human-caused hazards. The Protection mission area focuses on protecting people, property, and ways of life, and includes a particular focus on critical infrastructure and key resource protection.
Mitigation focuses on reducing the potential impact of a hazard. It addresses the various approaches taken to eliminate or minimize the presence of a hazard and to limit exposure and interaction between a hazard and the public, property, and the environment. All mitigation actions and the mitigation planning process are detailed in the 2021 UNC System North Carolina Eastern Campuses Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Response embodies the actions taken following an incident in order to save and sustain lives, meet basic human needs, and reduce the loss of property as well as the effect on critical infrastructure and the environment. The Response mission area has 15 core capabilities and can be divided into operational priorities for each of the three impact phases, each of which speaks to a particular period within the Response mission area: Pre-Impact, Impact, and Post-Impact. Though the three phases provide a linear and comprehensive overview of the Response Area, not every response will include all three phases, nor will each phase strictly occur following the conclusion of the prior phase; some responses may not include a pre-impact phase while others may start parts of the post-impact phase during the impact phase. The Response operational priorities and Response Phases are as follows:

Pre-Impact Response Phase: Hazard Control and Assessment

In the Pre-Impact Response Phase, the University acts to anticipate and evaluate impending threats or hazards to the University. During this phase, the University will initiate select control and mitigation strategies. For example, when the University has reason to believe that a significant winter weather event is incoming, the University would seek to gather information about potential impacts to campus, begin mitigation efforts to lessen any anticipated impacts to campus, and communicate information to the campus as appropriate.

Impact Response Phase: Protective Action Implementation

In this phase, the University will initiate and carry out protective action(s) appropriate to the ongoing incident or event and deploy additional primary and/or support resources as needed. Generally, the need for additional resources will be determined at the Incident Command level and be referred to the EOC for fulfillment. For example, during a winter weather event, the University would work to maintain the operation of critical campus systems (such as energy and potable water provision, law enforcement and emergency services, and pre-identified critical roadways and passages), communicate updates and changes in University Condition with the campus community, and take other actions as needed to minimize the overall impact.

Post-Impact Response Phase: Assessment and Allocation of Short-Term Needs

Short-term operational needs are determined from and based upon actions and assessments carried out during the Impact Response Phase. The Post-Impact Response Phase revolves around identifying and prioritizing these needs and establishing the necessary arrangements to meet these needs. This phase often blurs the line between the Impact Response Phase and the Recovery mission area, as needs may be identified, and potentially met, beginning in the Impact Response Phase and continuing into full scale recovery operations. For example, following a winter weather event, the University would take action to restore transportation routes, repair impacted facilities, ensure fully functioning utilities, and see to the needs of the campus community as applicable, as well as communicate actions and updates to the campus community.

Recovery includes both short-term and long-term efforts aimed at rebuilding and revitalizing the affected communities. Recovery planning builds partnerships that foster community restoration, as well as future sustainability and resiliency, and requires the involvement of a broad spectrum of community groups and members that expands far beyond the traditional list of disaster response personnel. Recovery efforts can benefit significantly from effective planning and mitigation and can likewise provide invaluable lessons to be used in the Prevention and Mitigation mission areas.