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Organization and Assignment of Responsibility

During an emergency or disaster, it is critical that chains of command and scopes of authorities be clearly established and strictly adhered to. In order to minimize and eliminate any conflicts or confusion in command, the following sections, as well as the structure depicted in the graphic below, establish modifications to the University’s organizational structure that provide for a direct chain of command from the Chancellor to all involved parties during a major incident on campus. During a major incident, it is possible that any business unit could be called upon to assist in emergency operations.

Emergency Management Organizational Structure graphic

During a Major Incident that requires the activation of this EOP, the University’s organizational structure is consolidated in order to ensure the efficient and effective flow of information, decisions, and actions between Emergency Policy Officials (EPO), Emergency Management Liaisons (EML), Emergency Management Officials (EMO), and On-scene Personnel/Essential Staff. This consolidation involves the activation of the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group (CEPG), a group of senior university administrators who advise the Chancellor on policy decisions and operational status. It also involves the establishment of an Incident Command, with the authority and responsibility to command all on-scene activities under a single operational command structure, and the activation of the EOC to coordinate the response and support Incident Command objectives and operations, as well as to facilitate communication between the Incident Command and the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group.

Roles and Responsibilities

While the University has a rich tapestry of talented members to draw from, the unpredictability of a major incident requires that clear roles and responsibilities be established in advance and observed during an EOP activation. This section identifies the groups with primary responsibilities during an EOP activation, identifies their roles with respect to executive governance (Direction), operational and strategic management (Control and Coordination), On Scene Command and Incident Management (Command), and the general responsibilities of community members.

Emergency Policy Officials (EPO) are members of the University’s senior leadership who provide university-wide policy direction. In a major incident, EPOs are responsible for determining long-term response and recovery priorities and for conducting executive level communication and resource acquisition with other UNC System Institutions, the State of North Carolina, and the United States federal government. EPOs also advise the primary policy official, the Chancellor, on matters related to their span of control. EPOs do not make short term operational decisions or set operational objectives. Priorities established by EPOs are relayed through the EOC to the IC, who will then determine the appropriate steps and resources required.

During a major incident, the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group will be convened. The Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group provides executive-level decision making, direction, coordination, and communications support to the Chancellor to aid in the Chancellor’s direction of an incident.

Emergency Management Officials (EMO) and Emergency Management Liaisons (EML) bridge the gap between EPOs and Operational/On-Scene Personnel. EMOs and EMLs are responsible for coordinating operations involving multiple business units and/or local partners/agencies through the EOC and in support of the operational priorities established by the IC and EOC Manager and the executive priorities established by the Chancellor. EMOs’ efforts are focused on coordination occurring within and around the EOC, while EMLs serve as the guiding channel between the EMOs/EOC and the EPOs/CEPG.

Emergency Management Liaisons (EML) are typically Associate Vice Chancellors and their equivalents and oversee the specific units with primary responsibilities in the EOP. During an EOP activation, EMLs serve as liaisons between the Chancellor’s Emergency Policy Group and the EOC to ensure that objectives and strategies align with and are complimentary of policy decisions and priorities.

Emergency Management Officials (EMO) are predetermined members of departments with designated roles in the EOP’s Emergency Support Functions (ESF). These members are often directors and senior staff members/managers and serve as Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Staff during an EOC activation. EOC Staff work collaboratively to identify strategies, tactics, tasks, and activities useful in achieving the executive priorities established by the Chancellor and operational objectives set by the EOC Manager and IC. EOC staff are also responsible for supporting and advocating for resource and operational needs relayed from the IC and other Command Post officials.

The Office of Emergency Management and Planning (OEMP) is responsible for coordinating EOC operations and for notifying EMOs that their area of responsibility and expertise has been activated. OEMP is also responsible for maintaining a list of EMOs, EMLs, and EPOs and for identifying and facilitating appropriate training as it relates to these roles.

  • Incident Commander – The Incident Commander is the on-scene representative of the lead unit/agency who is responsible for coordinating on-scene activities, establishing on-scene objectives, requesting and clearing resources, and assigning responsibilities to responders/operational personnel. The Incident Commander, or IC, serves as the primary point of contact between the EOC and on-scene personnel. The IC should always be the member of the unit/agency leading the response with the most relevant experience and training regarding the incident type. This will often be a senior ranking member of the unit/agency but is not required to be. For incidents that impact multiple jurisdictions and/or unit/agency primary mandates, the IC role may be shared amongst representatives from each of the responsible units/agencies in a Unified Command format as defined by the Incident Command System and the National Incident Management System. The division of responsibility will depend on the incident.
  • Operational Personnel – Operational Personnel are the frontline workers whose responsibilities include functions critical to the continuing operation of the University. Examples of Operational Personnel include: Police Officers, EHS Fire Safety personnel, EHS Biological Safety personnel, Campus Maintenance personnel, Housekeeping personnel, and many others.
During most major incidents impacting the University, personnel from one or more of the University’s Campus Safety Units will either fill the role of Incident Commander or a command position within a Unified Command structure. The following sections detail the University’s Campus Safety apparatus.

  • Institutional Integrity & Risk Management (IIRM) – Headed by the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and Risk Management, IIRM provides general administrative oversight and direction for the University’s Campus Safety Units, amongst others.
  • Campus Safety and Risk Management (CSRM) – CSRM provides direct operational oversight to the University’s Campus Safety Units. The Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Risk Management oversees all CSRM operations and is the direct and immediate senior reporting individual for Campus Safety Leadership and their respective units.
  • Office of Emergency Management and Planning (OEMP) – Under the direction of the Director of Emergency Management and Planning, OEMP is responsible for executing the University’s Emergency Management Program. During an EOP activation, or any incident that requires resources from outside organizations that are not obtainable through established relationships, OEMP serves as the point of contact between the University and community partners at all levels. OEMP is also responsible for the activation and operation of the EOC.
  • UNC Police Department – Under the direction of the Chief of Police, UNC Police is the primary law enforcement agency within the University’s campus. UNC Police responds to a wide variety of emergency and non-emergency calls for service at any time of day, every day of the year.
  • Department of Environment, Health and Safety – Under the direction of the Executive Director of Environment, Health and Safety, EHS provides comprehensive environmental, health, and safety services to the University. This includes biological, chemical, fire, environmental, radiation, laboratory, and occupational health and safety components and training.

Furthermore, the Associate Vice Chancellor for CSRM oversees two additional units with critical campus safety functions that are not designated specific responsibilities or functions in the plan. The Protection of Minors on Campus unit is charged with creating a safe and welcoming environment for all minors who visit the University’s campus and/or who participate in University programs and is responsible for establishing standards, requirements, and procedures that specifically focus on protecting minors from maltreatment by a parent, guardian, caregiver, or staff of programs sponsored by, affiliated with, or conducted on University property. The Threat Assessment and Management unit encompasses both student and employee behavioral threat assessment and is charged with conducting a comprehensive, proactive, multi-disciplinary, coordinated, and objective approach to identifying potential threats to and/or acts of violence on campus, as well as identifying timely interventions and responses to those reports and overseeing and/or assisting in the operational assessment and intervention of individuals or groups who may engage in behavior posing a potential threat to the safety of the University community. While neither unit is assigned specific roles within the EOP or ESFs, either unit may be called upon during an incident to aid the EOC depending on the impacts of the incident and the need for their areas of expertise.

  • Business Units – All business units with Primary and Supporting roles in the ESFs are required to maintain policies, procedures, and training to ensure that they are prepared to support the University in their assigned roles whenever called upon. All other business units should maintain updated and accessible contact lists with members of the University’s Campus Safety units as well as specific plans for their respective areas, including a Building Emergency Action Plan and a Tar Heel Mission Ready Continuity Plan.
  • Deans, Directors, and Department Heads – Deans, Directors, Department Heads, and other Business Unit Leaders are responsible for ensuring that personnel within their business units are aware of all relevant emergency management plans, as well as the procedures for reporting accidents, emergencies, and safety issues.
As the administrative and executive head of the University, the Chancellor is responsible for promoting the welfare of the University. In order to effectively do so, the Chancellor vests the authority over Campus Safety and Emergency Operations in the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and Risk Management. The Vice Chancellor for IIRM is responsible for providing executive governance (Direction) to the University’s Campus Safety business units and for advising the Chancellor on matters related to Campus Safety. The Vice Chancellor for IIRM delegates operational guidance responsibilities (Control) to the University’s Campus Safety Leadership (Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Risk Management, Director of Emergency Management and Planning, Chief of Police, Executive Director of Environment, Health and Safety). As the Ranking Campus Safety Leader, the Associate Vice Chancellor for CSRM provides administrative oversight of the other Campus Safety Leaders and the Campus Safety Business Units and serves as the primary medium of communication between the Campus Safety business units and the Vice Chancellor for IIRM/The Chancellor.

The authority to conduct and command campus safety and emergency operations within the University’s jurisdiction is thus delegated from the Chancellor, through the Vice Chancellor for IIRM and the Associate Vice Chancellor for CSRM, to the Chief of Police, the Executive Director of Environment, Health, and Safety, and the Director of Emergency Management and Planning both collectively and individually with respect to their particular areas of authority. The delegating individuals also retain the ability to act on this authority when necessary and appropriate.

This Delegation of Authority is not intended to serve as a Line of Succession in the event that the Chancellor is unable to fulfill their duties. In such an event, the Continuity of Administration Plan shall be adhered to and this Delegation of Authority shall stand as an auxiliary to that plan.