National Incident Management Systems
National Incident Management System (NIMS)
The University of Houston-Victoria Emergency Management Plan will apply the phases of emergency management to include: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery. Campus departments or units will establish their own department or building response plans utilizing the Emergency Management Plan and the UHV Building Emergency Response Plan Template are modeled after UH Emergency Management design to incorporate the development of their response plans.
Four Phases of Emergency Management
The emergency management phases include:
A. Prevention/Mitigation
Prevention activities are an integral part of the emergency management programs. Prevention and mitigation phase is intended to eradicate hazards, reduce the probability of hazards, which may be related to causing an incident, or lessen the consequences of unavoidable hazards.
Campus wide prevention and technical assistance programs include but are not limited to:
- Hazard Mitigation Planning activities
- Enhancements and mitigation projects made to campus infrastructure and facilities including those outlined in the UHV Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex.
- Continuity of Operations Planning Program available to the campus community including training and educational materials.
B. Preparedness
Preparedness activities are conducted for students, faculty and staff to develop prevention and response campus capabilities that may be used in developing proactive activities.
Departments/units can develop their own department/unit-level response plans by using the UHV Building Emergency Response Plan Template as a reference tool.
Campus wide preparedness programs and activities may include but are not limited to:
- Presentations conducted by the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) on emergency preparedness
- Presentation and awareness for new employee training
- FEMA Emergency Management Institute - Self-study programs and certifications https://training.fema.gov/emi.aspx
- Coordination with campus departments and external agencies with regard to emergency preparedness and planning
- OEM maintaining a current list of campus personnel who will oversee response actions
- Training may be conducted by OEM for students, faculty, and staff and including emergency responders, campus administrators, and other groups who may be assisting during incidents
- Periodic exercises to test the EMP
C. Response
Response operations are intended to resolve a situation while minimizing casualties and property damage. Response activities may include:
- Warning notifications and alert information
- Emergency medical services
- Law enforcement
- Campus evacuations
- Shelter in place
- Search and rescue
- Other associated emergency response functions.
D. Recovery
If an incident occurs, the campus will carry out its recovery programs, both short-term and long-term.
- Short-term recovery seeks to restore vital services to the University and provides for basic campus needs
- Long-term recovery focuses on restoration of the University to its normal state
The recovery process includes assistance to campus departments. Examples of recovery programs may include temporary housing, and restoration of University services, debris removal, student health services, and reconstruction of damaged roads and facilities.