Core Emergency Response Team (CERT)

Core Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The Core Emergency Response Team (CERT) is responsible for coordinating the College's Emergency Response Plan. The CERT members' duties and responsibilities relate closely to their normal authority and functions. In the event of a crisis, however, coordination and organization of all operations at the College shall be directed by the CERT. The CERT members implement the strategy and planning of the response. They communicate with field personnel, issue instructions to particular units, and monitor progress in carrying out the instructions.

The responsibilities of the CERT include, but are not limited to:

  1. Activate the Emergency Operations Center, as required.
  2. Identify the emergency and determine its impact. Decide the necessary level of response required to manage the emergency.
    1. Use the established Ithaca College Emergency Response Plan and department response operations as a guide to deal with the situation.
    2. Facilitate a multi-unit response.
  4. Exercise control over emergency operations and provide guidance on matters of policy and decision-making authority.
  5. Authorize the evacuation and/or closing of College facilities, as required.
  6. Coordinate the release of all official information and instructions to the public.

In addition to their responsibilities in an emergency, the CERT members are responsible for ensuring that the College is prepared and in the best possible position to respond to an emergency when it occurs. Additional duties with CERT members include:

1. Ensuring that the departments for which they are responsible have developed departmental plans to respond to various emergencies. Departmental plans will be coordinated and amended as needed. A copy of each departmental plan, including updates, will be forwarded to the Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management, and to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life. Department plans will be general in nature and include the assignment of general duties and responsibilities to employees, perceived to be required for each type of emergency.

2. Ensuring that staffs are familiar with the overall emergency response plan and the specific requirements of departmental plans.

3. Maintaining adequate emergency resources and equipment particular to departmental plan requirements.

4. Maintaining a call list of departmental employees designated as "essential personnel." This call list will be updated as needed and a copy (including updates) forwarded to the Department of Public Safety.

5. Ensuring the preservation of essential records, or other materials deemed essential.

In the event of a crisis, the Vice President or his/her designee will declare the need for the members of the CERT to convene, and will contact all members of the CERT. Whether the CERT is activated depends upon the type of emergency situation, its potential for escalation, its geographical extent, and other factors. Additional personnel will be asked to join the CERT as deemed appropriate to the situation. Each member of the core team will have a designated backup as noted below:

CERT Membership

Staff Member (Backup)

  • Director and Chief of Public Safety and Emergency Management (Deputy Chief)
  • Director of Communication and Media Relations (Associate Director of Media Relations)
  • Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life (Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life)
  • Vice President and General Counsel (Associate Counsel and Director for Equal Opportunity Compliance)
  • Vice President for Finance and Administration (Associate Vice President for Business and Finance)
  • Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Associate Provost)