Friday, February 12, 1999
UCLA prepared for next emergency
Redesigned system ensures safety when earthquake hits
By Caridad Lezcano
Daily Bruin Contributor
Southern California is famous for many things: its sunny
beaches, its glamorous lifestyles and its earthquakes.
With the recent earthquake in Colombia and minor tremors at
home, Southern Californians are reminded that natural disasters
could strike at any moment.
UCLA has a careful system set in place in order to respond to
emergencies.
Since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, UCLA Emergency Operations
administrators have redesigned their procedure for handling
earthquakes.
"The Northridge quake helped us to redesign the plan," said
James Greenstein, director of Environmental Health and Safety.
"We learned through this experience what our strengths and
weaknesses were," he said.
They also learned that their former system of central
organization didn’t work. Before the 1994 quake, UCLA had a central
department that would handle earthquakes. Afterward, the office
decided to spread the responsibility of planning and responding to
a disaster among several committees.
The Office of Environment and Safety along with over 200
departments have emergency coordinators that develop their own
emergency plan.
Campus employees are designated by their department to be the
emergency coordinators. For example, in the event of an earthquake,
they would make sure evacuations take place if the search and
rescue team is delayed.
This new system is better for students and employees because it
allows for the fastest response to a natural disaster as
possible.
Students are advised to follow earthquake safety instructions
such as "duck and cover," according to Mike Ceser from the Office
of Environment and Safety. They are also advised to remain calm and
to proceed to the nearest meeting point. There are nine emergency
meeting areas on campus.
In addition, they advise relatives to call 1-800-900-UCLA to get
information about students, rather than trying to contact them
directly and tying up phone lines.
UCLA has an emergency management team consisting of the
chancellor and other executives. They decide whether the severity
of the situation warrants closing the university.
A subcommittee of the group is the Emergency Operation Group
(EOG), which consists of the UCLA police department, fire
department, Campus Housing, as well as other UC organizations.
Emergency coordinators are appointed by their departments and
make sure the plans are in place and up to date.
"Our basic responsibility is to protect people and property,"
said Nancy Greenstein, a spokesperson for university police.
The response depends on the situation. In case of a major
natural disaster, the EOG gather in the Cogen building directly
behind the police department. The Cogen Building serves as a
headquarters to the Emergency Operation Center, which assesses the
damage to the campus and starts making decisions on whether they
need outside help.
In the event of an earthquake, the Disaster Initial Response
Team plays a key role in assessing structural damage. The
140-member response team is specially trained for emergencies.
They first identify the impact of the disaster on utilities such
as broken gas pipes. Their main responsibility is to restore the
utilities and make sure that any disruptions have minimal impact on
the medical, research and teaching buildings.
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