Protection, Planning, Response, Recovery, Mitigation
Protection, planning, response, recovery, mitigation are the five phases of managing any emergency or disaster. This is the responsibility of the MSU Police Emergency Management Division. We accomplish our goals by working across department lines to coordinate the efforts of all those involved in the five phases. This includes working with and preparing all first responders, all recovery efforts, all units of the University and all units of local, state and federal government.
Emergency Management Accreditation Program
Michigan State University became accredited in emergency management by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) in October 2017 and was the fifth university in the world to achieve this distinction. In January 2023, MSU received a second accreditation term, becoming the third university in the country to meet these standards. The program builds in resilient planning, training, and exercising programs to better prepare MSU for all-hazards that may impact the institution. As part of the process, the MSU EMAC Committee was created to coordinate the planning process. The top eight hazards identified by EMAC include:
- Fire/hazardous material release
- Public health emergency
- Active shooter situations
- Other criminal activity (terrorism/arson/explosives for example)
- Severe weather (tornado, wind storm, ice storm, blizzard, wind chill)
- Cyber intrusion or network breach
- Flooding
- Power outage
Emergency Action Teams
Every facility on the campus of Michigan State University has a written Emergency Action Plan that identifies actions for faculty, students, staff, and visitors to take in the event of an emergency or disaster.
Emergency actions are guided by members of the Emergency Action Teams who are trained to provide support in each building. The yellow or orange safety vests that they wear during an emergency or disaster can identify team members. Team members are taught how to guide evacuations, help persons seek shelter, and provide assistance when people should secure-in-place.
In addition, team members receive training on active violence incidents, fires, hazardous materials, suspicious packages or persons, weather emergencies, and other events that could cause harm to the MSU community. If you wish to find your building’s team leader, use the link provided.