Plans are in place for basic emergencies on university campuses, but key components are lacking when it comes to planning for mass-casualty events, according to a study published by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. The study was published in the July/August issue of Radiologic Technology, ASRT's peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Study author Tammy Curtis, M.S.R.S., R.T.(R)(CT), an assistant professor of radiologic sciences at Northwestern State University in Shreveport, La., reviewed the emergency plans of 28 randomly selected institutions with accredited radiologic science programs.

Research findings confirmed that most of the institutions are prepared for basic emergencies, including policies for bad weather, hazardous material spills, fire safety and bomb threats. However, of the 28 institution plans that were reviewed, only five had policies addressing school shootings or mass-casualty events. This included a lack of policies and procedures for suspicious activity or people, firearms, lockdowns, evacuations, hostages, biological agents, post-crisis counseling, crisis management teams and terrorist activities.

Emergency plans, retrieved through each university's main Web site, were reviewed to determine whether they included key emergency preparedness components. The key components fall within four phases of emergency management, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Education's Emergency Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center:

1. Preparation - Helping schools get ready to respond quickly and effectively for emergencies. This is accomplished through diagnosing weaknesses in current crisis plans and revising them to counteract the weaknesses; building relationships with community partners; defining roles for levels of authorities; providing training programs for employees and first responders; mapping facility floor plans and utility cutoffs; acquiring proper equipment; creating an evacuation plan; and developing lockdown procedures.
2. Prevention - Actions taken by schools to decrease the chances of emergencies occurring. These actions include assessing the emotional well-being of employees and students; physical and environmental hazards; campus culture and climate; and the safety and security of the environment. Another component is mitigation, or acting before disaster strikes, to permanently prevent the occurrence of a disaster or reduce its effects. The goal of mitigation is to lessen injuries, deaths, risks, damages, legal liability and economic losses that could result from an emergency.

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