CIMT
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Critical Incident Management Team
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CIMC
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Critical Incident Management Centre: the pre-designated location where the Critical Incident Management Team will meet to coordinate activities.
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Executive
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Executive Principal
Senior Leadership Group |
ECA
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Eastern College Australia. An independent higher education and VET partner with Melbourne School of Theology.
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MST
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Melbourne School of Theology
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The College
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The College refers to the Melbourne School of Theology
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Introduction
A critical incident may include the following:
- Fatality
- Serious injury
- Siege / hostage / disappearance or removal of student
- Firearms / bomb threats
- Collapse / major damage to building or equipment
- Motor vehicle collision / impact with the College
- Fire in school building / bushfire
- Impact by equipment / machinery / aircraft
- Fumes / spills / leaks / contamination by hazardous material
- Outbreak of disease
- Flood / windstorm or other natural event
- Cyber security threat
A Critical Incident may also relate to a traumatic event such as:
- missing international students
- a serious traffic collision
- murder or suicide
- physical / sexual assault or domestic violence
- severe verbal or psychological aggression
- a hold up or attempted robbery
- serious threats of violence
- drug or alcohol abuse; and
- cyber security threat.
The plan is intended to be flexible. Procedures have been developed that should assist the College to manage emergencies ranging in nature and intensity from small- scale localised incidents lasting minutes or hours and which are managed by the College, to large-scale incidents which require external assistance, and which may last several days. It identifies roles and responsibilities of staff, students and visitors during an emergency. It describes actions to be followed in the case of specific types of emergencies.
- MST Risk Management Policy
- Risk Management Framework
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Internal Audit Responsibilities
- Risk Assessment and Management Process
MST Crisis Management Plan
- Key Information
- Contact Register
- Crisis Management
- Incident Response Codes
- Evacuation Procedure
- Evacuation Plans
- Critical Function Plans
- Academic (Sudden and Prolonged Absence)
- Data Backup
- Critical Services and Recovery
MST Business Continuity Policy
- Accountability
- Business continuity program elements
- Leadership continuity
- Business continuity assessment
- Recovery time objective assessment
- Disaster recovery plan
Section A – Policy and Procedural Awareness
Domestic Students
- Faculty & Staff profiles
- Training Priorities
- Community Life
- Expectations and Standards
- Personal Spiritual Development
- Academic Matters
- Community Life
- Appeals and Complaints (Academic & Non-Academic Matters)
- Legal Services
- Student Body and Its Leadership
- Calendar & Events
- Wantirna Campus Facilities
- Children on Campus
- Recreational Facilities
- Library
- Refreshments
- Connecting Up
- Evacuation Drills and Critical Incident Response
- Administration
- Alumni and Friends
- Policy: Code of Conduct
- Policy: Intimidation and Sexual Harassment
- Policy: Access to Students Records
- details of local emergency services
- details of College contact persons and telephone numbers
Staff
Section B - Roles and Responsibilities
- Notification of emergency services
- Alerting staff and students about the emergency
- Evacuation or lock-down of staff, students and visitors
- Provision of resources to manage the emergency
- Liaison with emergency services
- Delegation of duties to staff as required
- Communication with staff, students and family
- Maintenance of staff and student welfare
- Will be wearing a High Visibility jacket at all times
Faculty and Staff
Critical Incident Management Centre (CIMC)
Critical Incident Management Team
The Incident Controller at Melbourne School of Theology has a Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) made up of personnel to assist in the management of incidents. The Critical Incident Management Team consists of the following:
Role
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Tasks
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Incident Controller
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Planning Officer
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Communication Officer
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Incident Controller
- Maintain a current register of CIMT members
- Replace CIMT members when a position becomes vacant
- Conduct regular exercises
- Ensure the emergency response procedures are kept up to date
- Coordinate meetings of the CIMT as appropriate
- Attend training and emergency exercises, as required
- Attend the emergency control point
- Ascertain the nature and scope of the emergency
- Ensure the appropriate response has been actioned
- Ensure that the emergency services have been notified
- Establish communications with Chief Warden
- Initiate evacuation of affected areas if necessary
- Brief the incoming emergency services and respond to their requests.
- When the incident is rendered safe or the emergency services return control, notify the CIMT members to have staff and students return to the College
- Organise a debrief with the CIMT and, where appropriate, with any attending Emergency Services
- Compile a report for the CIMT
Planning Officer
- Plan for resources required
- Attend training and emergency exercises
- Attend meetings of the CIMT as appropriate
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Attend the emergency control point
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Ascertain the nature and scope of the emergency
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Act as directed by the Incident Controller
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Collect and evaluate information related to development of incidents
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Identify recovery needs and develop a recovery plan (if required)
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Attend meetings of the CIMT as appropriate
Communications Officer
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Ensure communications officer is trained in use of the College communication system
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Maintain records and logbooks and make them available for emergency response
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Ensure emergency contact details are up to date
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Attend training and emergency exercises
- Ascertain the nature and location of the emergency
- Confirm that emergency services have been notified
- Notify appropriate CIMT members
- Transmit instructions and information
- Record a log of the events that occurred during the emergency
- Act as directed by the Incident Controller.
- Plan for resources required
- Attend training and emergency exercises
- Attend meetings of the CIMT as appropriate
Critical Incident Management Team Responsibilities
- Provide those affected by the incident with educational material covering common responses to trauma and strategies for coping with these effects
- Monitor the need for counselling
- Assess the need for additional support (eg counselling services) from outside agencies
- Provide and verify information from the affected area back to the CIMT
- Liaise with Work Cover and external agencies
- Liaise with the Overseas Student Contact Officers for International students
- Organise transport for those affected
- Consider specific advice to students and staff from ethnic, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds
- Implement the Disaster Recovery Plan including a technology recovery strategy
- Liaise with Emergency Services
- Restrict access to affected areas
- Risk assessment of hazards and situations which may require emergency action
- Analysis of requirements to address these hazards
- Liaise with all relevant emergency services, e.g. police, fire brigade, ambulance, hospital, poisons information centre, community health services
- 24-hour access to contact details for all students or designated emergency contacts
- 24-hour access to contact details for all relevant staff members needed in the event of a critical incident, e.g. school chaplain, legal services, school security
- Development of a critical incident plan for each critical incident identified
- Dissemination of planned procedures
- Organisation of practice drills
- Assess replacement or repair options
- Secure area to an acceptable level of safety
- Ensure power supply Coordinate clean-up of site
- Engage contractors as required
- Determine telecommunication priorities
- Assist in the implementation of action plans at the site
- Record Keeping: All team members will keep written records of phone calls, letters, meetings, interventions etc.
Section C - Reporting a Critical Incident
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Students and visitors should report an incident immediately to a staff member.
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Staff should report an incident immediately to the Executive Principal or Chief Operations Officer.
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All emergencies are to be reported to Reception. The Executive Principal or Chief Operations Officer will report the emergency to the emergency services.
Reporting an emergency - off-campus
Alerting the College community for on site or nearby emergencies
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Students and staff will be alerted by means of an announcement.
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Emergency to be coordinated from the Executive Principal’s office.
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The Incident Controller (CIC) will manage the emergency from the Executive Principal’s office, provided that the emergency is not within the main building. For the duration of the emergency, staff should not enter the Incident Controller’s office except when undertaking a task directly related to the emergency.
Visitors / Volunteers / Contractors
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Visitors, volunteers, and contractors are responsible for their own health and safety and have a duty to carry out their work in a manner which does not present a risk to themselves or others and is consistent with Melbourne School of Theology’s Policies and this Critical Incident Plan.
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All persons are responsible for and required to report incidents or unsafe conditions and identifying and rectifying deficiencies and opportunities for improvement in the Critical Incident Plan and its procedures.
- All persons must ensure that they implement any part of this Critical Incident Plan as required or requested by the Incident Controller in the event of an emergency situation. Everyone is responsible for ensuring they understand this Critical Incident Plan and where they do not, to seek clarification where required. All occupants and visitors regardless of their abilities have some obligation to take responsibility for their own safety and prepare a plan for Evacuation in an emergency.
On hearing the alarm and announcement, you are to:
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Cease work or activities.
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When/if instructed proceed to allotted assembly areas.
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Remain at designated assembly areas until all-clear signal given, or you are given other instructions.
Section D –Communications
The College will provide to staff information and training on action to take in the event of an emerging risk or actual critical incident and the requirement to report any international (overseas onshore) student missing from the College for 5 working days (no contact with any staff or other students).
Priority will be given to responding to and managing any Critical Incident.
During a Critical Incident the CIMT will liaise with relevant staff as necessary and communicate to the staff and students of the College.
A warning siren will be sounded when there is an emergency to alert the College. An information message by a runner will be sent to individual lecture rooms to advise students and staff about specific actions to be taken if it is a variation of the standard evacuation procedures.
The Reception telephone is only to be used for emergency communications. The Executive Principal’s telephone is to be used during an emergency by the Executive Principal or the General Manager (Operations) to liaise with emergency services. The remaining phone lines will be used for all other communications. To minimise overloading the College telephone, calls must be restricted and should be brief.
An information centre will be established in Reception to communicate with family who arrive at the school.
Media
International Students
Notifying of a Critical Incident
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The Overseas Student Contact Officers must lodge a Critical Incident Report with the ACT through Tickit as soon as practical; and contact the ACT Dean or his delegate, advising of matters relevant to ACT responsibilities.
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The staff member reporting the critical incident must complete a Hazard and Incident Reporting Form and tabled at the next Executive Meeting with outcomes.
Follow Up Action
- monitor the condition of and provide appropriate support to the international student/s through any period of treatment/convalescence
- in conjunction with the College Board of Directors, ensure where appropriate that family members and other relevant people are kept informed of the condition of the international student
- coordinate the provision of any College based resources required during any period of treatment/convalescence
- liaise with the police and other emergency services personnel, where appropriate
- advise and assist any family members who decide to travel to Australia to support the international student/s with travel and accommodation requirements
- ensure that detailed records are maintained of the incident.
Concluding Steps
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contact the family and determine their wishes regarding repatriation of the body, personal effects, religious observances etc.;
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coordinate the repatriation of the body and personal effects in line with the family’s wishes and in accordance with Australian regulations;
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organise the sending of a letter of condolence to the family;
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ensure all administrative actions are taken e.g. adjust the student records database, process any tuition refunds, etc.
Public Relations
Communications Plan Checklis
Element
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Action
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Outcomes
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Responsibility Assigned to:
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Anticipate the crisis
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Hold a team brainstorming exercise to workshop likely crisis. Can also be informed by risk matrix
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Critical Incident Plan generated
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Executive Principal
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Identify / appoint your crisis communication team
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Owner/ manager and senior personnel. Depending on scale of business, may include engaging / retaining external expertise
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Clear identification of responsibility for crisis communications
Scheduling of scenario days (annually) as core crisis preparation activity |
Executive Principal
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Train spokespeople
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Ensure all delegated staff are trained in media management and response, including Front Office staff as they will most likely be approached ad hoc for comment
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Media ready staff
Protection of brand via appropriate media response |
Executive Principal
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Establish monitoring / notification systems
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Consolidate databases and document platform / channels to be used to reach all relevant stakeholders – mobile numbers for SMS alerts, social media channels, web administration, etc.
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Crisis ready communication systems
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Chief Operations Officer
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Developing holding statements
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Develop crisis ready statements based on identified scenarios
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Consistent, clear and accurate dissemination of information
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Executive Principal
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Assessment
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Conduct situation analysis during and post crisis to inform messaging
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Adaptive / responsive messaging that is accurate and up to date reflecting the latest set of circumstances
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Chief Operations Officer
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Review
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Post crisis, stage debrief to identify enhancements / inclusions
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A robust plan
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Executive Principal
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Section E – OUTBOUND EXCURSIONS
- Outbound Program Summary
- Risk Assessment Summary
- About the Intended Location
- DFAT Advice (if applicable)
- Choice of Locations to Visit
- Pre-Trip Planning and Preparation
- Visa Requirements (if applicable)
- Travel Documentation Requirements (if applicable)
- Pre-Travel Packing and Planning
- Health
- Inter-Team Contact and Communication Planning
- Local Awareness
- Accommodation Arrangements
- Personal Behaviour Expectations
- Emergency Plans
- Emergency Plan Response Form
- Phone Contacts
- Program Contacts
- Planning for Recovery
- Risk Management Scenarios
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Plan 1: Strategies in Case of Emergency
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Plan 2: A Natural Disaster, Political Unrest or Threat to Group’s Safety Occurs Within Your Vicinity or a Nearby Location.
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Plan 3: You Are Asked To - Or Need To - Cease Participation in the Program.
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Plan 4: You Are Incapacitated (E.G. Ill, Injured, or Involved in an accident etc.)
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Plan 5: The Group Leader is Seriously Injured and/or Incapacitated
Section F – OFF-SHORE INTENSIVES
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Ensure all offshore residential intensives will be accommodated within gated and guarded facilities.
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Prior to an offshore intensive:
- consult with the appropriate on-the-ground partners to seek their advice regarding the current state of security in the country/neighbourhood where the intensive venue is located.
- check the current travel advise being offered by DFAT & the FCO
- determine because of the information gathered as to whether or not to proceed with the intensive. This decision will be reviewed no later than one week prior to the commencement of any offshore intensive.
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Not proceed or continue with any offshore intensive in the event of either:
- DFAT or FCO issuing a notice advising against all travel in the region where the intensive is located; or
- The College’s onshore partner advises that the intensive should not go ahead for security reasons.
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Maintain appropriate travel insurance to cover students and staff
Section G – CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
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review its performance in planning, implementing and managing the response to each Critical Incident consistent with this policy; and
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make any needed or desirable adjustments or improvements to the Critical Incident policy in light of the review processes
Section H – CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Incident Response Codes