16.2 Purpose

  1. The University of Iowa shall conduct continuous planning to minimize the risk of personal injury and property loss from critical incidents; shall cooperate with public bodies and agencies charged with disaster control; and shall take necessary and prudent steps to assure continuity of operations and restoration of normal activities as quickly as possible following an emergency or a disaster. Questions or comments about this plan shall be directed to the Department of Emergency Management, 319-335-5022 or https://safety.uiowa.edu/emergency-management.
  2. The University of Iowa is committed to supporting the welfare of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Preparing a campus critical incident management plan and allocating resources to respond to possible emergencies is one way in which the University offers this support. The plan is fashioned in accordance with appropriate laws, regulations, and policies that govern crisis/emergency preparedness, and reflects the best and most current thinking in this area.
  3. The Critical Incident Management Plan is designed to maximize human survival and preservation of property; minimize danger; restore normal operations of the University; and assure responsive communications with the University, surrounding neighborhoods, and cities. This plan is set in operation whenever a natural or induced crisis affecting the University reaches proportions that cannot be handled by established measures. A crisis may be sudden and unforeseen, or there may be varying periods of warning. This plan is intended to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate contingencies of all types, magnitudes, and duration.
  4. The plan provides for aiding the local communities when appropriate, though the prime responsibility of the plan is to the University community for which it is designed. The intent is for the plan to be viewed as a tool to accomplish the above-stated purpose with a minimum of confusion and wasted effort.
  5. Additionally, it is believed that a coordinated response to campus critical incidents will provide the following outcomes:
    1. A more rapid response to critical incidents,
    2. A more systematic and routine approach to critical incidents,
    3. A venue for promptly identifying and supporting University decision makers,
    4. A system for evaluating all critical incidents with the goal of providing improved plans to protect lives and property as well as reduce exposure to vicarious liability, and
    5. Improved management of public information.
  6. This plan also establishes response strategies for the following critical incidents:
    1. Bomb threat 
    2. Civil protest 
    3. Earthquake 
    4. Explosion 
    5. Fire 
    6. Hazardous materials incident 
    7. Infrastructure failure 
    8. Medical emergency 
    9. Severe winter weather 
    10. Tornado 
    11. Violent incident 
    12. Active shooter 
    13. Water damage

For these critical incident response strategies, see the Campus Safety website or download the Emergency Response Guide