Definitions
Risk Management Terminology

The following is a list of risk management terminology that we encourage your staff to become familiar with in order to be more aware of risk-related issues.

EMERGENCIES DEFINED

Emergency planning requires preparation for diverse crises such as criminal incidents, natural disasters, technology failures, physical plant failures and threats to the safety of FSU staff, students, and visitors. Several offices can and will be involved in assisting during an emergency. They would include, but not be limited to, FSUPD, Environmental Health and Safety, Tallahassee Fire Department, FSU Media Relations, TMH, Physical Plant personnel, OTC, or AIS personnel.

It is important that DSA personnel understand the definitions used in the University's Emergency Preparedness Plan as well as the nomenclature used when preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from an incident on campus.

• Risk Management- A proactive system of indentifying potential risks or hazards associated with organizational events and activities; assessing the impact that they may have on the organization and university community; deciding whether to accept the risks, modify the activities, or eliminate the risks altogether.
• Catastrophe- An event that challenges the resources of an entire state, region, or even the nation.
• Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (OP-G-1.9.1)- Serves as the FSU master plan for preparing for and responding to emergencies. Currently under redevelopment, the CEMP will be enacted as official university policy once completed. All other Department-specific emergency plans are subordinate to and must be consistent with the CEMP.
• Disaster- Any natural, technological, or civic emergency that causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to result in a declaration of a state of emergency by a county, the Governor, or the President of the United States. Events that produce more losses than a community can handle with its own resources. The community can only cope with help from other communities, state and federal government, or non-profit service organizations. Disasters may cause many casualties, much property damage, and significant environmental damage.
• Emergency- Any occurence, or threat thereof, whether natural, technological, or manmade, in war or in peace, which results or may result in substantial injury or harm to the population or subsantial damage to or loss of property, or may result in injury or harm to persons, damage, to property, or disruption of business or services.
• Emergency Coordinators- Designated contacts for additional critical university functions not previously covered or primary subordinates to larger entities who serve as the primary contact point of contact during emergencies.
• Emergency Management- The profession of applying science, technology, planning and management resources to deal with extreme events that can injure or kill large numbers of people, do extensive property damage, and disrupt community life.
• Emergency Management Coordinator- Person designated by FSU to ensure that the university, including its students, faculty, staff, and visitors are prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate against their impacts.
• Emergency Management Team (EMT)- The overall emergency management team at FSU including representatives of most core university functions. The EMT is subdivided into the Executive Policy Group, the Senior Management Advisory Committee, and emergency coordinating officers.
• Emergency Operation Center- Central location for the placement and coordination of Emergency Support Function Managers prior to, during, and immediately after a declaration of a local state of emergency or state and/or federal disaster declaration is the second floor of the FSU Public Safety facility located at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Jefferson Street on the main campus of Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
• Emergency Support Functions- The organization of critical emergency functions into unified response groups, where multiple university departments, divisions, and/or units come together to serve an emergency role or responsibility regardless of their day-to-day organizations. For example, all trained counselors (University Counseling Center, Employee Assistance Program, Career Center, Victim's Advocate, et al) may come together under a single "Mental Health ESF" during an emergency.
• Executive Policy Group- Senior Administrative leadership with final authority for establishing emergency policy or making major decisions of university-wide consequence. Includes: University President, Senior VP Finance and Administration, Provost, VP Student Affairs, VP University Relations, VP Research, VP Planning and Progams, and General Counsel.
• Hazard- A source of danger or an extreme event that has the potential to affect people, property, and the natural environment in a given location.
• Incident Command Post- A forward location, close to an isolated incident (i.e. single building or confined area) where emergency responders coordinate field response actions. An ICP would not be practical for campus-wide events. Rather, the Emergency Operations Center would be used.
• Incident Command System (ICS)- An organizational structure for emergency response mandated by the President of the United States. Basic tenets of ICS include: standardization, functional specificity, manageable span of control, chain of command, unified command, management by objectives, and comprehensive resource management. Also known as the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Incident Commander- Person who has sole authority and ultimate responsibility to manage and direct emergency response operations.
• Man-made Emergency- Caused by an action against persons or society, including but not limited to enemy attack, sabotage, terrorism, civil unrest, or other action impairing the orderly administration of government.
• Natural Emergency- Caused by a natural event, including but not limited to a hurricane, storm, flood, severe wave action, a drought, or an earthquake.
• Senior Management Advisory Committee- Senior management of core university functions involved in emergency preparedness and response. Makes recommendations to the Executive Policy Group and provides operational guidance during emergency response. Includes: AVP Finance and Administration, AVP Facilities and Maintenance, AVP Human Resources, Dean of Faculties, Dean of Students, Director of Communications, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Director of Housing, Director of Health Services, Chief of Police, and Emergency Management Coordinator.
• Technical Emergency- Caused by a technological failure or accident, including but not limited to an explosion, transportation accident, radiological, chemical, or other hazardous material incident.