Emergency Response/Contingency Plan

Shelter in Place Procedures

In certain types of emergencies (chemical spills, serve weather) the safer option is to shelter personnel at their current location. This is referred to as shelter in place. The decision to shelter in place may be instituted by local emergency personnel or by the on-site Incident Commander. The Site Safety Officer will determine the most sheltering areas of any buildings used by APHIS personnel. This is a location that is towards the center of the building, with minimum windows and limited exposure to outer perimeter walls.  When a Shelter in Place is called, the Command Staff will begin to notify personnel to shelter. This notification will consist of verbally informing the personnel to meet at the shelter area and/or signaling on the radio or cell phone for the field teams to shelter. A head count will then be taken by Supervisors, Command and/or General Staff members. The shelter in place will continue until the condition clears or an “all’s clear” is given by the Command Staff. Field Personnel will either be called back to the facility, directed towards community shelter sites or given alternative reporting sites until the APHIS facility is cleared.

Appendix 10-B (pdf) gives further guidance on Sheltering in Place.