Limited Response to Emergencies Plan (LERC)
The University of California, Berkeley has an EOP that takes a graded approach to campus-wide emergencies. Not all abnormal campus situations escalate to a “Level Three” emergency requiring full Emergency Response Organization (ERO) activation.
Limited emergency (Level One) response has been clearly defined, so there is a defined protocol for responding to lesser emergencies such as floods, fires, or power outages in particular buildings or quadrants, without activation of the entire ERO. Although limited emergencies may require only routine campus resources, some may require activation of one or more Department Operations Centers (DOCs) and formal command and control authority, and others may need an immediate response by specialized vendors.
The “Response to Limited Emergencies” policy establishes a protocol for effectively responding to limited emergencies, including designation of the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness/Homeland Security as the Limited Emergency Response Coordinator (LERC). Limited emergencies often result in affected units competing for resources and the attention of emergency responders. This policy makes it more likely that critical decisions early in the response stage will be made in the best interests of the campus as a whole. The intent of the policy is to ensure that appropriate resources are brought to bear during the initial stages of the emergency and to shorten the time needed to return to business as usual.
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP); Emergency Plan Implementation Procedure (EPIP)
The purpose of the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) Emergency Operations Plan (PDF 728 KB) (EOP) is to establish policies, procedures, and an organizational structure for response to a major emergency. The Plan incorporates operating concepts from the “Incident Command System” (ICS) for handling emergencies resulting from fires, floods, storms, earthquakes, hazardous materials incidents, and other potential disasters. In addition, the Emergency Plan Implementing Procedure (Word Doc, 2.3 MB) (EPIP) “Activation and Operation of the University of California, Berkeley Emergency Operations Center” provides detailed information for members of the Emergency Response Organization to utilize during these emergencies.
The EOP and EPIP utilizes the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), as described by Government Code 8607(a), for managing response to multi-agency and multi-jurisdiction emergencies in California. SEMS, adopted by California in 1995, and incorporates the use of the Incident Command System (ICS), the Master Mutual Aid Agreement, existing mutual aid systems, and County operational area concept, and inter-agency coordination. This system, by promoting the use of common terminology and command structure, facilitates better flow of information and coordination between responding agencies. SEMS is continuously updated for compliance with the new National Incident Management System (NIMS), a nationwide standardized approach to incident management and response. Developed by the Department of Homeland Security and announced in March 2004, NIMS establishes a uniform set of processes and procedures that emergency responders at all levels of government will use to conduct response operations. Essential response departments have Department Operations Centers (DOCs) and DOC Plans (209Kb) to coordinate the actions of their personnel and to facilitate communication to and from the EOC. Campus DOCs include:
 Police Department- Facilities Services
- Environment, Health & Safety
- Residential and Student Services Programs
- University Health Services
- Public Affairs
- Human Resources
- Information Services & Technology
DOCs may activate independently, in response to localized events that require extraordinary attention (e.g. power failure, Internet failure or attack, civil disturbance, etc.)
Campus staff appointed to emergency management and/or response roles under the campus plan are provided with orientation and training to ICS, SEMS and NIMS, as a component of the campus' ongoing emergency planning, training and exercise programs. Reference documentation and copies of the training material used in ICS/SEMS/NIMS presentations is available at the State of California Office of Emergency Services training resource website. ICS/SEMS/NIMS training materials are organized into 4 categories:
- Instructor Guides - Powerpoint slides and instructor notes for each instructional module
- Presentation Materials - Powerpoint slides -- in slideshow format -- without instructor notes
- Student Materials - In depth, textbook style outline of the course materials, with additional reference material, acronym definitions and frequently asked questions on several related topics
- Videos - These are short video segments - typically no longer that several minutes each - that accompany the presentation materials as a component of the powerpoint slideshow.
Please consider this resource if you would like to refresh your training or improve your understanding of emergency management structures and strategies employed at the local, state and national levels. Additional training materials developed for campus exercises can be found under the Resources tab.
Annual Exercises, Training Presentations & Quick Guides
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Emergency Operations Plan 
2011 BC-EMA Welcome