Updated: September 2025
West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech) is a regional campus of West Virginia University located in Beckley, West Virginia. In a crisis or disaster situation, WVU Tech will work closely with local emergency authorities to identify and address campus-specific hazards as well as community-wide events.
The purpose of this Emergency Response Plan is to define key roles and responsibilities, lines of authority, and related procedures. Annexes and appendices provide guidance for specific emergency types and site-specific information.
WVU Tech is committed to the safety of its students, faculty, staff, and the community. As a partner with the City of Beckley and Raleigh County, WVU Tech will utilize planning, training, and resources to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from any crisis-type or disaster event that may occur.
The Emergency Response Plan (ERP) describes campus emergency response procedures and coordination with local emergency authorities to ensure the campus and community are prepared to act in the event of an emergency. The ERP provides guidelines for response but does not replace sound judgment at the time of the event. Objectives include:
Emergency events require differing levels of response based on severity, scope, and potential impact to the campus or surrounding community. Three primary levels are used:
Situations such as a terrorist attack or mass-casualty incident warrant total mobilization of all ERP personnel and logistical support. These incidents pose major risk to personnel and resources (e.g., plane crashes, terrorist threats), require resources beyond those available to the City of Beckley, and may necessitate campus closure or evacuation.
Situations in which additional staff and resources are required, including major emergencies that can impact large portions of campus, such as large residence hall fires, abductions, confirmed meningitis exposure, food-borne illness outbreaks, criminal activities with weapons, explosions, or protests. These incidents can be handled with local resources (fire, police, EMS) and may require campus evacuation.
Limited responses managed by on-duty personnel for small-scale events (e.g., small lab fires, assaults, medical emergencies, suspicious packages) that are limited to a single location and resolved quickly with little to no community assistance required.
Initial notification of a crisis will be sent within one hour of discovery or sooner when possible. Notification will primarily be accomplished through the WVU Tech Alert system, operated by the University Police Department (UPD) and/or the University Relations team.
Emergency messages will be sent as warranted in coordination with UPD. Alerts are typically sent by UPD in consultation with University Relations; however, if consultation would cause significant delay, UPD will send alerts using predetermined templates.
Alerts cover critical incidents that pose an imminent threat to health or safety of the campus community, including severe weather, hazardous materials incidents, and acts of criminal violence.
When activated, WVU Tech Alert delivers texts and/or emails to students, faculty, and staff. Students are automatically enrolled each semester if a valid cell number is on file. Faculty and staff should sign up to receive alerts. University Relations places a red alert banner (emergencies) or a blue alert banner (weather-related closings or delays) on the WVU Tech homepage.
The following Emergency Response Team (ERT) roles constitute the chain of command, in order:
First in the chain of command; serves as spokesperson; works with the ERT to address issues; makes final decisions or may deputize others. May delay or halt work or academic activities in affected areas or campus-wide.
Assumes incident command if the President is unable to perform duties; ensures students, parents, and families are informed and coordinates student-impact decisions.
Assumes incident command if the President and Dean of Students are unable to perform duties; coordinates communication with student-athletes, families, coaches, and related staff.
Provides facilities and logistical support; may serve as incident commander if higher roles are unavailable; coordinates building access and mobilizes facilities personnel; informs responders about ongoing campus events to support evacuations and communications.
Leads coordination with external emergency responders and campus police; assumes incident command if previous roles are unavailable. If backup is required, the Department Sergeant or on-scene officer acts until relieved.
Leads communications; coordinates media relations; disseminates public information; may deputize the Assistant Director of University Relations if necessary.
For Response Levels 1 or 2:
410 Neville Street, Beckley, WVFor Response Level 3:
University Relations HouseThis document was created in March 2023 and is updated regularly, with a suggested schedule of every four months or at least once per semester.