Emergencies and disasters may occur and impact members of the campus community who are travelling internationally. International incidents complicate emergency and disaster response. Emergency plans and procedures are in place to provide a framework for planning, preparedness, response, and recovery for international travel emergency. Potential emergencies within the scope of this annex include, but are not limited to:
- Criminal cases
- Sexual harassment or sexual assault
- Assault
- Theft
- Arrest
- Civil or Political Unrest
- Terrorist Acts
- Hostage Situation
- Natural Disaster
- Serious Illness or Injury
- Death
Information Sharing Prior to Travel
Before any college sponsored international travel or study abroad event a faculty or staff representative will be designated the Trip Leader for the event. The Trip Leader will provide a final document packet with Emergency Protocols, Incident Report forms, Dallas College Emergency Contact information, and any other items specific to the particular trip will be sent by the Trip Leader via email to the Office of Global Economic Development (see Study Abroad and International Travel - Trip Leaders Handbook)
Emergency Preparation
Each student, faculty, and staff member who is a U.S. citizen and traveling internationally will register with the U.S. Embassies or Consulates through the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)
https://step.state.gov/step. Registration will make a traveler’s presence and whereabouts known should it be necessary to contact them in an emergency. STEP also provides the ability to obtain routine information from the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The Trip Leader is responsible for disseminating to all travelers any provided safety guidance issued by The college.
Response Operations
For emergencies occurring during a travel event, and after contacting any needed local authorities or resources, the Trip Leader will contact Office of Global Economic Development to communicate the emergency situation. Office of Global Economic Development will contact the Office of Public and Governmental Affairs and Legal Department. The College EMC upon notification will activate the EOC, if necessary, and begin appropriate actions.
Office of Global Economic Development will communicate with the contracted travel insurance agency, travel management agency, if utilized, and/or the U.S. State Department in order to share relevant information and assist in coordinating response to emergencies overseas involving members of the college travelling internationally.
The EOC may be fully activated for any natural disaster, terrorist incident, mass casualty event, or other incident deemed significant by the EMC that involves members of the campus community travelling internationally. The EOC will activate the appropriate ESFs for reaching emergency contacts, coordinating any necessary evacuations, coordinating any necessary medical provisions, and communicating externally.
The Department of Public Safety and Security will be the primary agency assigned to making or directing local agencies (respective to individual residency) to make family notifications in the event of a significant incident, injury, or death of an individual.
International Travel Restrictions
The college may impose restrictions on college sponsored travel activity to areas of conflict or outbreak of infectious disease. The travel warnings or advisories issued by the U.S. State Department, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization shall be heeded by all college sponsored travel planners (see Study Abroad and International Travel - Trip Leaders Handbook for further details). Additional return-to-campus restrictions may be placed on faculty, staff, or students that are known to have traveled (including personal travel) to locations with infectious disease warnings and public health may be negatively impacted by an individual or group’s immediate return to the campus population.