Emergency Preparedness FAQs

Why is emergency preparedness important?

Emergency preparedness is crucial to protecting people and property because it allows people to:

    • Anticipate threats.
    • Think through pros and cons of different response options.
    • Have a pre-established plan that can be referred to in an emergency.
    • Identify and solve issues in response procedures.
    • Promote confidence among personnel.

Who is responsible for emergency preparedness?

Emergency preparedness is everyone’s responsibility, and you can do your part by reviewing Aerospace Emergency Procedures. In addition, the following teams are more heavily involved in emergency preparedness and response:

    • Emergency Management Committee (EMC)
    • Security Control Center (SCC)
    • Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)
    • Enterprise Information Services (EIS)
    • Executive Council (EC)
    • Business Continuity Committee (BCC)

What does the Aerospace Corporation do to ensure emergency preparedness?

Aerospace emergency response personnel use the following practices to ensure they are ready for any situation:

    • Emergency drills to test procedures.
    • Quarterly tabletop exercises to explore pros and cons of current and potential procedures.
    • Post-incident hotwashes to discuss lessons learned and establish improvement action items.

Where can I find emergency procedures?

Emergency procedures can be found here.

Are some emergencies more likely than others?

This is dependent on various factors that can be assessed to determine which emergencies pose a greater risk to certain areas.

    • Location
      • (Ex: AGO will be at higher risk for an earthquake, while CHA will be at higher risk for a winter storm).
    • Environment
      • (Ex: A chemical spill or fire is more likely to occur in a lab setting than an office setting).
    • Mitigation and Preparedness
      • (Ex: A fire is less threatening to a building that has invested in fire suppression systems).
    • Nature of Work
      • (Ex: Aerospace’s close association with the government makes us a larger target for cyber criminals than a McDonald’s).

Who should I call to report an emergency, suspicious activity, or a related concern?

Non-Emergency EHS SCC (24/7)
West Coast 310-336-SAFE (7233) 310-336-6520
East Coast 571-304-SAFE (7233) 571-304-7220
Emergency
Cell Phone 911 & SCC
Aerospace Unclassified Phone 911 (SCC will automatically be dialed in)

 

Building Evacuation

Where are my evacuation assembly areas?

Albuquerque Chantilly Colorado Springs
Crystal City El Segundo Greenbelt
Greens III Hill AFB Houston
Huntsville Pasadena

 

Why might only certain floors of a building be evacuated instead of all of them?

This procedure is for high-rise buildings, and only applies to the CHA main campus. More information can be found here.

What do I need to know about the evacuation buddy system?

Details about the evacuation buddy system can be found here.

Do occupants with mobility limitations need to evacuate during drills?

No, if you have mobility limitations please do not evacuate unless there is a real emergency.

What should I do in an emergency if I have mobility limitations and cannot contact my buddy or don’t have one?

If you are unable to vacate the building, please proceed to an “area of refuge”.

    • Go to the nearest staircase.
    • Tell evacuating occupants that you need assistance; ask them to inform Safety & Security or first responders of your location and status. (You are also welcome to call SCC directly).
    • Emergency response personnel will send help to those in need of assistance.

AeroElert

What do I need to know about AeroElert?

AeroElert is a mass communication system that can provide the following functions in the event of an emergency or other incident:

    • Alert employees of the situation.
    • Provide instructions and updates as the situation develops.
    • Conduct “roll call” to determine which employees are safe and accounted for.

How do I sign up for AeroElert or change my contact information?

AeroElert is currently only available to Aerospace employees, but we are looking into making it available to residents as well.

Employees should refer to this Knowledge Article (Internal link only) for instructions on how to access your AeroElert profile.

Other

What is the difference between shelter in place and shelter in building?

Shelter in Place (SIP) Shelter in Building (SIB)
 

• Old procedure, being phased out.
• Requires employees to assemble and remain in a single room due to an outside threat.
• Calls for unnecessarily extensive supply kits that are difficult to maintain.

 VS • New procedure.
• Requires employees to remain inside due to an outside threat but allows them freedom throughout the building.
• Calls for more practical supply kits.

What should I do if I am working with sensitive or classified materials when an emergency occurs?

This will be dependent on multiple variables:

    • The nature of the emergency.
    • The amount of time required to secure the materials.
    • Your proximity to danger.

Securing the materials is ideal, but never worth putting yourself or others at risk. Assess the situation and trust your judgement, do not do anything you believe is unsafe.

Updated 9/12/24