Institutional Resilience Emergency Management

Much progress has been made on numerous aspects of preparedness since the college established the Situation Readiness & Response Team in 2001. The seven-member SRT meets over twenty times a year to continue enhancing our ability to respond nimbly and compassionately to any crucial event.

In 2008, Westmont undertook development of a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan (EOP; it is built on the ReadyTracker platform created by Westmont and offered for use by other schools). The EOP assists with a comprehensive, coordinated response to business interruptions of any nature. Over time the EOP will continue being refined in conformity with applicable best practices based on various national standards for emergency management. The EOP is developed in alignment with our statement of Crisis Essentials.

Because of the unpredictable nature of developing crises, and the wide range of human responses, even the best planning cannot prevent an element of chaos as a dynamic situation unfolds. Without overlooking that no circumstance escapes the sovereignty of God, we aim to foster a "culture of readiness" at Westmont by educating our people, and by having in place the fundamental systems, supplies and training that will provide a flexible framework for the creative solutions that must be crafted "on the fly."