Fire damages your department’s building. How will your unit get back on its feet? How will you continue to provide vital services to the campus?

Dozens of campus units are answering questions like these in a major systemwide effort to create plans for continuing essential functions after a departmental emergency or larger campus disaster. And they’re getting help from a new online tool called UC Ready, which is walking them through the process.

“UC Ready builds upon what the campus did for pandemic planning and expands it across all hazards,” said David Alamillo, emergency and business continuity planner for the campus.

Campus units that still need to develop a continuity plan are encouraged to send a representative to a two-hour orientation for the planning task and the Web-based program — scheduled for June 25, July 1 and July 7. The Office of Emergency and Continuity Planning is also offering individual assistance.

The campus already has a comprehensive plan for preparing and responding to protect life, safety and property in an emergency, said Valerie Lucus, campus emergency and business continuity manager. However, this initiative focuses on planning for quickly resuming or continuing essential campus operations — from building security to payroll and from computer networking to teaching.

According to the campus emergency policy, department heads are responsible for maintaining not only emergency and evacuation plans, but also a business continuity plan.

The UC Ready planning initiative is based on three years of continuity planning at UC Berkeley and is being used by more than 200 of its departments and more than 20 universities beyond the UC system.

UC Ready was introduced to UC Davis in April, and about a dozen units began to create a plan. After the news of the H1N1 or ‘swine flu’ outbreak, Alamillo said, about 50 additional campus units began to work on plans.

UC Ready provides users with a framework for creating a plan and guides them with simple prompts to identify critical functions, key personnel, vital information, supplies and more. Users can also upload documents a department would need in an emergency.

Alamillo said the departmental plans would help build a foundation for a campus continuity plan and establish campuswide priorities for continuing operations.

The UC Ready orientation sessions will be offered at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on June 25, July 1 and July 7 in Hoagland Hall. To enroll, visit the UC Learning Center at lms.ucdavis.edu and look under Environmental and Occupational Safety.

For more information or assistance, visit prepare.ucdavis.edu or contact Alamillo at daalamillo@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-3842.