Welcome!
This page provides information about what emergency preparedness is and how it functions at Gonzaga University.
Emergency Preparedness Mission and Values
The Office of Emergency Preparedness leads efforts to create and implement a culture of preparedness at Gonzaga University that integrates industry best practices in a Catholic, Jesuit manner and upholds the well-being of the whole person for the entire community.
Our values are:
- Practice integrity, respect, and honesty in our work and engagement with others
- Mindfully and deliberately engage in our community to build our culture
- Engage in servant leadership best practices to build up those around us
- Practice sustainable behaviors in our consumption and financial practices
Defining Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Managers
Emergency preparedness are the efforts undertaken to develop a secure and resilient community with the capabilities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards which pose the greatest risk.
Emergency managers are charged with creating the framework through which institutions achieve preparedness, but everyone in the community has an important role to play in the preparedness partnership.
Emergency Preparedness Services
Our office focuses on six major areas to build the capabilities which support preparedness activities. Click on each focus area to learn more.
Campus Education and Engagement
The ZagReady! program is the primary source of public education and outreach for emergency preparedness efforts at Gonzaga. ZagReady! offers a variety of educational resources to help the Gonzaga community get informed about the disasters or hazards, make a plan to respond to those risks, and to gather the resources necessary to implement emergency plans. This includes opportunities to learn about preparedness at work, at home, or on the commute. ZagReady! also connects Gonzaga community members to emergency preparedness resources in the greater Spokane community.
Our office also engages with many campus partners in a holistic and collaborative manner. The emergency manager chairs the Emergency Management Team and the Collaborative Planning Team and supports individual departments, events, or activities by request with emergency preparedness assistance or guidance.
Community Outreach
We represent the University in community emergency preparedness efforts at a local, state, and national level. We partner with Greater Spokane Emergency Management, the local chapter of Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD), the local College Preparedness Working Group, the Washington State Emergency Management Association, and the International Association of Emergency Managers USA Universities and Colleges Caucus.
Emergency Planning
Our oversees the development and maintenance of campus-wide emergency planning efforts which include mitigation, response, recovery, and hazard analysis efforts. Emergency preparedness also offers guidance and support for department and building-specific emergency planning efforts.
Emergency Operations and Recovery
The Office of Emergency Preparedness activates and coordinates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in support of the Campus during large-scale events or during emergencies and disasters. We also lead collaborative after-action review efforts following any emergency plan implementation as part of the planning review and improvement process, to capture lessons learned, and help increase the resiliency of the campus for future incidents.
Training and Exercises
Our office coordinates and develops numerous training and exercise efforts across the campus, including evacuation drills for academic or administrative buildings, testing the ZagAlert system each semester, and testing campus-wide emergency planning procedures.