The Building Incident Response Team (BIRT) program provides coordinated emergency response within particular buildings on the University of Michigan campus. These teams typically are led by facility personnel and are made up of faculty and/or staff who work in (and are thus familiar with) each specific building. Participation in the BIRT program may be voluntary or required depending on the unit and position.
Roles within each BIRT include:
- BIRT Members: Members of a BIRT are never expected to place themselves in any danger. They only need to be familiar with their immediate area and building-specific evacuation procedures, and to maintain a calm demeanor in an emergency. They also will support and provide information to emergency first responders.
- BIRT Liaisons: Team leaders appointed as BIRT Liaisons are expected to interface with emergency first responders and coordinate volunteer BIRT Members. This allows each BIRT to assist in quickly evacuating buildings, providing direction for sheltering and assisting in wayfinding.
Without BIRT training, things may not have gone as smoothly or effectively…when the fire happened, which reinforced the importance of continuing the training.
– Xavier Wilson, director of Michigan League after a fire occurred in his building
For more information, please read the FAQs below.
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BIRT enhances the floor marshal program by providing a liaison to emergency first responders (e.g. Division of Public Safety and Security, Huron Valley Ambulance, Ann Arbor Fire), which addresses the gap found in past incidents related to coordination, communication and chain of command. In addition, BIRT also provides response preparation, a hierarchical structure for command and control, and guidance on the fundamentals of the Incident Command System.
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It depends. BIRT Members attend team meetings for the purpose of training and exercising. They also respond during a building incident as the need arises.
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Compliance and accountability are important in making the BIRT program a success. BIRT Members who encounter non-compliance should move on with their assigned duties and report the issue to the BIRT Liaison for follow-up action as soon as it is safe to do so.
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Core responsibilities for a BIRT Member are to lead emergency response actions and to follow directions from the BIRT Liaison and first responders. This means calling 911 to report the incident and keeping building occupants informed about what actions to take (evacuate, shelter in place, etc.). At the discretion of first responders, your core responsibilities also may involve securing the building perimeter to prevent people from entering.
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BIRT Members are trained when to activate for an incident response. During training, communication methods will be discussed and team member contact information will be shared.
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The University of Michigan provides general liability insurance coverage for volunteers acting within the course of their duties and scope of their training and ability.
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BIRT training provided by Emergency Management will prepare BIRT members to manage a wide variety of emergency incidents. The initial training is about one hour and provides an overview. Once the initial training is completed, we encourage BIRT teams to meet regularly and conduct more building specific training. Emergency Management staff is available as a resource when needed.
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No. BIRT members are assigned via buildings and floors irrespective of departments and units. This helps to ensure a coordinated incident response and promote the sharing of information with all necessary parties.
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Yes. An incident may not just affect one area or building, so it is important for teams to interact and train with each other. If an incident occurs in one area or building, a nearby area or building may be a designated staging, shelter or evacuation site.
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Many facilities on campus operate after normal business hours for special events or classes. To ensure consistency in response operations, the BIRT Liaison should provide individuals such as faculty and special events coordinators with a briefing of emergency response procedures. In addition, individuals operating buildings after hours should have contact information for the BIRT Liaison for the purpose of emergency communication.
Please contact us at (734) 763-8391 or dpss-safety-security@umich.edu for more information.
