Building Incident Response

Roles within each BIRT include:

• BIRT Members: BIRT members are never expected to put themselves in danger. They only need to be familiar with their immediate area and building-specific evacuation procedures and maintain a calm demeanor in an emergency. They will also 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. Liaisons allow each BIRT to assist in quickly evacuating buildings, providing direction for sheltering and assisting in wayfinding.

BIRT enhances the floor marshal program by liaising with emergency first responders (e.g., the Division of Public Safety and Security, Huron Valley Ambulance, and 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.

It depends. BIRT Members attend team meetings to train and exercise. They also respond during a building incident as needed.

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.

The primary responsibilities of a BIRT Member are to lead emergency response actions and 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 may also involve securing the building perimeter to prevent people from entering.

BIRT Members are trained on when to activate for an incident response. During training, communication methods are discussed, and team member contact information is shared.

The University of Michigan provides general liability insurance coverage for volunteers acting within their duties and scope of their training and ability.

BIRT training provided by Emergency Preparedness will prepare BIRT members to manage various emergency incidents. The initial training is about one hour and provides an overview.

Once the initial training is complete, we encourage BIRT teams to meet regularly and conduct more building-specific training. Emergency Preparedness staff are available as a resource when needed.

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.

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.

Many facilities on campus operate after regular business hours for special events or classes. To ensure consistency in response operations, the BIRT Liaison should brief individuals such as faculty and special events coordinators on emergency response procedures.

In addition, individuals operating buildings after hours should have contact information for the BIRT Liaison for emergency communication.