Building Emergency Team Program

Building Emergency Team Program

EHS&EM is in the process of revamping the Building Coordinator Program.

We are working with one building at a time to implement the Building Emergency Team Program. Debi Trivette is the program manager for the Building Emergency Team Program. You may reach Debi at trivttedp@appstate.edu, (o) x6120, (c) 828-434-0133.

As we are working our way through campus, buildings will remain under the Building Coordinator Program (scroll down for more information) until the building has been placed into the Building Emergency Team Program. Processes to place a building in the Building Emergency Team Program include the program manager identifying evacuation assembly areas, talking with the Dean, Chair, or Director of each department within the building to gather names from each department or area to serve on the Building Emergency Team Program.   The Building Emergency Team assists with emergency evacuations by telling building occupants they need to evacuate on their way out to their nearest exit and letting the occupants know where the evacuation assembly area is. When a building is placed in the Building Emergency Team Program, the program manager creates a new Building Emergency Action Plan(EAP), and trains each member of the Building Emergency Team on the EAP.  Building Emergency Team members are provided with a Building Emergency Team bag that includes a notebook with the EAP, evacuation assembly area map, and other safety and emergency information, a  clipboard with evacuation assembly area roster, a Building Emergency Team vest, a flashlight, and a whistle.  The EAP training includes preparedness information for: 

  • Communications during Emergencies
  • Medical Emergencies
  • Active Shooter Awareness
  • Evacuation 
  • Weather Events
  • Bomb Threats
  • Shelter-in-Place
  • Earthquakes
  • Suspicious Activity
  • Persons who need assistance
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Civil Demonstrations
  • General Emergency Guidelines
  • Gas Leaks
  • Robbery
  • Fire Emergencies
  • Explosions
  • Bodily Fluids

Building Emergency Teams are encouraged to participate in building exercises on topics and scales of their choosing.  Both tabletop and drill exercises have been conducted in several buildings.  The program manager works with the Building Emergency Team and coordinates with other areas for support as appropriate for the exercise.  We are excited about the Building Emergency Team Program as it will enable our campus to be more prepared for emergency situations.

View the list of Building Emergency Team Program Building Coordinators and Assistant Building Coordinators.

Building Emergency Team

Building Emergency Training

What happens if there's an emergency in my building? What is the Building Emergency Team Program about? What is a Building Emergency Action Plan? Find out the answer to these questions by attending the workshop "What If There Is An Emergency In My Building?" Workshop available upon request. Please email Debi Trivette at trivttedp@appstate.edu.

Building Coordinator Program

(under revision and transition to the Building Emergency Team Program)

Beginning in 2010, Appalachian State University developed a Building Emergency Response Plan and Building Coordinator Program. During the program's initial phase, department heads across campus will identify building coordinators in each building. Regardless of the hazard, from facility security vulnerabilities to an active shooter, the University recognizes the need to have faculty and staff across campus that can serve as a liaison between each building and campus services. When the implementation phase is complete, every academic and administrative building on campus will have a building coordinator.

An important element of the approved Building Emergency Response Plan is the Building Coordinator Program. Each academic and administrative building that is operated by Appalachian State University has a primary Building Coordinator (BC) and Alternate Building Coordinator. Faculty or staff members in the department with the most assigned square footage in each building fill these positions. Building Coordinators provide copies of the Building Emergency Response Plan to every department within the building, assist emergency responders with information following an emergency, and serve as a liaison between various campus departments and the building for items relating to safety and security. Currently, almost every academic and administrative building on campus now has at least one trained emergency building coordinator.

In response to our needs here at App State, the University recently revised the Emergency Management and Business Continuity Policy (Administrative Policy 20). The Policy defines specific responsibilities for University departments relating to emergency management and campus safety. Section five of the new policy requires all departments to assist with the development of building emergency plans and identification of Building Coordinators.

Buildings that have been placed in the Building Emergency Team Program:

  • Founders Hall (May 2016)
  • Chapell Wilson Hall and Valborg Theatre (2016)
  • Smith-Wright Hall (November 2016)
  • Belk Library (February 2017)
  • Walker Hall (February 2017)
  • Peacock Hall (April 2017)
  • Roess Dining Hall (May 2017)
  • IG Greer Hall (July 2017)
  • Fermentation Sciences-Panhellenic Hall (August 2017)
  • BB Dougherty Administration (September 2017)
  • Edwin Duncan Hall (October 2017)
  • University Hall (November 2017)
  • Holmes Convocation Center (May 2018)
  • Rankin Science (November 2018)
  • Miles Annas (December 2018)
  • Anne Belk Hall (April 2019)
  • Levine Hall CHS (April 2019)
  • Trivette Hall (May 2019)
  • Steam Plant (August 2019)
  • UREC (October 2019)
  • Schaefer Center (November 2019)
  • Turchin Center (November 2019)
  • Reich College of Education (January 2020)
  • Human Resources (February 2020)
  • Varsity Gym (March 2020)
  • LS Dougherty (March 2020)
  • JET (March 2020)
  • Greenway (April 2021)
  • App Catering-End Zone (July 2021)
  • Facilities Operations (November 2021)
  • Landscape Services (November 2021)
  • Masonry/Turf/Trees (November 2021)
  • Motor Pool (November 2021)
  • DD Dougherty (May 2022)
  • Charleston Forge (September 2022)
  • Broyhill Music Center (March 2023)
  • App State Hickory Campus (May 2023)
  • Garwood Hall (September 2023)
  • Katherine Harper/Kerr Scott Hall (November 2023)

For More Information

App State's Office of Environmental Health, Safety, and Emergency Management coordinates the Building Emergency Team Program. If you would like additional information on the Building Emergency Action Plan or the Building Emergency Team Program, contact the Office of Environmental Health, Safety, and Emergency Management at 828-262-4008.