Changes in the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness
Jan 16, 2006 - 4:29:31 PM
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 16:29:08 -0500
From: Official UGA Announcements
Subject: Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness
To: ARCHNEWS@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
TO: Faculty, staff, and students
FROM: Opal Haley, Director, Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness
SUBJECT: Changes in the Office of Security Preparedness
The University Office of Security Preparedness has recently undergone several significant changes designed to clarify its mission and better prepare the University to respond to large scale natural or man-made disasters. These changes include a departmental name change, an address change, and the reassignment of emergency operations to the department. These changes are described in greater detail below.
Effective December 15, 2005, the department was renamed the Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness to more accurately reflect its overall responsibilities. During November, the Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness relocated from the Chicopee Complex to the recently renovated Hodgson Oil Building. The proximity to the University of Georgia Police Department, Public Affairs, and Real Estate and Space Management provides the opportunity to collaborate more effectively with these critical units in the event of a large scale emergency. The new mailing address is:
Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness
Hodgson Oil Building, Suite 200 South
286 Oconee Street
Athens, Georgia 30602-4977
Revisions to the department’s web site (www.uga.edu/osep) are ongoing to better reflect our expanded responsibilities. The departmental phone number (706.542.5845) and email (uosp@uga.edu) remain unchanged.
In August, the vacant Emergency Operations Manager position was restructured and reassigned from the Environmental Safety Division to the Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness. Duties of the Emergency Operations Manager include updating and testing the University’s basic emergency operations plan and development of departmental specific emergency plans. Steve Harris, who has served as the School Safety Unit Manager with the Georgia Office of Homeland Security, Georgia Emergency Management Agency for the past six years, assumed the Emergency Operations Manager position effective January 13, 2006. Steve brings a wealth of experience related to emergency operations planning, security and risk assessments, exercise design and development, specialized training, and incident response services.
The Office of Security & Emergency Preparedness facilitates quarterly training programs through the Training & Development Department for faculty and staff. Additionally, the department schedules training classes upon request for student groups, departments, and other UGA affiliates. We look forward to working with our campus colleagues to further enhance the University’s security and emergency preparedness capabilities. Email us at uosp@uga.edu if you are interested in scheduling a program for your group. We encourage all faculty, staff, and students to visit our web site and the Office of Homeland Security web site (http://www.ready.gov/) for information related to personal preparedness.
