Building Liaisons

Building Emergency Liaisons (BEL) are university employees who work in each building and have special duties regarding emergency planning and response. This section outlines the responsibilities for BELs before and during a building emergency. The BEL team consists of a Primary BEL, a Secondary BEL and a Tertiary BEL with an organized line of succession.

A Building Emergency Liaison should:

  • Work in the building full time, or have their primary workplace in the building.
  • Have knowledge of the building’s layout, operations and contents.
  • For buildings without full time staff (i.e. annexes, storage buildings, etc.), the BEL should be someone with primary responsibility for the building’s operations or contents.

Building Emergency Liaison Responsibilities

  • Coordinate and facilitate the development, communication, implementation and maintenance of the Building Emergency Plan.
  • Make the Building Emergency Plan available to building occupants.
  • Work with department and project administrators to appoint the Building Advisory Committee.
  • Serve as chair or facilitator for the Building Advisory Committee.
  • Conduct and/or assist in evacuation drills.
  • Assist in training the building occupants in emergency procedures and evacuation responsibilities.
  • Upon request, assist in the development of personal action plans for persons with access or functional needs. The Building Emergency Liaison should maintain a list of persons needing assistance during an evacuation.
  • Serve as the point of contact for emergency responders regarding building information, training and walk-throughs.
  • Maintain communications with the Secondary and Tertiary Building Emergency Liaisons on all matters related to the Building Emergency Plan.

During an Emergency

  1. Immediately obey evacuation alarms and orders to evacuate. Tell others to evacuate.
  2. Direct people to the designated Emergency Assembly Areas.
  3. Meet emergency personnel upon their arrival and convey specific information about hazards in the building, access, etc.
  4. From a safe distance, prevent people from reentering the building until the all clear instruction has been given by first responders.

Secondary and Tertiary BEL Responsibilities

  • Fulfill the responsibilities of the Building Emergency Liaison in their absence.
  • Work with department and project administrators to appoint the Building Advisory Committee.
  • Serve on the Building Advisory Committee.

Building Advisory Committee

The Building Advisory Committee (BAC) provides coordination between the departments and projects within the building. The Building Emergency Liaisons will work with department and project administrators to develop the Building Advisory Committee. The Building Advisory Committee membership includes the BELs and one representative for each department and project housed in the building.

Building Advisory Committee Responsibilities

  • Assist the Building Emergency Liaisons in the development, communication, implementation and maintenance of the Building Emergency Plan.
  • Meet quarterly to review building policies and procedures.
  • Review the Building Emergency Plan annually (at minimum) and update it as needed.

During an Emergency

  1. Immediately obey evacuation alarms and orders to evacuate. Tell others to evacuate.
  2. Direct people to the designated Emergency Assembly Areas.
  3. From a safe distance, prevent people from reentering the building until the all clear instruction has been given by emergency responders.
  4. In the absence of the Building Emergency Liaisons, BAC members may fulfill the BEL responsibilities.

Drill Information

The University of Kansas Police Department conducts evacuation drills throughout campus each year. The drills are required to be done annually per University policy and federal regulations. Evacuation drills ensure that building occupants are prepared for an emergency situation.

Evacuation drills will take place in all buildings that are designated for human occupancy. If the building does not have a Building Emergency Liaison, the KU Police Department will make every effort to contact the individual(s) responsible for the building and ask them to complete the Evacuation Drill Report.

Following completion of the drill, the drill report form will need to be completed and submitted to KU Police Department no later than five days after the drill.

In order to prepare for a drill, the Building Emergency Liaison or the responsible party for the building will be notified at least one week prior to the evacuation drill. The KU Police Department will schedule a meeting with building liaisons, usually two weeks before the drill is to take place. These meetings will address any questions and go over the plans for the drill. Please note: We can often change the time of day the drill takes place, but the schedule date usually needs to remain the same.

We understand that these drills may interrupt some activities in the building. However, the drills are required by policy and regulations, and it is our responsibility to ensure that all buildings are able to safely evacuate their occupants in the event of an emergency. The KU Police Department intends to complete these drills as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to lessen any negative impacts on your building's daily functions. To ensure that drills are conducted efficiently, please review the Building Emergency Plan, Building Emergency Liaison Responsibilities, and talk to your building committees. Effort in advance will help ensure that we can address issues in advance and complete everything as quickly as possible.

Building Evacuation Plans

All buildings on campus are required to have a current and accurate building evacuation plan. These plans should be reviewed by KU Emergency Management staff and by the KU Fire Marshal Authority. Emergency planning templates can be obtained by contacting KU Emergency Management at emergencymgt@ku.edu. Building emergency plan maps can be obtained from Facilities Planning & Development at kudcm@ku.edu.