Occupant Emergency Plans (OEP)

Each building at UW–Madison is required to have a completed Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP). The OEP is an all-hazards plan designed around a building’s unique layout and function. The primary purpose of the OEP is to provide guidance to building occupants in the event of an emergency, such as a tornado, active shooter, gas leak, or bomb threat.

Why Have an OEP?

The OEP provides life saving information to the occupants of the building. Occupants need to know when it is appropriate to evacuate a building, when to shelter-in-place, and when to hide. This and further life saving information is found in the OEP. The OEP is stored on the building’s Intranet, in a hard copy, or in both locations.

Every building that has a completed and approved OEP is required to hold at least one emergency drill per year. These drills will test the building occupants with a scenario they may face in real life. Note that the yearly OEP drill is in addition to the required yearly tornado and fire drills.

If you are unsure if your building has an OEP, please contact your building manager.

Resources for Facility Managers

If you are a facility manager and need assistance with your OEP, please contact Emergency Management . OEP and After Action Report templates are linked below for your reference: