After months of research and talks with people all over the country, Kansas Athletics, Inc., released a 28-page emergency management and communications plan at its board meeting Tuesday, outlining in detail what should be done in the case of unexpected emergencies either at events or involving student-athletes and facilities.
Kansas University associate athletic director Brandon Macneill called the compilation “probably the best plan in the country.”
Athletic director Lew Perkins agreed.
“We’ve taken this project very seriously,” Perkins said, “because we should.”
KU officials included nine addendums in the plan, which addresses what KU employees should do in the case of emergencies such as death or serious injury to a student-athlete or spectator, legal issues within the department, severe weather and even a bomb threat.
Perkins said the report was the result of six months of research that included discussions with police, doctors, trainers, coaches and athletic-department officials.
“Six months ago, we had plans in place,” Macneill said, “but they were sort of all over the place.”
Perkins and Macneill stressed that a plan such as the one released Tuesday never was set in stone.
“We’ll constantly be looking at it,” Perkins said, “tweaking it and reviewing it.”
The board meeting was adjourned after a short session. It started with an auditor reporting his findings — seemingly all positive — in his review of KU’s financial practices. The board then discussed football tickets for the Fort Worth Bowl and the 2006 season before speaking of the emergency plan.
The board plans to meet again in February.
