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Emergency Planning and Preparedness

Preparing for Emergencies in Youth Programs:

Program directors with custodial responsibility for minors must develop a written safety plan that addresses reasonably foreseeable emergencies. Safety plans should be tailored to the program's location, activities, and participant age group. 

Cornell’s Emergency Action Guide provides a useful framework for developing emergency plans. Because youth participants have unique supervision and care needs, youth program safety plans must also include procedures specifically designed to protect and account for minors during emergency situations. 

At a minimum, safety plans should address:

  • Procedures for assisting and accounting for minors during emergencies, including medical emergencies, evacuations, shelter-in-place events, and weather-related incidents.
  • Staffing and supervision plans to ensure continuous oversight of participants.
  • Emergency communication procedures, including communications with emergency responders, parents/guardians, and university officials.
  • Evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures, including designating meeting locations, accountability processes, and staff responsibilities.
  • Medical emergency response procedures, including access to emergency contact information and methods for obtaining medical assistance.
  • Severe weather and environmental hazard response procedures.
  • A lost participant response procedures.

Emergency Preparedness:

Program directors and authorized persons shoudl take the following steps to prepare for emergencies:

  • Enroll in CornellALERT emergency notifications.
  • Download the Rave Guardian app.
  • Familiarize yourself with site-specific emergency procedures and evacuation routes.
  • Ensure emergency contact information is readily available for all participants.

  • Save the appropriate campus emergency contact information in your phone.

    Campus Emergency Contacts:

    • Ithaca Campus: Cornell Police (607-255-1111)
    • Cornell AgriTech: AgriTech Security (315-787-2215) or local law enforcement
    • Cornell Tech: Campus Safety & Security (646-971-3611)
    • Weill Cornell Medicine-NYC: WCM Security Office (212-746-0911)
    • Off-campus programs should dial 911

Program directors must maintain a reliable method for contacting parents or guardians of all participants in the event of an emergency.

First Aid and CPR/AED Training Recommendations:

To support the health and safety of participants, CYS recommends that one or more authorized persons associated with each program maintain current certifications in First Aid and CPR/AED.

Training opportunities are available through: 

Additional Requirements for NYSDOH-Permitted Camps

Programs classified as children's camps and permitted by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) must comply with additional state requirements, including:

  • Completion of the NYSDOH safety plan template 
  • Compliance with state First Aid and CPR/AED training requirements
  • Designation of a qualified Health Director

Additional guidance is available in Requirements for Children's Camps in New York State. 

Questions regarding NYSDOH requirements should be directed to CYS and/or the local health department.