PURPOSE
The purpose of this plan is to have a course of action
to respond to emergency situations that may prevent significant
numbers of federal employees on the island of Oahu from
reporting for work on time or that require agencies to close
all or part of their activities. This document is designed
to provide the following:
- The guidance and operational procedures required to
eliminate or reduce the potential harm to federal employees
from adverse weather conditions (high wind, high surf,
flash flood, hurricane, tsunami), disruptions of power
and/or water, riots, civil disturbances, acts of war,
acts of terrorism or chemical/biological threats.
- Recommendations on dismissal or non-dismissal of federal
employees during emergencies. When the recommendation
is to stay open, the FEB will issue an advisory statement
to that effect as well.
AUTHORITY
The authority for this action is the Federal Executive
Board charter given by President John F. Kennedy on November
1, 1961 and Part 960 of Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
“The Federal Executive Boards shall be responsible
for…responding to emergency operations, such as under
hazardous weather conditions; responding to blood donation
needs; and communicating related leave policies;”
5 CFR 960.107. The plan outlined here is consistent with
the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Emergency
Dismissal Procedures for the Washington, D.C. area.
OVERVIEW
All employees are to presume, unless otherwise notified,
that their office or activity will be opened each regular
workday regardless of any adverse weather or other conditions
that may develop.
When offices cannot be opened or employees cannot report,
it is important that all federal agencies affected by the
same emergency conditions coordinate their plans in advance
for releasing or excusing employees. This includes establishing
common leave employees.
EMERGENCY CONDITIONS DEFINED
An emergency situation is one that may prevent significant
numbers of employees from reporting for work or may require
partially or totally closing federal activities. Covered
conditions include adverse weather conditions (high wind,
high surf, flash flood, hurricane, tsunami), disruptions
of power and/or water, major fires, massive power failures,
serious interruptions to public transportation, riots, civil
disturbances, acts of war, acts of terrorism or chemical/biological
threats or other catastrophic conditions.
In Hawaii, severe weather or ocean conditions are most
likely to activate this plan. Isolated emergencies, such
as fire at a single facility or bomb threats, are covered
by that facility’s emergency plan. This guideline
is not intended for use in isolated emergencies. It is issued
solely to coordinate the dismissal of federal employees
in those situations where all or most federal activities
on Oahu would be closing.
GEOGRAPHIC AREA COVERED BY THESE GUIDELINES
Procedures are applicable to Oahu only due to the limitations
of the emergency notification system and the diverse conditions
of the neighbor islands. Agencies that have offices on the
neighbor islands should provide guidance to their managers
and supervisors to make decisions regarding dismissal as
dictated by local conditions.
FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
The recommendation to dismiss early or to stay open will
be developed by the FEB Chair with input from the Executive
Director and, as time permits, the Policy Committee based
on information provided by State Civil Defense, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Prince Kuhio Federal
Building Designated Official.
Agency contact personnel will be notified of the FEB’s
recommendation to stay open, dismiss early, or close through
the State Civil Defense computer and/or the Emergency Telephone
Cascade Notification System.
The FEB will maintain a current database of all Oahu federal
agency primary and alternate emergency contacts with work,
home, and cell telephone numbers. At least annually, the
FEB Chair will request that each federal agency on Oahu
provide the FEB with updated information for its database.
The FEB will coordinate with the Oahu Civil Defense and
will serve in the Oahu Civil Defense Agency emergency operations
center.
The FEB will provide information to the following news
media concerning status of public services and federal employees’
reporting requirements:
- State Civil Defense (for access to the Emergency Broadcast
System)
- Other appropriate media, such as radio or television
Radio and television announcements will be general in
nature.
Agencies are encouraged to notify the general public of
any service disruption.
The Federal Executive Board will also notify the Office
of Personnel Management in Washington, D.C., of any closure
or adjusted work schedule. Upon receiving notification from
the FEB, the OPM Director will be informed of the situation
and the information will be posted on OPM’s web site.
During an emergency situation, the Federal Executive Board
will update its web site at www.honolulu-pacific.feb.gov
with the FEB’s recommendation and the status of federal
agencies on Oahu.
The FEB Chair will advise federal agencies in writing
of any scheduled tests of the emergency automated response
system or use of the Emergency Telephone Cascade Notification
System.
The FEB will review and update this plan annually.
Prince Kuhio Federal Building Only
In an emergency that only affects the Prince Kuhio Federal
Building and its tenant agencies, the Building Designated
Official, the 14th Coast Guard District Commander and GSA
representatives in coordination with the FEB will make recommendations
to stay open, dismiss early or close the building.
During work hours, the General Services Administration
(GSA) will use the public address system to make an announcement
throughout the Prince Kuhio Federal Building.
AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES
Within agencies, existing communication systems will be
used. Agencies are urged to keep a copy of this plan both
in the office and at home and provide a copy to their designated
contact personnel.
Agencies should identify emergency personnel and notify them
in writing that they are designated as “emergency employees.”
The term “emergency employee” is used to designate
those employees who must report for work in emergency situations.
The notice should include the requirement that “emergency
employees” report for or remain at work in emergency
situations and an explanation that dismissal or closure announcements
do not apply to them unless they are instructed otherwise.
If an agency determines that a situation requires employees
not designated as “emergency employees” to report
for work or remain at work during an emergency, the agency
should establish a procedure for notifying them individually.
If possible, agencies should report their dismissal decisions
by calling the FEB at
541-2637/38 and leaving a message on the recorder describing
what services will or will not be available to the public
and reporting requirements for incoming workers. This information
will provide the FEB a consolidated view of the agency status.
It will also be posted on the FEB web page at www.honolulu-pacific.feb.gov.
If the FEB’s Emergency Telephone Cascade Notification
System is unable to telephone your agency contact personnel,
you can call the FEB office at 541-2637/38 for a recording
of the recommendation and the latest status of the emergency
situation.
Agencies should immediately notify the FEB at 541-2637/38
whenever there are any changes in designated contact personnel
or their telephone numbers.
AGENCY PLANS
The FEB highly recommends each agency develop a written
plan to address preparation for and operations during emergency
conditions and to review it annually. Dismissal plans should
contain the following as a minimum:
- Designation of “emergency positions” and
procedures for informing employees in these positions
of that designation in writing.
- Methods for informing non-emergency employees who are
at work of dismissal decisions and procedures for informing
employees at home to remain there.
- Methods for informing employees of termination of the
emergency and requirements for returning to work.
- This plan as an attachment.
PREROGATIVES OF AGENCIES
Agency officials have authority to dismiss employees during
emergency conditions and nothing prevents them from dismissing
employees in the absence of a FEB recommendation. The FEB
recommendation is advisory only and participation is voluntary;
however, agencies are strongly encouraged to give special
consideration to the advisory when making a decision. Deviations
should be reserved for special conditions relating to such
factors as geography or unique agency missions so that both
the public and our own employees will better understand
our actions.
EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENTS
EMERGENCIES DURING NON-WORK HOURS (before 6:00
a.m. and after 4:00 p.m.)
The FEB will provide one of the following five announcements
when an emergency occurs during non-work hours (before 6:00
a.m. and after 4:00 p.m.). (For additional guidance on excused
absence, see the paragraph following this table.)
| Emergency Announcement |
What Announcement Means |
Additional Guidance |
| 1. “Federal agencies on Oahu are OPEN for business
as usual. Employees are expected to report for work
on time.” |
Federal agencies will open on time, and employees
are expected to report for work as scheduled. |
Agencies should be as flexible as possible in approving
annual leave or leave without pay (LWOP) for employees
who face emergency situations or other hardships (e.g.,
when schools/child care centers open late or are closed). |
| 2. “Federal agencies on Oahu are OPEN for business
as usual under an UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy. Employees
may take leave without prior approval.” |
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees
not designated as “emergency employees”
may take annual leave or leave without pay (LWOP) without
the prior approval of their supervisors. “Emergency
employees” are expected to report for work on
time. |
Employees must inform their supervisors if they plan
to take annual leave or LWOP. If an employee fails to
report for work and has not informed the supervisor
of his or her plans to take leave, the agency may charge
the employee absence without leave (AWOL). |
| 3. “Federal agencies on Oahu are OPEN for business
as usual under an ADJUSTED HOME DEPARTURE policy. Employees
are requested to leave home ## hours later than their
normal departure time.” |
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees
not designated as “emergency employees”
should adjust their normal home departure time consistent
with the announcement. Employees who arrive late for
work will be excused without loss of pay or charge to
leave. Agencies have discretionary authority to determine
the amount of excused absence to grant in such cases.
“Emergency employees” are expected to report
for work on time. |
Agencies may use OPM’s “Handbook
on Alternative Work Schedules, December 1996”
(section 12, “Flexible Work Schedules,”
paragraph 1) to determine the normal arrival time of
employees on flexible work schedules. The handbook is
available on OPM’s website at www.opm.gov/oca/aws. |
| 4. “Federal agencies on Oahu are OPEN for business
as usual under an ADJUSTED HOME DEPARTURE/ UNSCHEDULED
LEAVE policy. Employees are requested to leave home
## hours later than their normal departure time. Employees
may take leave without prior approval.” |
Federal agencies will open on time, but employees
not designated as “emergency employees”
should adjust their normal home departure time consistent
with the announcement. Employees who arrive late for
work will be excused without loss of pay or charge to
leave. Agencies have discretionary authority to determine
the amount of excused absence to grant in such cases.
Employees may take annual leave or LWOP without the
prior approval of their supervisors. “Emergency
employees” are expected to report for work on
time. |
Employees must inform their supervisors if they
plan to take annual leave or LWOP. Employees who take
leave will be charged leave for the entire workday.
Agencies may use OPM’s “Handbook
on Alternative Work Schedules, December 1996”
(section 12, “Flexible Work Schedules,”
paragraph 1) to determine the normal departure time
of employees on flexible work schedules. The handbook
is available on OPM’s website at www.opm.gov/oca/aws. |
| 5. “Federal agencies are CLOSED.” |
Employees not designated as “emergency employees”
(including telecommuting employees at an alternative
work site) are excused from duty without loss of pay
or charge to leave. “Emergency employees”
are expected to report for work on time. |
Workdays on which a federal activity is closed are
non- workdays for leave purposes. Employees who are
on approved leave before the closure must be granted
excused absence. This does not apply to employees on
LWOP, military leave, suspension, or in a nonpay status.
Employees on alternative work schedules (AWS) are not
entitled to another AWS day off “in lieu of”
the workday on which the agency is closed. |
Excused Absence - Agencies may excuse
an employee without loss of pay or charge to leave (i.e.,
grant a reasonable amount of excused absence) if the employee
is unavoidably delayed in arriving for work. Factors such
as distance, availability of transportation, the need to
make alternative child care arrangements, and the success
of other employees in similar situations should be considered
in determining the amount of excused absence to grant. However,
employees have no entitlement to excused absence. Agencies
must notify employees of the procedures to be followed in
this situation.
EMERGENCIES DURING NORMAL WORK HOURS (6:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m.)
When an emergency situation occurs during normal work
hours, the FEB may announce that federal agencies on Oahu
are operating under an ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL policy. When
this announcement is made, employees should be dismissed
relative to their normal departure times from work. For
example, if a 3-hour ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL policy is announced,
workers who normally leave their offices at 3:30 p.m. would
be authorized to leave at 12:30 p.m. (For additional guidance
on excused absence, see the paragraph following the table
below.)
How is leave handled when the FEB announces an
ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL policy?
| Employee Action |
Leave Policy |
| Employee is on duty. |
Agency should grant excused absence for the remainder
of the workday following the employee’s authorized
time of dismissal even if the employee is scheduled
to take leave later in the day. |
| Employee leaves before official announcement of ADJUSTED
WORK DISMISSAL policy or before the time set for his
or her dismissal. |
The agency should charge leave for the remainder of
the workday following the time of the employee’s
departure. |
| Employee is scheduled to return from leave after official
announcement of ADJUSTED WORK DISMISSAL policy, but
before the time set for his or her dismissal. |
The agency should grant excused absence for the remainder
of the workday following the time of the official announcement
through the remainder of the workday, even if the employee
is scheduled to take leave again later in the workday. |
| Employee is telecommuting at an alternative work site. |
Agency should grant excused absence for the remainder
of the workday following what would be the employee’s
authorized time of dismissal. |
| Employee is absent on previously approved leave (annual,
sick, or LWOP) for the entire workday. |
The agency should continue to charge the employee
leave for the entire workday. |
| Employee fails to report for work. |
The agency should charge AWOL or permit the employee
to request annual leave, sick leave, or LWOP, as appropriate,
for the entire workday. Exceptions to this policy should
be made only in unusual circumstances. |
Excused Absence – Agencies may excuse
an employee without loss of pay or charge to leave (i.e.,
grant a reasonable amount of excused absence) to avoid hardships.
For example, excused absence may be granted to employees
who need to leave before official announcement of an Adjusted
Work Dismissal policy or before the employee’s authorized
time of dismissal because younger children are released
from school/child care centers earlier than the announced
dismissal time and no alternative forms of child care are
available. However, employees have no entitlement to excused
absence. Agencies must notify employees of the procedures
to be followed in these situations.
For More Information:
- The status of Federal Government operations is available
on OPM’s web site at www.opm.gov
- On excused absences, leave and work scheduling policies,
contact OPM’s Office of Compensation Administration
at (202) 606-2858 or email payleave@opm.gov
Reviewed:
5/1/07
