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Places of Refuge Planning

In some cases, both evacuation plans and shelter-in-place policies are deemed unwise or impossible.  If this scenario occurs, all team members should seek out pre-determined Places of Refuge.  Places of Refuge are specific locations that the CMT and Team Leaders deem accessible and safe.  They can include local addresses of contacts that can provide shelter, friendly foreign embassies such as a Canadian Embassy, a rallying point in a nearby country, or another nearby team’s location.  These Places of Refuge should be written down and included in the team CMP specific to the location, updated annually, and known by all staff members.  Places of Refuge should at least include the following:

1. High ground in case of flooding
2. Safe location in the same city as the team headquarters
3. Safe location inside the country, but not in the same city as the team
4. Rallying point outside the country other than the US

Places of Refuge Activation

Upon the decision to seek out Places of Refuge, if possible, the Team Leader should immediately determine which of the pre-determined locations each staff member would travel.  It is always preferable that personnel travel together unless it is strategically beneficial that they travel separately or to separate locations.  If communication with the Team Leader is impossible, each team should immediately determine the best location based on their information.  If an individual is alone, they have the authority to immediately choose their own Place of Refuge from the pre-determined options.

After deciding where to relocate to, the personnel should move as quickly as possible to the location.  Upon arrival the most senior member should document:

• The names of all personnel who attempted to reach their Place of Refuge
• The names of the personnel currently located at their Place of Refuge
• The names and Places of Refuge of all other personnel for their team

Then, the most senior member should attempt to contact the CMT and receive further instructions.  If they cannot contact the CMT, they should seek to contact the Team Leader’s Place of Refuge if possible.  They should then follow all CMT or Team Leader instructions.  If they are unable to reach either party, they should shelter-in-place at the Place of Refuge until they establish communication with the CMT or Team Leader.