Federal agencies are required to have an occupant emergency program that establishes procedures for safeguarding lives and property during According to ISC, an OEP is a emergencies in their respective facilities.critical component of an effective occupant emergency program. Further, these plans are intended to minimize the risk to personnel, property, and other assets within a facility by providing facility-specific response procedures for occupants to follow. Several federal entities—ISC, GSA, and FPS—play a role in protection policy and programs for GSA-owned and -leased facilities. Established by Executive Order 12977, ISC is an interagency organization chaired by DHS to enhance the quality and effectiveness of security in, and protection of, nonmilitary buildings occupied by federal employees for nonmilitary activities in the United States, among other things.agencies, including FPS and GSA. Under the executive order, ISC was directed to develop policies and standards that govern federal facilities’ physical security efforts. As a part of its government-wide effort to develop physical security standards and improve the protection of federal facilities, it also provides guidance on OEPs. In its 2010 standard, ISC ISC includes members from 53 federal departments and lists 10 elements that should be addressed at a minimum in an OEP, and states that the plan must be reviewed annually. As the federal government’s landlord, GSA designs, builds, manages, and maintains federal facilities. Presidential Policy Directive 21 designates DHS and GSA as cosector-specific agencies for the government facilities sector, 1 of 16 critical infrastructure sectors. In 2002, GSA issued its Occupant Emergency Program Guide to provide step-by-step instructions for agencies to use to meet federal regulatory requirements for OEPs. GSA also served as chair and sponsor of ISC’s working group that developed additional guidance for preparing OEPs. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 transferred FPS from GSA to the newly established DHS in March 2003, and required DHS to protect the buildings, grounds, and property that are under the control and custody of GSA and the persons on the property. As part of an agreement between GSA and DHS, FPS provides law enforcement and related security services for GSA’s approximately 9,600 facilities, which include—but are not limited to—responding to incidents and conducting facility security assessments.inspectors to help FPS identify and evaluate potential risks so that countermeasures can be recommended to help prevent or mitigate risks. FPS inspectors are law enforcement officers and trained security experts who perform facility security assessments and inspections and respond to Facility security assessments are conducted by FPS incidents. FPS also assigns an FSL in accordance with the ISC standard and in coordination with the FSC and GSA representative based on a facility’s cumulative rating on five factors established by ISC (plus an adjustment for intangible factors), as shown in figure 1. According to ISC, a facility’s FSL is a key factor in establishing appropriate physical security measures. Further, while the minimum OEP elements in the ISC 2010 standard apply to all FSL facilities, what is appropriate may vary based on facility characteristics. The federal agencies that occupy federal facilities are responsible for preparing and maintaining OEPs; ISC, GSA, and FPS provide guidance or assistance to the agencies in developing OEPs, and FPS can periodically review OEPs. All 20 facilities we visited had written emergency plans in place, the majority of which reflected ISC’s minimum elements for a facility OEP. The OEPs we reviewed varied in length and content based on a number of factors, such as facility security level. Ensuring that each of the approximately 9,600 GSA-owned and -leased facilities protected by FPS has emergency plans to safely evacuate occupants is a complex undertaking. Each agency occupying a facility is responsible for ensuring the safety of its occupants in that facility. Although no one agency accounts for OEPs across the federal government, ISC, GSA, and FPS each provide guidance on what should be included in a plan. FPS also provides a check that plans are in place as part of its periodic facility security assessments. Federal agencies have designated officials to create and oversee emergency plans and duties for the facilities they occupy. According to federal regulations, designated officials are responsible for developing, In the event of implementing, and maintaining the OEP for the facility.an emergency, the designated official is expected to initiate appropriate action according to the OEP, including the evacuation and relocation of facility occupants. The designated official is also to establish, staff, and train an Occupant Emergency Organization, which is to be composed of employees from within agencies designated to perform the requirements established by the plan. We found that all 20 facilities we visited had assigned designated officials to perform these duties. ISC is responsible for issuing policies and standards on facility protection, such as OEPs, but does not review the extent to which federal facilities have OEPs. As previously mentioned, ISC listed 10 minimum elements in its ISC 2010 standard that an OEP should address. In March 2013, ISC issued Occupant Emergency Programs: An Interagency Security Committee Guide, to further assist department and agency officials as they develop and review their occupant emergency programs, including how to develop OEPs that best fit their individual facility and agency needs. According to ISC officials, the guidance was disseminated via e- mail to the full ISC membership, which includes 53 federal agencies and departments. ISC officials said they rely on agencies located in federal facilities to ensure OEPs are in place and shared several reasons why it would not be feasible for ISC to comprehensively review OEPs. First, according to these officials, ISC decided to use broad guidelines that would allow agencies to develop plans that are suited to the unique characteristics of their facilities. As a result, the guidance does not provide specific standards or metrics against which to compare a facility’s plan. Second, although OEPs are an important part of an overall occupant emergency program, ISC officials said that OEPs are a relatively small part of an agency’s overall emergency and security planning, which may not warrant implementing additional monitoring and data-gathering efforts. Last, ISC officials cited staffing constraints and noted that, per Executive Order 12977, they rely on volunteers from member organizations to carry out the committee’s efforts. GSA also plays a role in coordinating directly with facilities to provide guidance on OEPs and participates in emergency planning efforts. According to GSA officials, its tenant agencies, through their designated officials, are responsible for tracking and reviewing OEPs. Further, designated officials are to represent the government’s interests to public safety and emergency response in conjunction with GSA and other key stakeholders. However, GSA officials said that they will assist agencies with OEPs as requested. GSA officials also told us that they participate on facility security committees and in planning drills and exercises, and can provide GSA and other OEP guidance to their tenants. GSA officials also said that they work with tenants, as well as building owners at leased facilities, to ensure that facilities comply with building safety codes, such as having appropriate exits and fire alarms. Presidential Policy Directive 21 jointly assigns FPS and GSA responsibility for critical infrastructure protection of the government facilities sector. According to a GSA Associate Administrator, there is a need for greater visibility of OEPs. Consequently, GSA and FPS officials told us they have initiated discussions on future collaboration to ensure OEPs are in place and updated at GSA facilities. According to GSA officials, as part of a Joint Strategy for Facility Resilience, GSA and FPS will work collaboratively to develop a platform that could serve as a repository for OEPs, facility security assessments, and other data over the next 2 to 4 years. FPS is responsible for assisting federal agencies with guidance, training, exercises, and drills, and also conducts periodic facility security assessments that include checking OEPs. FPS officials in the three cities we visited said that, when requested, they provide agencies with OEP guidance, which includes an OEP template, and advise the designated and other agency officials regarding an emergency plan that is appropriate for their location and circumstances. According to FPS officials, its OEP template (a Microsoft Word file) can be requested from the DHS and GSA websites and can also be made available to agency officials on a DVD. Of the 20 facilities we visited, officials at 14 reported using FPS guidance or feedback on their OEPs, for example, using the FPS template as a base for their OEPs and officials at 5 facilities reported using their own agency guidance for OEP development. FPS officials in one city we visited reiterated that some agencies have their own emergency coordinators and choose not to use FPS materials. Officials at 1 facility reported not using FPS or other agency guidance for OEP development. FPS also provides evacuation training, including awareness training on active shooter and workplace violence incidents, as well as safety and security.training FPS had provided them, primarily active shooter awareness Officials from 5 of the 20 facilities we visited mentioned specific training, and officials at 1 facility stated that they were planning an active shooter exercise with FPS. Additionally, FPS inspectors in the three locations we visited said they make themselves available to participate in facility exercises and emergency drills, and officials at 11 of the 20 facilities we visited told us that FPS had participated, for example, by providing traffic control services or ensuring all occupants have evacuated. Officials at 5 facilities we visited mentioned that FPS had not consistently participated in drills at their facilities, in one case because FPS had not been invited and in another case because FPS arrived after the drill had been completed.