Facility, Social
Leiden Law School is looking for in-house Emergency Response Officers
Leiden University has an extensive in-house emergency service (Bedrijfshulpverlening, BHV). An Emergency Response Officer is an employee who has followed a training programme that enables them to assist others in the event of a minor incident. If you're interested in becoming an Emergency Response Officer, please read the information below.
What is an Emergency Response Officer?
The university's Emergency Response Officers aim to reduce injury and damage to people. Their main tasks are:
- to provide first aid in the event of an incident;
- to contain and extinguish an initial fire outbreak;
- to alert and evacuate all people present in the building in the event of an emergency;
- to work with other emergency response organisations such as the fire and ambulance services.
An Emergency Response Officer serves as an outpost for the fire service and other emergency response organisations. The Emergency Response Officer intervenes after an accident has occurred or a fire has broken out until professional emergency response organisations take over this task.
Becoming an Emergency Response Officer
If you wish to become an Emergency Response Officer, you can take a course through the university. While this course is voluntary, it does involve some obligations. In order to retain your BHV diploma, you're required to participate in internal BHV exercises at least six times per year.
If you're interested in becoming an Emergency Response Officer, please contact the Emergency Service (BHV) Coordinator based at your location.
The university's Emergency Response team allowance
If you're a member of the university's Emergency Response team, you bear extra responsibility alongside the responsibilities associated with your regular job. You will need to attend several emergency response exercises, for which you will receive a gross annual allowance. This could be as much as €320 if you attend at least six exercises. You may also be eligible for the following additional allowances:
- a gross allowance of €120 per year as the team leader of the emergency response team;
- a gross allowance of €220 per year if you have been a member of the emergency response team for five years without interruption.
Evacuation Coordinators
In the event of an emergency, various 'escape flows' will be initiated, which need to be managed to prevent congestion. To support the emergency response officers, designated Evacuation Coordinators are responsible for evacuating part of the building by guiding staff and students outside through the emergency exits. Each floor will have its own evacuation jacket and an evacuation card showing which area (spot) needs to be evacuated. Evacuation Coordinators assist the emergency response officers with evacuating the building and have their own separate role. Only some Evacuation Coordinators are present at any given time, which is why several employees need to be designated Evacuation Coordinators.