Disaster Management Structure of Universities: Case Study of the Central Campus of the University of Tehran.

OBJECTIVE: Research on the disaster management plans of renowned universities worldwide shows that such plans are generally compiled in 3 categories: structural, nonstructural, and organizational sections. The importance of earthquakes in Tehran and the high vulnerability of the University of Tehran to earthquakes encouraged us to challenge the university's plans concerning disaster management.

METHODS: An initial attempt was made to analyze the disaster management of 23 renowned universities worldwide and their structure compared with the present organizational structure of the University of Tehran. Then an expert opinion study was done to determine the appropriate management structure of the Incident Command System.

RESULTS: These efforts resulted in an adhocratic system as the proper one for emergency situations after an earthquake. Furthermore, the results of the comparative study led to a general management structure that may be considered as a global pattern.

CONCLUSIONS: An appropriate organizational structure is proposed for the disaster management of the University of Tehran, which may be used as an appropriate disaster management structure for other universities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:681-693).