Rate My Professor Paul McNamara

Paul McNamara is the Emergency Management and Business Continuity Co-ordinator (Kaituitui Ohotata me te Oranga Tonutanga o te Mahi) in the Office of Risk, Assurance and Compliance at the University of Otago. He manages all emergency management for the university. Emergency situations cover a very wide field of possible events, from natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes, or storms, to hazardous substance leaks or spills, infrastructure failures such as roads in and out of Dunedin, terrorism, violence, criminal activity, and unrest. These can disrupt the university's ongoing operations. An Incident Management Team, selected from across the university, undergoes constant training and simulated exercises. The Proctor's Office Campus Watch staff serve as the first responders to emergencies on campus.

Paul McNamara champions business continuity at the University of Otago. “All parts of the University perform important functions that protect people, property, assets, and reputation. Business continuity planning is a process by which the important functions within the University are identified and by appreciating potential risks, planning can occur to minimise the impact of disruptive events, to increase resilience of the University. By doing this preplanning, when a disruptive event occurs the impact on the University and your area is reduced,” he explains. The University has a robust approach to business continuity, underpinned by the Business Continuity Management Policy and Business Continuity Management Framework. This includes identifying critical functions, assessing risks from natural, biological, human-caused, and technological hazards, and developing Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) using the Kuali Ready tool. BCPs focus on ensuring critical functions continue with minimal downtime, while Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) address immediate safety measures. Departments are required to update their BCPs at least annually or following significant changes.