This guide offers suggestions to college administrators for dealing with a variety of emergency or crisis situations that could affect a community college's effectiveness. The authors used the Institute for Crisis Management's (ICM) four types of crises in higher education as the framework for the guide. The four types of crises are: (1) sudden; (2) bizarre; (3) perceptual; and (4) smoldering. The sudden crisis, for which administrators can prepare, includes incidents such as fire, explosions, natural disasters, violence, and terrorist attacks. The bizarre crisis is impossible to prepare for--the guide offers the example of a student who was crushed between two elevators while riding on the roof of the elevator for sport. The perceptual crisis is also difficult to anticipate. The authors cite the example of the small college fighting the perception that because they are small they cannot offer a good education. Finally, the smoldering crisis is the most common and is characterized by a situation that starts out small and internal, but grows and becomes a crisis. Some crises, such as academic scandals or anonymous accusations, can be either sudden or smoldering, depending upon the chain of events involved in the crisis. This book concludes with examples of emergency plans. (Contains 64 references.) (NB)