Archives
Text alerts to be used in emergencies
By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor
In the wake of the shootings last spring at Virginia Tech, UB, like other colleges and universities across the country, has spent the summer reviewing and refining campus safety plans.
With the opening of the fall semester this week, the university has supplemented its crisis communication vehicles with a new text-messaging service designed to disseminate critical information in a timely manner to members of the university community.
Through a contract with RAVE Wireless, UB faculty, staff and students—any university community member with a UBIT email address—can sign up to receive text messages from UB regarding emergency notifications and campus alerts, such as campus closings. Part of the mUB—mobile computing—initiative, the system will send a text alert to users' mobile communication devices, along with an email to their chosen email address, says James Reger, emergency planning manager for Environmental Health and Safety Services. Those who do not have a cell phone can receive alerts via email. There is no registration or subscription fee associated with the service, although users may incur a "per text message" cost as determined by their individual cell phone plan. For more information or to register for the service, Click here.
The FAQ at the site lists the names of U.S. cell phone carriers with whom the UB text-messaging system will work. Some prepay or minutes cell phone plans may not work with the system. Also, some "smartphone" plans may not allow users to register. These issues currently are under review.
Joseph Raab, assistant vice president for university facilities, notes that the text-messaging service supplements other methods of emergency notification that already are in place at UB, including announcements via university-wide email, broadcasts on WBFO-FM 88.7 and other local radio and television stations, postings on the university's home page and on the MyUB portal, and recorded messages on 645-NEWS, the university's telephone information line.
"Emergency notifications are made in a variety of ways, and we think that it is most effective to provide multiple methods and modes of communication," Raab says.
SUNY agrees. Reger points out that the SUNY Chancellor's Task Force on Critical Incident Management has recommended that institutions use three methods of communication during a campus emergency: active broadcast (horn, siren and public-address systems), passive broadcast (closed-circuit television, email and Web sites) and individual notification (cell phone, instant messaging and text messaging).
UB fares well in addressing the SUNY task force's recommendations, Reger says. Implementation of the RAVE Wireless service meets individual notification needs, he says, while the campus media and other organizations on campus meet the passive broadcast directive. As for the active broadcast directive, there are several buildings on campus with active PA systems or fire alarms that allow for both warning alerts and verbal instructions, he says, adding that several other public address methods also are being considered.
Reger admits that communicating with those on campus can be "extremely challenging," given the mobile culture in which we live. "Different vendors, various plans and equipment models all create a challenge to mass communications," he says. UB formed an Emergency Communications Committee last fall to address these communication challenges and improve the "interoperability between emergency responders; the notification of more than 45,000 students, faculty, staff and visitors; and communication with surrounding communities," he says.
Raab says the Virginia Tech shootings have prompted colleges and universities nationwide to review and revaluate their emergency planning. "Many universities, including UB, are like small cities and subject to the same kinds of emergency events," he said. "Prior to the Virginia Tech tragedy, we considered the possibility of having an active shooter on campus and developed contingencies. However, seeing this actual event happen reinforced the need to continuously revisit our planning and ensure that we are taking all the reasonable steps to protect and warn our community."
He says the university has revised its emergency plan to be more in line with the National Incident Management System, a federally mandated system for managing emergency incidents that "will allow UB to easily incorporate other emergency-response agencies into campus responses."
"Some of the lessons learned from the Virginia Tech incident are still being discovered," Raab says. "However, like many events, the shootings underscored the importance of the ability to quickly communicate to the community in an emergency situation. We are in the process of conducting an extensive review of our communication systems and technology."
Raab points out that like any community, UB relies heavily on its citizens to help identify potential threats, "and we appreciate that our campus community is vigilant and watchful."
"Be alert and aware of your surroundings," he advises. "If you notice something or someone that you feel is a threat to your safety, be sure to report this immediately to University Police at 645-2222. We also are concerned with making sure that troubled individuals get the help and support that they need." (For more information, Click here.)
"As we have developed our planning for emergencies, we have attempted to implement a systematic approach that is as flexible as possible," Raab says. "It's our goal to have an organizational response that is ready for whatever surprises and disasters lie ahead. Hopefully, they will be few and far between, but we will continue to make the campus ready."