Emergency Notification Systems and Emergency Preparedness

After focusing on challenges for much of the early afternoon, the focus has shifted at the EDUCAUSE Summit from identifying issues to sharing solutions.  Participants have offered innovations from their own campuses, most focusing on emergency notification  and communication systems (sirens, text messaging, digital signage) or campus monitoring. There are examples of data protection and coalition building (particularly in breaking down communication walls between campuses and emergency responders), and a few that focus on disaster education. Very few, however, address one of the primary issues that the group identified in earlier sessions: that students, faculty and staff aren’t creating a culture built around safety and preparedness, with an emphasis on training and prevention.

From the initial list of innovations – more than 40 total – the group selected six innovations for a “lightning round” of presentations. (A complete list will be compiled from the Summit and available at a later date.) These “solutions in focus” are a snapshot of the ideas presented:

Welcome to our back-to-school episode of EDUCAUSE Now! EDUCAUSE Now is a monthly podcast, focusing on the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Each episode features a variety of stories, interviews, and views that relate to IT in higher education. Let us know what you would like to hear at podcast@educause.edu.

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This episode of EDUCAUSE Now features:

Governor Timothy M. Kaine of Virginia has signed several General Assembly bills that arose from the Virginia Tech tragedy of a year ago "that will improve protections for our citizens and treatment for people with mental illness" according to a press release. Among the signed legisation is Senate Bill 538 that imposes new requirements for emergency notifications:

Tune in November 5 for a talk with Erv Blythe, vice president for information technology at Virginia Tech. During this hour-long, free EDUCAUSE Live! Web seminar, Blythe will discuss the IT-related lessons the university has learned from the tragic shootings that took place on campus this past spring, including:

• The impact on the university's communication system
• The notification issue
• Radio communications interoperability
• The complex logistics of accommodating the communications infrastructure and control center needs for a variety of emergency responders and law enforcement
• Identity management and privacy
• Data preservation and computer forensics

He will also consider overarching federal, state, and local policy issues and ways in which the university has managed them.

In response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Chairman Patrick Leahy of the Senate Judiciary Committee has combined several pre-existing bills into a comprehensive package that would provide for improvements in school safety and law enforcement. This legislation was approved by Committee and is waiting for full consideration by the Senate.

The Senate package -- titled The School Safety and Law Enforcement Improvement Act of 2007 ("SSLEIA") -- combines four bills previously reported to or by the Senate Judiciary Committee, with some modifications:

• The School Safety Enhancements Act (S.1217)
• The NICS Improvement Amendments Act (H.R. 2640)
• The Equity in Law Enforcement Act (S.1448)
• The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2007 (S.376)

The bill would, among other things,:

The following summary is from http://oja.wi.gov/section.asp?linkid=1147&locid=97:

The Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety is focused on ensuring the safety of college campuses across Wisconsin. At the direction of Governor Jim Doyle, the Task Force is reviewing and compiling criteria for developing best practices from universities, colleges, and other higher education institutions in Wisconsin and across the nation. This information will be submitted to the governor and will serve as a resource for college administrators, law enforcement officers, and emergency preparedness officials.

The Task Force delivered an Interim Report to Governor Doyle on August 15. A final report will be published on November 1st.   

Virginia Tech has announced its selection today of 3n (National Notification Network) as its choice for a new emergency notification system. The University of Miami also announced on May 22nd the purchase of the 3n InstaCom system to automate emergency communications with their students, faculty, and staff. "The new emergency notification system, along with existing communications vehicles long used by the university, will form the basis of “VT Alerts,” a fully integrated and coordinated emergency communications program maintained by Virginia Tech’s Office of University Relations," according to a Virginia Tech press release issued today.

More excerpts from the press release:

Webcast archives are now available [click here] from the "2007 National Campus Security Summit: Practical Measures for Campus Security" held at the University of Central Oklahoma on May 30, 2007.

The 2007 National Campus Security Summit brought together leading experts to explore and evaluate critical issues facing decision makers in higher education and offer practical measures for Campus Security. While recognizing that funds are always limited and that campuses cannot become fortified installations, the Summit delivered actionable steps and best practices to apply to university situations.

According to Roger Webb, President of the University of Central Oklahoma, "Campus administrators must review and revise their security procedures, their technology and communication measures, their budget commitments and perhaps most importantly, their training and awareness programs."

For more information, visit the Summit homepage.

In response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, President George W. Bush directed the secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education along with the Attorney General to meet with educators, mental health experts, law enforcement and state and local officials to discus the broader issues raised by this tragedy.  In their “Report to the President,” they conclude, “The Virginia Tech tragedy and similar violent events that have occurred in recent years . . . make us ask whether the complex balancing of fundamental interest in our communities – interests of protecting privacy and civil liberties, ensuring that our communities are safe, and helping people get the care they need – is appropriately calibrated.”  The report contained several recommendations relevant to emergency planning, preparedness, and notifications: