EDUCAUSE | Emergency Notification Systems

Virginia Requires First Warning and Emergency Notification System

Rodney — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:56:09 -0500

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:

By January 1, 2009, the governing boards of each public institution of higher education shall establish a comprehensive, prompt, and reliable first warning notification and emergency broadcast system for their students, faculty, and staff, both on and off campus. Such system shall be activated in the case of an emergency and may rely on website announcements; email notices; phone, cellular phone, and text messages; alert lines; public address systems; and other means of communication. In addition, each institution shall designate individuals authorized to activate the warning system and provide such individuals with appropriate training for its use.

Student complaints after recent notification to evacuate at Arizona State University

wwigen — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:19:04 -0500

The following was contributed by Dr. William E. Lewis from ASU on Nov. 2, 2007:

"...yesterday we had a major fire in our Memorial Union that started about 12:45pm. We had to evacuate about 5,000 people from the building and while we are not certain as to how much real damage to the structure has occurred, there are some cracks in some of the concrete columns so we will have to have some structural engineers review things before we can start the recovery process. We put in a new emergency notification system that went live about 2 months ago. The students complained that it took about an hour before that were notified about the problem via the new system. They said that what good is the system if it takes that long to notify them of a problem. The “OFFICIAL” response was that it just takes that long to send out all those text messages – you know that they go out sequentially – and besides that, the text message notification system is not the primary method of notifying the population in this case. I think that this points out 2 things; we must manage expectations better and we must get into the mode of operation that we evoke the Emergency Notification system sooner – I will give the benefit of the doubt that the new system has not been around very long and maybe we have not got our policy/procedures in everyone’s mind yet. No one was hurt, so I guess that we can still claim that everything worked very well in the big picture."

Tune In Nov. 5: Erv Blythe on IT Lessons from Virginia Tech

ecoghlan — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:02:47 -0500

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.

If you are unable to attend, you may wish to visit the EDUCAUSE Live! archives, where a recording of this seminar will be posted shortly afterward. You can also browse resources on emergency notification systems and communications in EDUCAUSE Connect.

IACLEA Urges Passage of Campus Safety Bill

Rodney — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:31:13 -0500

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,:

Establish a National Center for Campus Public Safety to foster collaboration among campus safety stakeholders by serving as a focal point for research, model policies and best practices, education, and public policy formulation to enhance the safety and security of U.S. college and university campuses
Establish a $50 million grant program for institutions of higher education to use for their campus public safety offices, in a 50-50 match.

The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) is urging passage of act. A bill Summary and Legislative Alert and Sample Letter distributed by IACLEA provides more information.

Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety

Rodney — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:22:25 -0500

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.

The Interim Report (http://oja.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=11668&locid=97) addresses topics such as alert capability, interoperable emergency communications, continuity of operations, and crisis communication among other topics.

New Emergency Notification Systems Resource Page Posted on EDUCAUSE Connect

cluckett — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:44:09 -0500

Explore the new Emergency Notification Systems resource page at EDUCAUSE Connect. Access a recording of the EDUCAUSE Live! Web seminar, Emergency Notification Systems for a Mobile Community, and browse other related resources, such as conference materials, member blogs, wikis, and more.

College of William and Mary Announces Emergency Alert Selection

Rodney — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:34:40 -0500

The College of William and Mary is the latest Virginia institution to formalize its plans for an emergency notification system supported by a vendor. The college selected NTI’s Connect-ED® service to provide rapid communication to the campus community.

According to a campus press release:

Each of the College’s students, faculty or staff members can store up to six contact numbers and two e-mail addresses. During an emergency, designated members of the College’s Emergency Response Team will be able to access the system – remotely by phone or from their computer – and issue an alert simultaneously to the entire campus community. The system has the capacity to send voice messages to recipients’ landlines, cell phones and e-mail addresses and to send text messages to their cell phones, email addresses, TTY/TDD devices for the hearing impaired and other text receiving devices.

Virginia Tech Selects Emergency Communications Program Vendor

Rodney — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:18:57 -0500

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:

3n's technology will enable the university to send messages to students, faculty, and staff using methods and media not maintained by the university, such as text messages to personal cell phones, instant messages via systems maintained by America Online (AOL), Yahoo, or MSN, and phone calls and e-mails to numbers and mailboxes that reside outside the university's network

. . . the system will allow subscribers to list contacts for parents, spouses, or other individuals among their contact preferences.

Currently, the university has several communications tools to reach students, faculty, and staff, including the heavily used university homepage, the Virginia Tech News website, broadcast e-mail alerts, broadcast voice-mail messages, a recorded emergency hotline (231-6668), the university switchboard, and a coordinated use of public media outlets.

The Virginia Tech press release is also very clear that the evaluation and selection process for an emergency notification system has been underway for some time prior to the tragic events of April 16th.

Webcasts Now Available from 2007 National Campus Security Summit

Rodney — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:43:49 -0500

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.

Balancing “Safety” with “Freedom” in Aftermath of Virginia Tech Tragedy

Rodney — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:24:56 -0500

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:

States and localities should integrate comprehensive all-hazards emergency management planning for schools into overall local and state emergency planning.
The U.S. Department of Education should review its information regarding emergency management planning to ensure it addresses the needs of institutions of higher education and then disseminate it widely.
States and localities should develop a clear communication plan and tools to communicate rapidly with students and parents to alert them when an emergency occurs and utilize technology to improve notification, communication, and security systems.

According to the report, the meetings resulted in “a consistent theme and broad perception” of “confusion and differing interpretations about state and federal privacy laws and regulations [that] impede appropriate information sharing”. Therefore, the report also recommends:

Along with reviewing federal laws that may apply, clarify and promote wider understanding about how state law limits or allows the sharing of information about individuals who may pose a danger to themselves or others, and examine state law to determine if legislative or regulatory changes are needed to achieve the appropriate balance of privacy and security.
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education should develop additional guidance that clarifies how information can be shared legally under HIPAA and FERPA and disseminate it widely to the mental health, education, and law enforcement communities.
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education should consider whether further actions are needed to balance more appropriately the interests of safety, privacy, and treatment implicated by FERPA and HIPAA.

“We must not miss the opportunity to learn from this event and do what we can to make our communities safer” was the shared sense of people everywhere according to the report. The full report is available at http://www.hhs.gov/vtreport.html