Shortly after the Virginia Tech mass shooting, the University of Maryland adopted a text message emergency alert system. Nearly three years after its deployment, Campus Safety checks in with the school to see how the technology has fared.
LOS ANGELES
Here’s how you might be able to solve the database and portal management problems associated with campus emergency alert systems.
Through the university’s preparation for the event, as well as its e2Campus mass notification system, MSUM was not only able to notify students and staff of life safety information, but also gather enough sandbagging volunteers to prevent further damage to the city.
Longwood University, located in Farmville, Va. was founded in 1839. Nearly 5,000 students are enrolled at the university with 70 percent of undergraduates living on campus. With more than 800 full-time and part-time faculty and staff, the university has 50 buildings on the 60-acre campus and 32 buildings off campus.
Here’s how campuses can start to tackle some of the shortcomings associated with text messaging disaster notification solutions.
Most likely, non-emergency communications equipment and traditional mass notification systems are already in place at your institution. With some adjustments, these, combined with newly installed solutions, might be able to provide much of the coverage your institution needs during a disaster.
A large group of campus emergency managers from around the nation have developed the following prototype mass notification text messages. The samples listed below are used by UCLA.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the pros and cons of the more commonly used emergency alert systems. Deploying multiple modes will help to ensure the strengths of one solution compensate for the weaknesses of others. Also, be certain to account for the hearing and sight impaired.
Read Campus Safety magazine's April 2008 Mass Notification Study to find out what percentage of students are signing up to receive e-mail and text-message alerts.
In this webinar, attendees will learn the observable behaviors people exhibit as they head down a path of violence so we can help prevent the preventable.
This discussion will help participants analyze, understand, and assess their own program effectiveness.
