Enhancing A Universitys Emergency Notification Systems

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Enhancing A Universitys Emergency Notification
Systems

• October 2007 LAPPA Meeting
• Joey Pons
• Environmental Health and Safety Director
• UL Lafayette

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After Virginia Tech . everything changed.
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The Big Question?
Is there a faster way to notify the University
public?
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BOR Directives Post Virginia Tech

• Active Shooter Training
• Physical Security Assessments
• Ready Campus Adoption, NIMS Training for
  Faculty/Staff
• ENS enhancements

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Considerations

• How much time do you have?
• Who do you want to warn?
• Who pulls the trigger?

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Other Considerations

• There is no magic technology
• Redundancy establishes backup and increases
  efficiency.
• Our infrastructures can limit us
• This is not a press release

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UL Lafayette ENS Model

• ALERT our University public
• INFORM them consistently

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UL Lafayette ALERT Methods

• Dedicated Departmental Radios
• SMS Text Messaging Service

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UL Lafayette ALERT Methods
250 RADIOS

• MOU with NWS
• LAE Local Area Emergency
• Simple Weather Band Receivers
• System is free maintained by NWS
• Media gets this

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UL Lafayette ALERT Methods
LAE Message
There is a Local Area Emergency occurring on the
UL Lafayette campus. Please dial x22222 or visit
www.louisiana.edu for more information.
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UL Lafayette ALERT Methods
Mobile Campus Text Messaging Service

• Must have CLID
• Must opt in
• Message Groups and Coupons

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UL Lafayette ALERT Methods
Text Messaging Service Limitations

• You can lead the students to water
• Students turn their phones off
• Students purchase disposable phones

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UL Lafayette INFORM Methods
Your cant argue with what is repeated and what
is written.
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UL Lafayette INFORM Methods

• Campus Hotline [phone]
• Campus Website

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UL Lafayette INFORM Methods
University Campus Hotline

• Message replaces the hold music
• Number printed on ID cards

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UL Lafayette INFORM Methods
University Website

• Simple Text Page
• Exact same message as hotline

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Rajun Cajun ENS Heres how it works.

• UP pulls the trigger
• UP types the message once
• UP records what they type
• One button deploys hotline, website, SMS
• UP calls NWS to transmit LAE

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Conclusions

• ENS enhancements are needed at all Universities
• Overlapping technologies
• The message must be consistent and concise
• Constant reminders/training is required

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Thanks Much!
Questions/Comments?