Page 140 - Security Today, July/August 2019

mass notification
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campuslifesecurity.com | JULY/AUGUST 2019
“You need to leverage the right tools and practices that keep the right people informed at the right time.”
By Pat Scheckel
Using Mass Notification to Keep Students and Staff Safe Throughout the Year
ECffectively implement a mass notification system on your campus
ollege and university campuses pose a number of challenges be able to reach them wherever they are. A mass notification system when trying to communicate safety information during an should include mobile capabilities like an app to launch messages emergency. A mass notification system can help, but it can be remotely, and messages that can be sent in mobile-friendly formats difficult to know how to effectively implement one through- like apps, SMS text and email. Recipients should be able to reply to out a campus. You need to leverage the right tools and prac- messages on their mobile devices to let dispatchers know if they are
tices that keep the right people informed at the right time. safe or need assistance. Combining mobile features with on-premises
This doesn’t happen all at once, and it should never be something that’s done once and then left alone. Safety requires continuous adap- tations to respond to the needs of your campus.
Here are 10 tasks college and university campuses can accomplish throughout the course of the school year, to help enhance safety and communication with the help of a mass notification system.
August: Clear Communication
A new school year brings new opportunities to improve processes and procedures for emergency communications. During a crisis situation, communications can quickly become muddled. Conflicting reports from social media, news outlets, and college or university officials can lead to unnecessary confusion and fear among students and staff. While the Clery Act dictates that all higher education institutions in the U.S. must have a mass notification system, August is a good time for finalizing your templates and testing your system before most stu- dents and staff arrive back on campus. A mass notification system that notifies an entire campus during an emergency with clear, easy to understand instructions will help keep everyone safe.
September: Delivering Communications to Classrooms
While mobile devices may seem like the most direct way to commu- nicate, having a way to reach people inside classrooms is a must. Students may not be allowed to access mobile devices during a class, older buildings may have poor reception, and professors may be too focused on their instruction to notice alerts on a mobile device.
This could mean no one receives an update about an emergency situation leading to unneeded stress and unnecessary risk. That’s why it is important to utilize communication channels beyond mobile calls or SMS text messages to reach people on campus with updated information. IP phones, overhead paging and IP speaker systems, digital signage, and desktop computer alerts sent from a mass notifi- cation system can all provide intrusive messages that grab people’s attention and make them aware of situations outside the classroom.
October: Mobile Matters
Of course, mobile is an important component of any mass notifica- tion plan. A campus population is inherently mobile, so you need to
devices will give your campus the best opportunity to reach everyone during an emergency.
November: Reaching People on Desktops
In addition to mobile devices, desktop computers and laptops are ubiquitous on campuses. Leveraging desktop alerts with help from a mass notification system can provide visual and audio elements for emergency messages.
Consider the best format for displaying messages. Pop-up mes- sages appear over whatever application a user is currently in and can be the most effective method for getting someone’s attention. Scroll- ing messages are less intrusive while still delivering effective com- munications. Toast and tray notifications may be appropriate in labs where work is mission critical and cannot be interrupted. Whatever format you choose, customize font, size, color and logos to make it clear who the message is coming from and what the recipient should do. Of course, streaming audio is the best choice for emergencies because of its intrusive nature.
December: Prepare for Winter Break
As the semester comes to a close, campuses often become quieter as students return home for winter break. With a limited number of students, faculty and staff on campus during this time, it may not make sense to have the same emergency notification plan as the rest of the year. Understanding who is on campus and what kind of situ- ations can occur during this time help keep those that remain on campus, or return early for sporting events or a winter term, safe and informed.
January: Build Your Mass Notification Ecosystem
As the new year begins, you want to make sure all of your devices and systems can connect to one another to aide the notification process. This can become your mass notification ecosystem. Too often cam- puses waste time logging into different systems or activating different devices during an emergency. This is hardly efficient, especially when a large number of people need to be notified.
Desk phones, desktop computers, digital signage, IP speakers, over- head paging systems and mobile devices can all contribute to your