Several tragic events have occurred on North American campuses in recent months. They have highlighted the need for emergency preparedness, building security and mass communication strategies as an integral part of emergency and non-emergency planning for universities.
When disaster strikes --- fire, hazardous weather or an active threat -- it is important that students, faculty, staff and visitors are notified and provided with information in an efficient and timely fashion.
The University of Guelph wishes to undertake take a multi-year initiative to address these needs. The initiative includes updating the University’s Emergency Management Plan, increasing the use of card access and computerized locking systems across campus, and establishing a Mass Emergency Notification strategy.
Campus Community Police will partner with a number of university departments in the co-ordination and implementation of this vital initiative.
The communications strategy will include methods for reaching students, staff, faculty and visitors quickly; employ various modes of technology; and be in keeping with existing and planned technology deployed at the University.
The campus IP telephone system is an extremely reliable communications device. It is widely deployed and easily expanded, characteristics that make it a useful tool in an emergency notification system. Phase I will incorporate the telephone system and allow a message to be sent simultaneously to all IP phones across campus.
In partnership with Communications and Computing Services, testing of this new system will begin on Wednesday, August 6, 2008. During the testing phase, the following may occur: your phone may ring and you will see a text message on your phone’s display screen; your phone may ring and you will hear an audio message through the phone speaker. All messages will be clearly marked as a test.
Further to this initiative, in partnership with CCS and with funding from the Women’s Campus Safety Initiative, IP phones will be installed in ten classrooms as a pilot project. These phones will allow emergency contact to the Campus Community Police and Teaching Support Services.
Further updates on the emergency notification will be added to this website. If you have any questions, please contact Robin Begin, director, Campus Community Police, at Ext. 52050 or rbegin@police.uoguelph.ca
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