Emergency Notification Policy

marhart — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 14:52:22 +0000

Emergency Notification Policy Matthew Hart Thursday, 10/11/2018, at 10:52 AM

It is the policy of Amherst College to provide, without delay, immediate notification to the community upon confirmation of an incident or emergency that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of the AC community.

Amherst has implemented a Mass Notification system, AC Alert, a service that allows College officials to reach students and staff with time-sensitive information during unforeseen events or emergencies.

The system uses voice, e-mail, and text messaging to broadcast pertinent information and, when appropriate, provide directions to those in the affected area(s). The College has also installed an outdoor auditory speaker system to use in conjuncture with RAVE and Alertus. Additionally, the Amherst College main webpage (www.amherst.edu) may be used to provide emergency notification information.

Amherst College has created policy defining when the Mass Notification system will be used, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system unless such notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, investigate or otherwise mitigate an emergency.

Those titles that may authorize and make the decision to distribute and activate an Emergency Mass Notification include:

President
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
Chief Student Affairs Officer
Dean of Faculty
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Chief of Campus Operations
Chief of Staff
Chief Information Officer
Chief Advancement Officer
Chief Communications Officer
Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel
Director of Emergency Preparedness
Chief of Amherst College Police
Environmental Health and Safety Director
Director of Media Communications
Police Sergeants

The following positions are authorized to develop and initiate the immediate (emergency) notifications to the community:

System to use	Primary Message	Backup Message Creator	Authority for approving & sending messages	Primary Message Sender	Backup Message Sender
PRIMARY
Text Message (AC-Alerts)	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD
Emergency Mass Communication (AC-Alert)	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD
SECONDARY
Outdoor Warning System	*	*	Both Chief of Police, Designee in ACPD, and Office of Public Affairs	Dispatcher	N/A
Campus Wide Email Broadcast (All User Email)	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD	Chief of Police	Chief Communications Officer, Director of Media Communications and Designee in ACPD
Website	Director of Media Communi cations	Chief Communications Officer	Chief Communications Officer	Director of Media Communications	Chief Communications Officer
Fire Alarm System (to communicate the need to evacuate the building)	*	*	ACPD staff member or Environmental Health and Safety	ACPD Staff Member	Environmental Health and Safety

*System does not require development of a message.

The person listed above who creates and initiates the notification will determine the appropriate segment or segments of the community to receive the message.
Some or all of the systems listed above will be used to communicate follow-up information to the AC community.
Members of the larger community, such as neighbors, can use the website to receive updated information about an emergency on campus.
When at all possible, the authorized individual considering an emergency notification shall attempt to consult with another colleague from the list of individuals authorized to make a decision to distribute an immediate (emergency) notification to the community to confirm the need for an immediate notification to the community. Certain emergencies will preclude consultation. There may be times when timeliness (time of day, immediate need to know) is more critical than inclusion and consultation.
Mass notifications may use any combination of methods and most notifications require the use of the some or all of the AC-Alert system, but do not necessarily require the use of the outside audible speakers.

Amherst College: Emergency Notification Policy

Emergency Notification Policy