Alert systems inform U of L during crisis

By Michael Kennedy

Back in October, the University of Louisville implemented its new text messaging system, Rave, in order to help notify students of emergency situations on campus.

According to the Department of Environmental and Health Safety alert guidelines, there are also nine other warning systems in place. In the case of an emergency, the university may also sound sirens on campus or send out messages on campus wide VOIP telephones, all in a matter of seconds.?

In addition to these notification systems, U of L may also send out mass e-mails to students’ university Groupwise accounts, place a notification on the university Web site and place messages on the Trimarc electronic signs over local interstates. Some students feel that the university is well enough prepared, but that another issue is whether or not officials and students are on the same page.

“I think we have adequate [alert] measures in place, it’s just a matter of making sure that students are aware of the ways that they can be informed of it,” said Elizabeth Mattson, a second-year exercise physiology graduate student.?

The Rave system requires that students opt-into the program to receive the emergency messages, and may do so at www.louisville.edu/alert. According to Cindy Hess, director of communications and marketing at U of L, the university was hoping for 10,000 students to sign up by the end of March. Thus far, about 6,200 students have done so.

The alert system may be used in any on-campus emergency or community emergency near U of L. It has been used on several occasions to warn students of incoming severe weather, as was the case in October when the system was used to notify students of a tornado warning. ?

Despite this emphasis on notification, the Department of Public Safety is also prepared for an active shooter situation. According to DPS Major Kenny Brown, there would be three primary goals during a campus shooting; attempt to isolate the shooter, give medical assistance to any injured victims and evacuate the area surrounding the gunman.?

Hess stressed the importance of the Rave system in defusing a situation like this.

“The [Rave] system is valuable because it can put right in the student’s hand an emergency response,” Hess said.?

While realizing the potential need to coordinate with local authorities in a serious emergency as well, DPS has taken steps to ensure that the Louisville Metro Police Department is familiar with U of L’s campus, including ride-alongs with DPS officials.?

“We may take for granted where the humanities building is, but this is something that [LMPD] may not know,” Brown said.

Also working in collaboration with Louisville Metro Government, DPS and DEHS have coordinated “staging areas” around campus: areas where emergency vehicles would park.

Despite improvements, however, some students feel that it is important for campus safety to continue to evolve. “There will always be new ways to penetrate the system,” said Nicholas D’Amico, a junior humanities major. “Therefore it’s the university’s responsibility to maintain our safety.”