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Emergency Notification System Policy

  1. I. Policy Statement
  2. II. Authority
  3. III. ENS Registration
  4. IV. Procedure
  5. V. ENS & EBS Testing/Maintenance
  6. VI. Systems Test
  7. VII. Annual Test
  8. VIII. Review

I. Policy Statement

The safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors is a priority of Keene State College. The College has two primary emergency notification systems: the DialMyCalls Emergency Notification System (ENS), and; the Whelan Emergency Broadcast Systems (EBS). These systems are employed to notify the campus community of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an imminent threat to the health and safety of students or employees occurring on campus. An “imminent threat” is one that threatens the immediate safety of the campus community, is not anticipated and failure to provide such a warning may result in serious harm. The ENS/EBS will be tested once annually and/or as part of a campus-wide drill if it is not used at least once for an actual campus emergency. The purpose of the drill is to ensure that the systems are in good working order and that campus community members know what actions should be taken in case of emergency.

  1. The DialMyCalls Emergency Notification System (ENS) is designed to send emergency messages to enrolled campus members via SMS (text) message, cellular telephone, land line telephone and/or e-mail when circumstances dictate. The College contracts with OnTimeTelecom, Inc. to offer this service to the Keene State College Community.
  2. The ENS will only be used for campus-wide broadcasts for:
    1. Situations determined to be imminent and requiring immediate action
    2. Curtailed operations messages (ENS - sent to those enrolled on the Weather list)
    3. Messages relevant to essential campus operations
    4. Testing
  3. Whalen Emergency Broadcast Systems (EBS) Keene State College has a Whelan outdoor emergency broadcast system that is equipped with a siren and the ability to broadcast emergency messages on campus. The EBS is located on the roof of the Spaulding Gymnasium and is controlled by Campus Safety via radio frequency. The ENS will only be used for campus-wide broadcasts for:
    1. Situations determined to be imminent and requiring immediate action
    2. Testing

II. Authority

  1. The ENS & EBS can be activated through Emergency Operations Plan standard protocol and/or through authorization by: the College President; Director of Campus Safety; Manager of Environmental Health and Safety; City of Keene Police Chief; City of Keene Fire Chief, or; designees of the above.

III. ENS Registration

  1. Enrollment in the ENS is available to all members of the Keene State College community through the mechanisms below.
  2. To receive ENS messages, members of the Keene State College community must enroll online and provide contact information indicating by the means by which they would like to be notified in case of emergency.
  3. Student enrollment:
  4. Enrollment information will be provided to all new Keene State College students prior to and during Fall Orientation via the online orientation process, e-mail and MyKSC posting.
  5. Continuing students will remain in the system until the student removes their contact information from DialMyCalls.
  6. The Director of Campus Safety or designee will send out enrollment e-mail messages to students during the first week of the Fall and Spring semesters. Additional reminder messages may be sent out during the semester to ensure contact information is correct and up-to-date.
  7. Employee enrollment:
  8. Faculty and staff enrollment, including those contracted to the College, is required. Enrollment information will be provided to all new Keene State College employees via the Human Resources orientation process or by the hiring manager.
  9. Contact information will remain in the system until termination of employment or until the employee removes their contact information from DialMyCalls.
  10. The Director of Campus Safety or designee will send out enrollment messages to faculty and staff on or around July 1st of each year with subsequent messages sent out on or around the first week of the Fall and Spring semesters. Additional reminder messages may be sent out during the semester to ensure contact information is correct and up-to-date.
  11. Parent enrollment:
  12. Parents who wish to create their own account in the system may do so on the enrollment page or add their contact information on to their student’s account.
  13. Enrollment is open at all times. Individuals who choose to enroll will complete the online registration form and submit the information to the DialMyCalls system. Registration can be completed at https://keene.notifypanel.com/
  14. All individuals enrolled will be on the Emergency list and cannot unsubscribe from the list. Enrollees may voluntarily subscribe to the Weather list for curtailed operations.
  15. Information submitted to the ENS will be used only for purposes of emergency communication and will not be sold or used for marketing or any purpose other than those mentioned above.

IV. Procedure

  1. When any individual receives a report that an incident has occurred or may occur that presents an imminent danger to campus, they will immediately notify Campus Safety.
  2. When Campus Safety receives a report that an incident has occurred or may occur that presents an imminent danger to campus, the supervisor on duty and the Campus Safety administrator on call will immediately be notified of the threat.
  3. Campus Safety officers should make reasonable attempts to confirm the emergency situation by responding to the scene, consulting with law enforcement or weather service professionals, etc.
  4. The supervisor will determine if the incident requires an emergency campus notification via the ENS/EBS, what segment/s of the campus should receive such notification, and if the campus notification can be made effectively via other communication methods.
  5. Activation of Emergency Notification System (ENS)
  6. If it is determined that the ENS will be used, the supervisor or other authorized DialMyCalls user will immediately log on to the DialMyCalls ENS and send out the one of the following appropriate warning notifications:
  7. Campus lockdown;
  8. Shelter-in-place;
  9. Emergency evacuation, or;
  10. Tornado warning
  11. If the supervisor or other authorized DialMyCalls user is not able to access the Internet, he/she will authorize the dispatcher to send out the notification.
  12. Activation of the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS)
  13. The supervisor will advise the dispatcher that activation is required and indicate which of the following warnings will be used:
  14. Campus lockdown;
  15. Shelter-in-place;
  16. Emergency evacuation, or;
  17. Tornado warning
  18. The dispatcher will activate the siren and play the appropriate message.
  19. The dispatcher and/or supervisor will immediately notify the Director of Campus Safety or designee if either the ENS/EBS are used.
  20. The Director of Campus Safety or designee will notify the College President or College administrator in charge to advise them of the emergency and activate the College EOC if necessary.
  21. The College President or designee will indicate which College administrators listed below should be contacted and by whom:
    1. College President
    2. Vice President of Academic Affairs/Provost
    3. Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
    4. Vice President of Finance and Planning
    5. Vice President of Advancement
    6. Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications
    7. Chief Information Officer
    8. Manager of Environmental Health and Safety
  22. When the emergency is over, a message will be sent out to the community indicating that the emergency is over unless sending such message would further disrupt College operations.

V. ENS & EBS Testing/Maintenance

  1. The Emergency Notification System and the Emergency Broadcast System shall be tested periodically, but not less than once annually (at least once per year) to ensure they are in good working order and/or during a drill. Use of the systems during an actual campus emergency will be considered a system test.
  2. Campus Safety shall maintain documentation describing each test to include a description, date, time, and whether the test was announced or unannounced.
  3. Campus Safety shall distribute a notice publicizing the emergency response and evacuation procedures to the campus community in conjunction with the test.
  4. The following individuals are authorized to request a test of the system:
  5. College President or designee;
  6. Director of Campus Safety or designee;
  7. Manager of Environmental Health and Safety
  8. City of Keene Fire Chief; and
  9. City of Keene Police Chief

VI. Systems Test

  1. The ENS & EBS will be tested once annually or as part of a campus-wide drill. The purpose of the drill is to ensure that the system is in good working order and that campus community members know what actions should be taken in case of emergency.
  2. When a test of the system is authorized, the College will make every effort to notify the Keene State College faculty, staff, and students via web and e-mail postings.
  3. When the test begins, Campus Safety will send out a message indicating that the system is being tested using the procedure described above.
  4. At the conclusion of the test, an e-mail will be sent to Keene State College faculty, staff, and students advising them that the test is concluded, and any further emergency notifications should be considered real.
  5. Each test shall be documented.

VII. Annual Test

  1. The emergency notification system shall be tested annually.
  2. When a Test is authorized, the College will make every effort to notify the Keene State College faculty, staff, and students via web and e-mail postings. Drills may be conducted announced or unannounced during semester breaks.
  3. Prior to the beginning of the drill, a message will be disseminated to the campus via broadcast e-mail indicating that the following message is associated with a test and that all community members are to respond as they would in a true emergency.
  4. When the test begins, Campus Safety staff will be advised to send one of the standard emergency messages.
  5. In concert with the above message, a message will be sent out via other campus messaging systems announcing the test and actions to be taken.
  6. Drill staff will ensure that the appropriate actions have been taken (building evacuated or shelter taken as directed).
  7. When the test is concluded, an e-mail will be sent to Keene State College faculty, staff, and students advising them that the drill is concluded, and any further emergency broadcasts should be considered real.
  8. Each test shall be documented to include a description of the exercise, the date, time, and whether it was announced or unannounced.

VIII. Review

  1. This policy is subject to periodic review and revision as needed or at the request of the College Emergency Operations Team.

About this Policy

Emergency Information System
Ownership: Campus Safety
Last Modified: Jul 10, 2018 – bcaulfield@keene.edu
For questions regarding this policy, please contact the policy owner.
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