Crisis Communication Plan released by JMU Committee
Posted on August 27, 2007
Students returning to JMU this week will notice many new buildings on campus, but they may not be aware of the behind-the-scene changes made by the university to ensure student safety.
JMU’s Emergency Response and Recovery Team, composed of twelve administrators, public safety officials and faculty representatives, met twice a week over the summer to update security measures and create a Crisis Communication Plan. Based on the plan, the university has upgraded their lightning detection sirens, created an emergency cell phone alert system, and set up a blast e-mailing service – all designed to speed up the flow of information on campus.
While there were a lot of changes to JMU’s safety plan, the team expanded on initiatives that already exist.
“There were a lot of good people doing good work, even before VA Tech,” director of public affairs Don Egle said.
Chief of Police Lee Shifflett agreed with Egle.
“We do a lot more than most,” he said.
JMU’s severe weather sirens, located on top of CISAT A-1, Burrus Hall, Showker Hall and Dingledine Hall, will now play pre-recorded messages that can be heard anywhere on campus, instructing students on what to do during an emergency. There will also be loudspeakers added to police cars for similar purposes.
In addition to the sirens, students and faculty can subscribe to receive emergency cell phone alerts via e-campus or J-ESS. Subscribers provide their cell phone information and are then notified by either voice mail or text message, when an emergency situation arises.
Lastly, the Emergency Response and Recovery Team devised a method of sending out blast e-mails to all @jmu.edu accounts. While the old mass messaging system will still be used, there is a limit on the number of emails it can send out at a time, resulting in a two-hour delay on timely notifications, Egle said. Now 20,000 e-mails can be sent out at once, reaching the entire student body in a matter of minutes.
“If it’s in a blast e-mail, it’s serious,” Shifflett said.
In addition to the new initiatives created this summer, old methods to ensure campus safety are also in use. JMU’s comprehensive emergency response plan has been used by over 400 organizations nationally and internationally and is constantly evaluated and updated, Egle said.
The plan is implemented by the Office of Public Safety and state-certified police officers. JMU police can close public access to campus due to any situation that poses an imminent danger to the university community or isolate particular areas of campus using law enforcement and transportation personnel to limit access, create perimeters and warn the campus.
In addition, police plan to notify local TV, radio and newspapers in an effort to warn the community of possible dangers. During an emergency they send out emergency fax notifications to JMU departments, residence hall directors and building coordinators, located in each building and trained to respond to emergencies.
In the future, JMU hopes to take their safety measures even further, according to Shifflett.
“These are just building blocks,” he said. “This is just what we could get
done before school starts. It’s not stopping here.”
While there was not enough time to get it done this summer, JMU hopes to set up an internal P.A. system within buildings to alert students and faculty of possible dangers, Shifflett said.
Egle urged students to remain patient during the transition.
“You have to trust law enforcement and the decisions they’re making,” Egle said.
“Students, faculty, and staff can have confidence that we have the right people doing the right things and asking the right questions at the right times.”
Students seem to agree.
Senior Nicolas Carreon, who has already registered for the cell phone alerts, feels safe at school, but likes that the safety measures are there.
“I think it’s a good thing to have the options because students can become so caught up in (their day to day lives) that they don’t take notice of safety,” he said.
Sophomore Jessica Naylor agreed.
“I think JMU is a safe campus,” she said, “But you never know what’s going to happen.”