UC Davis is implementing an emergency notification system to provide faculty, staff and students at all its locations with timely information during emergencies. The UC Davis Emergency Alert System will have its first series of tests on Wednesday, Feb. 27, and Thursday, Feb. 28.
- Overview
- Authority
- Role in emergency preparedness
- My contact information
- Messages
- Testing
- For more information
Overview
1. What is the UC Davis Emergency Alert System?
UC Davis is implementing an emergency alert system to provide its faculty, staff and students with timely information and instructions during emergencies or other urgent situations that may directly affect their well-being. The system, which will serve all of UC Davis (including the Davis campus, the UC Davis Health System in Sacramento and other off-campus facilities), can send simultaneous messages to the university community by e-mail, telephone, cell phone, pager, facsimile and text messaging.
2. Why is the system being implemented?
The safety of the university community is a top priority at UC Davis. Recent events, such as the tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007 and this month's shooting at Northern Illinois University, have shown the need for the timely dissemination of information in emergencies such as natural disasters and acts of violence. This emergency alert system can help meet the need for urgent communication across our expansive university community. As Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef says, "Introducing this new system is a milestone in our overall plan to ensure the safety of everyone in the UC Davis community."
3. How will the system work?
In an emergency, a designated UC Davis official will use the Web or a telephone to access the emergency alert system. The official can use established message templates developed by UC Davis or create an original message. Then the official can send the message to all or a select number of members of the university community in a variety of formats, including e-mail, work phone, cell phone, pager, home phone, facsimile and/or text messaging. To send the message, the emergency alert system will draw on contact information that students and employees have supplied to the official electronic directory.
4. Why did UC Davis hire a private vendor?
The university determined that a purchased system would be more robust, less expensive, and take less time to implement than one developed in house. In addition, university officials believe it can be beneficial to use a service hosted off site in an emergency that may affect the university or region's infrastructure. The vendor is Tennessee-based W.A.R.N. (Wide Area Rapid Notification), which provides integrated calling and response management tools. The company maintains equipment outside of the region in three different locations.
5. How much is this costing the university?
The university paid W.A.R.N. a one-time fee of $12,000 for the installation and configuration of the notification system, which includes the uploading of contact information from our data bases every night. There is an annual subscription fee of about $20,000 for the service.
6. What has the implementation of the system entailed?
UC Davis issued a formal request for proposal for a campus emergency notification system in late 2006. Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, UC Davis accelerated the vendor review and implementation process. University officials have taken care to identify a robust system that they can rely on for an emergency now and in the future. UC Davis has carefully planned the integration of this system with other UC Davis emergency systems databases and networks. At the chancellor's direction, a task force has written policy and developed procedures consistent with campus communications and emergency policies.
Authority
7. What makes a situation an emergency?
By policy, the UC Davis Emergency Alert System will be activated for emergency or urgent situations only. An emergency is defined as an event, expected or unexpected, that threatens life or safety and requires immediate action. An urgent situation is an incident or condition that, while it does not pose an immediate threat to life or safety, is one in which timely information or instructions may directly affect the well-being of message recipients.
8. Who decides when to send a message?
Authority to activate the notification system rests with the fire and police chiefs, UC Davis' public safety dispatch, and a limited number of specified senior officials on the Davis campus and at the UC Davis Health System in Sacramento.
9. Will the system be used to send other university messages or marketing?
No. UC Davis wants you to know that when you receive a message through the system it is important information meant to protect your safety and well-being.
Role in emergency preparedness
10. How will the system work with other emergency communication methods?
The university has an emergency management program to protect lives and property and to continue necessary critical functions. The emergency alert system, meant to provide an initial warning, is part of that program and will complement other communication methods. For example, it may direct recipients to visit the university home page or tune to KFBK 1530 AM radio in Sacramento for more information or updates.
11. How robust will the system be in an emergency?
By its nature, an emergency can tax or disrupt communication systems. One of the strengths of the new UC Davis alerting system is that it uses various methods -- e-mail, telephones, pagers, facsimiles and text messaging -- to get emergency alerts out. It also draws on equipment outside of the region in three different locations.
12. What if it doesn't work?
The notification system is one means of communications available to the university. Other methods include the campus Web site, the recorded emergency status line (530) 752-4000, emergency radio partner KFBK AM 1530 and other media, police bull horns and sirens, building safety officers, and standard telephone and bulk e-mail messages delivered through the university's own system.
My contact information
13. Why do you want me to keep my directory listing up to date?
Accurate contact information is key to the effectiveness of the notification system. We simply can't reach you without it.
14. As an employee, how do I update my directory information?
It's simple. Go to https://listings.ucdavis.edu/update. After you log in with your UC Davis loginID and Kerberos password, you'll be able to update your contact information.
15. When do I enter my personal contact information?
Right now, we want faculty and staff to keep their work contact information up to date. Many people have already responded to a recent e-mail request to do so. In the second phase of implementation, we will ask faculty and staff to provide other contact information, such as a home phone number and personal cell number. This should happen this spring.
16. Do I have to provide my personal contact information?
No. But it limits our ability to reach you with important information in an emergency. Because it is impossible to know now what systems will be operational during an emergency or where you'll be, it's recommended that you offer multiple means of contacting you.
17. Do students have to provide contact information for this system?
Students' official UC Davis e-mail addresses are loaded into the system. Beginning this spring, when students register for classes each quarter, they will be asked to voluntarily supply other contact information, such as a cell phone number, which will be used for the notification system. Because of its different registration process, the School of Medicine will enter contact information on behalf of its students.
18. Will the privacy of my personal information be protected?
Yes. As part of the contract, the vendor is required to comply with state and federal privacy laws and the university information security policy. In addition, the contract requires the vendor to safeguard university data, return or destroy the data after the agreement term ends, and report any unauthorized access to university electronic information. It is our understanding that W.A.R.N. has implemented state-of-the-art security features to protect the UC Davis information.
Faculty, staff and student contact information will be drawn from the electronic directory. Although they will be asked to provide additional personal information, such as a home telephone number, that personal information will not be displayed in the university directory.
19. How will you keep the contact information up to date?
Each quarter when students register for classes, the Student Information System, or SISWEB, will prompt them to enter or update their contact information to the electronic directory. Faculty and staff will be encouraged to update their contact information at specific points during the year. Department heads will be responsible for ensuring their employees keep their individual listings up to date. Each night, the system will upload the contact information, with any updates, from the electronic directory.
Messages
20. What kind of information will the messages contain?
A message will let you know the nature of the emergency and its date, time and location. It will advise you of any immediate action you need to take and action that might be required in the future. For example, in the event of an earthquake, a message would advise recipients to evacuate to an open area and await further directions. Subsequent messages might tell people to go to a specific location for assistance with getting home or contacting their families. Messages may also direct you to other sources of information, such as the university home page or our designated emergency radio partner, KFBK AM 1530 in Sacramento.
21. Where will I be able to get more information during an emergency?
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. For example, it may be posted to the university's home page, distributed by the news media or sent in standard bulk e-mail or broadcast voice-mail messages.
22. How often will I receive messages?
It won't be very often. The system is reserved for emergencies and urgent situations, so it is hoped that the use of the system will be rare. During an emergency, you could receive multiple messages, including the initial message, ongoing updates and then an all-clear message once the emergency has passed. The system will also be tested at least once a year.
23. What should I do if I receive a message?
If you receive a message, listen to it or read it carefully and follow any directions without delay. The information is provided for your protection.
Testing
24. What is the purpose of the test?
We are testing the ability of UC Davis' computer and communications networks to handle in a timely way the high volume of traffic that the system will generate when it is activated. The test will document the success of each delivery method to better understand the most effective methods for notifying the university community. Two days have been reserved for the testing: Feb. 27 and 28.
25. How did you choose the dates for the test?
It is important that the test be conducted in a realistic scenario when the campus infrastructure is handling its normal volume of daily telephone and e-mail traffic. The testing committee recommended the test dates to the task force, and the chancellor approved them in consultation with other senior officials.
26. How is the test being conducted?
A graduated test -- involving a random sample of only some of the university community -- will be conducted Feb. 27 and 28. The alert system will draw on contact information currently in the university directory to send messages by e-mail, cell phone, facsimile, pager and text messaging. It will also issue a broadcast voice-mail message to the individuals chosen for the test.
In the first test, notifications will be sent to about 300 faculty and staff on the Davis and Sacramento campuses. In a second test, alerts will be sent to another 300 employees to verify the results of the first test. For the third test, alerts will be sent to 1,000 employees each at the Davis and Sacramento campuses to monitor the performance of network equipment and delivery times. For the next test, messages will be sent to 10,000 employees -- 5,000 at Davis and 5,000 at Sacramento. On the second day, about 500 students will be part of a test using only their official UC Davis e-mail accounts.
After each test, a technical group will review data, and the test team will decide whether to move to the next step.
A full test of the system is expected to be conducted in the fall. The task force is also working with a group of Davis Honors Challenge students who will survey other students about emergency notification and how they would prefer to receive notifications.
27. How might the test affect regular campus operations?
The test has been designed to mitigate any potential effect on regular operations. The test will take place in phases, starting with a small group and, if no operational issues arise, proceeding to a larger number of recipients. Those responsible for our telecommunications and computer network systems have been involved in planning the test and will be actively monitoring it. Issues will be addressed as the test proceeds so that when the larger test takes place, it won't interfere with regular operations.
28. Why won't the test be a full one that includes all of the UC Davis community?
This will be the first test of the UC Davis Emergency Alert System. It is focused on validating the performance of the UC Davis computer and communications networks when subjected to models and scenarios anticipated when emergency notifications are added to the daily traffic. The graduated test is designed to add stress without jeopardizing the networks that UC Davis depends on for its regular activities. A full test is anticipated in the fall.
29. How are people being selected for the test?
The purpose of the test is to validate our network capabilities, so participants will be randomly selected based on the contact information available for them.
30. Will I know in advance if I'm part of the test?
We are informing the UC Davis community that testing is taking place. However, we are not notifying the selected participants in advance. We want people to be aware that a test is being conducted so they aren't alarmed by the message, but we don't want to overly influence the response by providing special advance notice to selected participants.
31. What should I do if I get a test message?
Don't be alarmed. Remain calm. The test message will indicate that it is just that -- a test message. You'll help us by following any directions, which may ask you to confirm receipt of the message.
32. How will I know the difference between a test message and a real emergency alert?
The text of any test message will indicate the message is part of a test.
For more information
33. How can I get more information about the UC Davis Emergency Alert System or the February test?
Please contact Valerie Lucus, emergency/continuity manager on the Davis campus, at vjlucus@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-6463.