SNAP Into Action With a Multicampus Emergency Notification System

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SNAP Into Action With a Multi-campus Emergency
Notification System
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It is not a matter of ifit is only a matter of
when!
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KCTCSSo Who Are We?

• 16 Comprehensive Colleges
• 67 Locations

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What is a Crisis?

• An unstable situation of extreme danger or
  difficulty.
• Or
• 2. An event that can jeopardize a colleges
  image, reputation or financial stability.

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Crisis Situations

• Natural Disasters (fires, floods, weather,
  earthquakes, etc.)
• Man-made disasters.
• Identity theft.
• Security breaches.
• Major campus crimes
• Bomb threats.
• Allegations of fiscal mismanagement and
  administrative scandal.
• Open records requests.
• Campus violence (includes threats of violence,
  weapons, etc.)
• Public health emergencies.
• Negative media stories.
• Unpredictable faculty/staff/student
  behavior/events (suicide, unusual off-campus
  deaths, etc.)

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No matter the crisisEmployee/Student Safety is
1 Priority at KCTCS
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KCTCS Crisis Priorities/Objectives

• Creation of college crisis management teams.
• Development of college crisis management and
  communications plans for all types of crisis
  situations.
• Establishment of an emergency notification
  system.
• Establishment of a college emergency contact
  number.
• Adoption of a zero tolerance approach to all
  threats to student/employee safety.
• Continually test and adapt plans.
• Watch and study other crises.

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KCTCS Decision Making Process for Emergency
Notification

• KCTCS has no dorms. Immediate notification to
  classes, labs and work areas was priority.
• A KCTCS workgroup looked at 40 systems before
  selecting InformaCast.
• Utilized existing KCTCS Voice Over Internet
  Protocol (VOIP) phone system that reaches each
  campus.
• Will allow a college to send emergency messages
  simultaneously to phones, speakers, computers and
  overhead paging systems.
• Needed expanded text messaging system.

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Why Berbees Informacast?

• Ease of use, Internet based.
• Activate from Computer or Phone.
• One time purchase and annual licensing fee.
• Compatible with Cincinnati Bell equipment KCTCS
  phone provider.
• Partnership with School Messenger answered text
  messaging questions.
• Desktop Agent. Now being deployed to thousands of
  desktops across state.

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Challenges to KCTCS Implementation

• Taking Informacast across the state of Kentucky
  to all colleges and campuses simultaneously.
• Working with a large number of phone and data
  companies.
• Some substandard infrastructure on some rural
  campuses.
• Not all phones compatible.
• How many people do we need to train to cover all
  campuses 24 / 7
• Policies and protocols for use.
• Potentially large numbers for text messaging
  notification.

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The KCTCS Implementation Plan

• Created a Steering Team to lead effort
  consisted of Crisis Managers, PR and IT from
  System Office and colleges.
• Sought and received buyin from KCTCS senior
  leadership.
• Received buy-in from college presidents and
  leadership.
• Created policies and protocols for Informacast
  use.
• Developed training guide and materials.
• Trained over 150 people at 4 sessions.
• PR campaign to employees and students. Planning
  massive media event in October.
• Test, test, test, test and test some more!

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SNAP Protocol

• Only to be used for extreme crises and weather
  situations.
• Use templates created in advance, tied to School
  Messenger. Have template for potential
  situations.
• 911 will be called first if situation warrants.
• Trained college personnel will have authority to
  launch the system in the event of an emergency.
• Once initial notification is dispatched, local
  Crisis Management Team assumes control of
  situation, along with assistance from System
  Office Crisis Management Team.
• Crisis Management Plan to be followed.

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College Crisis Management Teams

• Responsibilities for Informacast
• Develop crisis management plans.
• Take ownership of Informacast and lead
  implementation.
• Establish emergency contact number and publish.
• Lead local training efforts, test system.
• Establish an emergency chain of command.
• Develop emergency notification procedures/policies
  .
• Develop opt-in procedures for emergency text
  messages.

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Information Technology

• Responsibilities for Informacast
• Installing and endless testing of the network and
  Informacast product.
• All technical aspects of the installation.
• Creating the log in credentials, templates,
  recipient groups and getting all phones and
  computers Informacast ready.
• Assisting in countless training sessions.
• Spending hours troubleshooting problems and
  glitches.
• Testing, testing, testing and more testing.

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Students and Employees sign up via our website
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So How Are We Doing?

• Oct. 1, 2008Feb 1, 2009
• 188,435 devices have been contacted, including
  VOIP phones, cell phones and desktop devices.
• KCTCS has over 25,674 people signed up to receive
  SNAP alerts.

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A Few Testimonials from our students
With no TV or internet the SNAP system was the
only way for me to know my classes were canceled
I dont have to call anywhere or get online to
find out about school closings. I love SNAP !!
At first I didnt opt in for SNAP because I just
have a pre paid phone and didnt want a lot of
txt msg. because its not part of my rate plan
but after this last ice storm Im glad I did.
Because of the SNAP system, I had one less thing
to worry about during the bad weather because the
information would come to. I love it !
As a new student I really appreciate being
informed of the school closing early in the
morning. SNAP saved me a good 45 min drive to
school. Thank You SNAP-Its good to be informed
!!!
A txt msg. is much easier way of getting the
information I need.
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Methods of Communication
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What are our next plans

• SNAP Alert sent from any location at anytime.
• o   Emergency messages to be sent to Facebook,
  Twitter, MySpace
• o   Emergency email to faculty/staff/students    
• o   Makes it easier to create new messages
•          More search functions and filters
  within program to find
• o   Messages
•          Have more reporting capabilities on
• o   What messages have been sent
• o   By whom
• o   To whom  
• o   Which ones activated a script
• o   Results of sent message

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Recommendations from KCTCS

• Create working partnership among Crisis Manager,
  PR and IT personnel.
• Meet often, communicate daily during planning
  process and implementation.
• Develop clear, concise policies for use of
  system.
• Widely distribute and explain policies.
• Create culture of preparedness. This takes time.
• Communicate to college/university community
  often.
• Look at who your neighbors are. Include?
• This is only one of many tools. Make sure to
  integrate into your response system.

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Lessons Learned/Suggestions

• Develop a college communication plans and matrix.
• Identify and train college spokespersons.
• Help create Emergency Notification Policies.
• Help create templates for emergency messages.
• Develop PR campaign for Informacast

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Questions?Bob HammondsDirector of Crisis
Management, Environmental Health and SafetyKY
Community and Technical College
Systembob.hammonds_at_kctcs.edu859.256.3181