What are effective ways to communicate with schools and universities during an emergency?

Some of the most sound advice i have ever been given is “don’t wait until you need something to introduce yourself”. We all know life happens and emergencies do not give warning prior to occurring. Planning in advance sitting down and mapping out your strategies prior to emergencies allows you to start building the relationships that you will rely on in the time it is needed.

1. Collaborate in Advance: Establish communication protocols. 2. Emergency Contacts: Share relevant contacts. 3. Notification Systems: Utilize alerts and notifications. 4. Drill Participation: Involve educational institutions in emergency drills. 5. Information Sharing: Provide real-time updates. 6. Clear Messaging: Use simple, concise language. 7. Designated Liaison: Appoint a direct contact person. 8. Multiple Channels: Utilize various communication methods. 9. Coordination: Align response efforts with educational institutions. 10. After-Action Review: Evaluate and refine communication procedures.

In my experience, having a clear crisis communications plan is key to quick communications that is deployable in moments and with pre-approved messaging templates.

In the case of a terrorist attack in today’s colleges and universities. I would probably send out a mass text and say, “These are the people you have been defending. The people you are claiming are the victims. Guess what you just enabled this attack.”

Build relationships with those schools. Bring in local entities to provide support. Make working relationships to create seamless goals during the emergency event. Pre plan and allow emergency services in buildings to have a better sense of you location and what they face upon arrival. Everbridge has given us the ability to reach employees and staff to provide instructions when needed.

If the chosen communication methods are not used for regular interactions with your audience(s), they will not be easily used during an active emergency. The last thing you want is to be fumbling through a rarely-used procedure or system while your adrenaline is high.

Remind your student an emergency plan and apolice emergency number into their phone. Ask your student about emergency drills (evacuation, lockdown, etc.) Be sure you have the names and phone numbers of a few of your student’s roommates or close friends as well as their parents, and that they have yours. Students should understand the natural hazards on and near their campus (for example, if the campus is in a flood plain) and pay attention to severe weather warnings so they can be in a safe place if/when a storm hits. They should know multiple ways out (including fire exits) of the buildings they frequent on campus. They should know their residential housing staff/landlord and be able to get in touch with

Los protocolos son fundamentales pero deben ser comunicados de manera cabal y profesional asegurando la comprensión total por parte del público objetivo. Además los protocolos deben ejercitarse periódicamente en base al análisis de riesgo y amenaza y al nivel de seguridad en que se clasifica al objetivo a proteger.

In Today's World there is absolutely no reason a university's media outreach program should have any problem with keeping both the community and members of the University completely informed of an ongoing emergency situation. We are the most connected Generation Ever. Everyone carries at least one, some people carry two communication devices I.e. business phone and personal. The key is preparation prior to the event in hand. Coordination between all parties involved in developing the Universities Emergency Media Response " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

There needs to be simple easy to understand standard operating procedures in place In the event of an emergency a siren needs to sound which immediately will notify anyone to action what has been trained and agreed to by all parties. This, for example, could be that everyone use emergency points to exit and gather in a designated safe area (parking lot) Drill needs to be done once every few months

In my experience, Ihave found it helpful to first, be prepared in case of an emergency. There should be protocols in place and practiced periodically, so that should the need arise, everyone is at least somewhat aware of what to do. Then communicate through every channel available, including phone calls, texts, e-mail, social media, emergency broadcasting system, radio, television, in-house speakers amd anything else that would get the attention of those affected immediately.

Effective communication with schools during emergencies is crucial. Register with emergency notification systems for real-time text, email, or call alerts. Regularly check official websites and social media for updates and instructions. Download and use dedicated mobile apps that provide instant information. Attend community meetings or forums organized by schools. Collaborate with local authorities for a coordinated response. Utilize student and parent portals for online updates. Familiarize yourself with clear communication protocols established by the school. Being prepared and informed ensures a swift and effective response during critical situations.

I've also found it helpful to have messaging come from one communication center, or EOC, so you can avoid mixed messaging. It is also good to have a method for people to respond back on, like an app, or message board, to provide intel on what is happening and what people are seeing, without directly tieing up responders' communication devices.

Using acronyms or technical jargon in the workplace can form a bad habit when needing to communicate an emergency. Learn to keep it simple and direct. Focusing on the essential information and repeating the key points will ensure comprehension and retention of those receiving the information.

It is imperative that you are honest, truthful about the extent of the crisis event and report the facts not assumption or personal interpretation of the emerging event.

You should make sure your communications use simple plain English. Schools and colleges usually have security people with law enforcement background. If they are in an area that uses ten codes or signals, it is easy for them to use those instead of plain language.

There are several different issues at play here. Most large grouping areas/institutions have a mass comm plan of some kind. Wiring into that is the easiest if the infrastructure remains sound. (depends on the nature and cause of the emergency...) If cellular remains working, mass text goes to everyone's purse, pocket, backpack or hand. Getting two way mass issues could be better served through a poll process - getting people to respond to a few key questions right away - Safety, Security, Shelter & Supplies, with a simple (like the old US Army color codes) green, amber, red, black - with a timeline associated. (i.e. "How long will you be good without...[fill in the category]" or "How long will you be able to remain where you are safely?"

It must be remembered you may be prepared and trained to deal with a crisis, your audience is unlikely to have. Empathy and cultural sensitivity needs to be observed.

Do you want to update & follow up for the purpose of threat mitigation in all phases of the disaster life-cycle? The greatest asset emergency managers have is the ability to coordinate. This includes information gathering and stakeholder dissemination. Intel synthesis should never be limited to quantitive analysis OR qualitative review. An opinion is a sample size of one. EM must include data science. These tools should be sophisticated and well defined to increase efficiency. A data-backed GIS dashboard combined with numerous interviews to support recommendations will improve your program faster than any other combination of effort. Simply stated, if an EM program does not include technologies, it will never achieve desired results.

A postmortem debrief after an significant emergency event is required best practice to learn from your wins and losses. What you did well, what you need to do better in the future.

What articles like this fail to consider, is the mitigative process of emergency management. If a resource or agency seeks to communicate with schools and universities in times of emergency then those resources or agencies waited too long. Effective emergency planning begins when there is no emergency. Relationships are formed in absence of urgency or strife. Connections are bound through common efforts and communal benefit, where tools like radio communications and internet services, satellite comms, hardline dial-ups, even CB and UHF-based radios, are introduced and practiced. Relying on a point of contact or designated staff paid to sit at the ERP table, without building those relationships prior, is destined to fail.

My overarching philosophy for emergency response is to pre-plan as much as possible. When things get hectic and bandwidths narrow, communications are the first thing to fail, and communications are the lifeblood of emergency response. The cascading series of failures once comms go down is almost always catastrophic. We mistakenly believe we can multitask and remember those responses we gameplan when skies are blue. Once those horizons begin to darken, however, it's too late to recover. Plan and emplace your notification response early so that you can focus on the more immediate life-safety needs that will come when the incident kicks off.

During emergencies, clear communication is crucial. Utilize mass notification systems, send text alerts, and use public address systems to relay important information. Establish designated communication channels, such as a dedicated emergency hotline or social media accounts, to keep the school community informed. Conduct regular drills to ensure everyone is familiar with emergency communication procedures.