Important Information to Know in a Campus Emergency

Published:
December 13, 2022

Do you know what to do if a fire alarm goes off?  What about a tornado warning?  Or an active threat?  Grinnell College News sat down with Heather Cox, Director of Emergency Management and James Shropshire, Director of Campus Safety to get answers to some

Question:  What is the single most important thing that students, faculty, and staff can do to ensure that they are prepared for an on-campus emergency?

Shropshire:  There are a lot of things to be aware of, but the critical thing that we ask everyone to do is to ensure you are able to receive InformaCast alerts by verifying your mobile number is up-to-date and designated to receive alert texts in Colleague Self-Service. This is critically important, because InformaCast is the best source of accurate information in an emergency.

Cox:  I agree, we are continually improving our use of the InformaCast system and have recently trained additional staff on the system to enable Campus Safety to focus on their core duties of responding to on-campus incidents while also improving the timeliness of messages.  It’s important for everyone to know that, while it’s fast, InformaCast isn’t instantaneous and message delivery can vary based on your cellular carrier and other factors.  That’s why we also broadcast alerts through our computer network and phone system.  Campus-wide notifications will be sent as soon as possible, and updates will be provided as more actionable information is available.

Question:  What do I do if I witness an emergency and there hasn’t been an alert?

Shropshire:  In an emergency, call 911 first.  Only then, if it’s safe or possible to do so, call Campus Safety to report an emergency at x4600 or 641-269-4600.

One thing that is really important, is that we ask everyone to avoid calling Campus Safety dispatch during an emergency unless you need urgent assistance or have information to report about the incident. The dispatcher is working diligently to support response operations and manage communication between Campus Safety officers, law enforcement, the fire department, and medical responders. We will get information out to the entire campus as soon as possible, and ask that we help dispatch focus on the urgent tasks at hand.

The dispatcher will answer calls in the order they are received. Callers may hear continuous ringing while the dispatcher answers earlier calls, if you do need urgent assistance or have information to report, do not hang up. Non-urgent callers will be placed on hold or will be called back at a later time.

Cox:  Thanks, James, that’s really important.  It is our commitment that, after an emergency, the College will provide any additional updates necessary through InformaCast or email and outline the resources available.  The Campus Safety dispatcher won’t have complete information during an active emergency and InformaCast is the single best way to ensure that you have the information you need to stay safe.

Question:  What do I do when I receive an emergency alert?

Shropshire:  This is a great question.  There are three key things you should do: 

  1. Follow the instructions provided in any emergency notifications.
  2. Also, stay alert to your surroundings and be prepared to take action.
  3. Avoid the area of an ongoing emergency until the all-clear is issued. Do not enter the building or area for any reason. This is for your safety and those of the responders.

Question:  How do I know that an emergency is over and that it’s safe to resume normal activities?

Cox:  The College will issue an “all-clear” alert with any additional instructions only when law enforcement determines that it is safe to do so.  It’s important to know that the College may not control the timing of that decision. During an active threat, law enforcement will arrive and assume lead on the response efforts. Campus Safety officers will assist with maintaining a safe perimeter around the area and support law enforcement as directed. Law enforcement will direct how an area is searched and cleared during and after an emergency.  Only when an area is cleared and law enforcement has let us know that it is safe to resume normal activities will the College issue the “all-clear”.

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