University of Kentucky Chooses W.A.R.N.The University of Kentucky (Lexington, KY) has chosen W.A.R.N. to provide for its integrated campus emergency notifications. Text-messaging students about campus issues is just one component of the emergency notification system that UK has activated. The system is the most recent decision in steps taken by the University to improve safety and emergency response at UK. “When Virginia Tech happened, I was bombarded with phone calls from companies,” said Christy Giles, the director of UK’s Office of Emergency Management. “We narrowed it down to three companies, and one just really stood out to us.”
When the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history hit Virginia Tech’s campus in April, Giles – who had been researching notification systems for two and a half years – and other administrators quickly made a decision to act, she said, because they realized UK needed a system in place. “Obviously, the more resources we have for communication, the better chances we have for getting it to more people,” Giles said.
Students are able to sign up for the system, which can notify them in a crisis situation through cell phones, text messages, voicemail, e-mail and fax machines. The administration will be sending e-mails to students, faculty and staff with instructions on how to provide contact information.
Giles chose the WARN system because it was the most interactive and allowed for student feedback, she said.
“It was very user-friendly, and in an emergency situation you want something quick and easy to navigate,” she said. “It’s letting us know who’s getting messages and when we send to wrong numbers. I can send out a notice that says classes are closed, and I can give options that say, ‘Please respond with 1: “I need help,” or 2: “I’m OK.”
The WARN system will complement other high-tech safety measures that UK has already implemented. In an emergency, a red box pops up on UK’s Web site with a notification so that viewers can find information more easily, Giles said. UK used that feature once over the summer when there was an assault near campus on Scott Street.
Another Web site designed to communicate awareness to the campus community is the Emergency Management Web site (www.uky.edu/EM), which outlines a guide of what the community can do while response teams are working during a crisis.
