April 10, 2008
Now hear this: New Outdoor Alert emergency broadcast system tested and ready
Maybe you heard the test announcement on Thursday, March 27, from one of the new campus emergency loudspeakers. It was loud — and in emergency communications, loud is good.
“MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE,” the speakers blared at exactly 2 p.m. “THIS IS A TEST OF THE UW OUTDOOR ALERT, THE EMERGENCY OUTDOOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEM … IN A REAL EMERGENCY, INSTRUCTIONS WOULD BE PROVIDED ON WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO.”
The message came from a dozen new Talk-a-Phone towers installed throughout campus. Ten of the towers replaced the older emergency phones, of which there are still many on campus, and two were installed in new locations. Each bright blue tower is equipped with an emergency phone and a strobe light that flashes when the phone is in use.
Each Talk-a-Phone tower has four speakers, enabling it to broadcast a message about 1,000 feet in all directions. UW Police or emergency personnel also can broadcast messages through a single tower or selected group of towers, if the alert is limited to only part of the campus. Campus police officers also will have the ability to use the speakers for broadcast direct from a Talk-a-Phone, if needed, using a special key.
In recent weeks, UW Technology Services, under the direction of Associate Vice President Scott Mah, has been overseeing the installation of the new Talk-a-Phone towers, which were approved by the Emergency Management Planning Committee as part of the UW’s ongoing work to improve emergency communications. It’s called the UW Outdoor Alert system.
Jeff Huang, technology project manager for UW Technology Services, is managing the project — he thinks of it rather like quarterbacking an excellent football team — and is excited about its meaning. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun,” he said. “A hardware-software integration.”
UW Outdoor Alert is part of a multipronged plan for disseminating important information to faculty, staff and students during an emergency. The UW, like many institutions, is reviewing and improving campus emergency communication strategies in light of violent episodes on this and other campuses.
Ray Wittmier, interim chief of the UW Police, said a mix of approaches to emergency communications is best, because no single method can answer the UW’s needs. “Everybody recognizes the need for a mass notification system,” he said, “but as we looked at that, we realized that the old, antiquated e-mail method really doesn’t cover it because it takes so long. When we’re trying to send out a message to 65,000 people or so, it takes well over an hour to get out to everybody.”
The broadcast system is a necessary component of emergency alerts, Wittmier said, because so many people are out on the campus grounds, especially at lunch and in between classes.
Other emergency communication strategies are:
- UW Alert, a voluntary, self-subscribed text message delivers messages to the campus community on a “best effort” basis to e-mail accounts and to Short Message Service text-capable wireless devices, including many cell phones. (Learn more and sign up at http://www.uwalert.org.)
- UW Web site alerts: Posted on the UW home page, UWIN and MyUW. Also, an alternate UW Web site based outside the Puget Sound region will be updated with critical information in the event of a catastrophic event, at www.emergency.washington.edu.
- UW Information line: 206-UWS-INFO (897-4636) or toll-free at 1-866-897-4636.
- Safe Campus phone lines, Web site: 206-685-SAFE (7233) for the Seattle campus, 425-352-7233 for UW Bothell and 253-692-7233 for UW Tacoma. The Web site is at www.safecampus.washington.edu.
- E-mails sent to all current faculty, staff and students.
- Official messages disseminated via the local media.
UW Outdoor Alert and its dozen new Talk-a-Phone towers will support the eight campus mass assembly areas that are part of the University’s emergency evacuation plan. The gathering areas are: the archery range, the lawn of Parrington Hall, Denny Yard, Denny Field, the Fisheries lawn, the HUB yard, Rainier Vista and just south of Husky Stadium.
Huang said there will continue to be improvements made to the emergency broadcast system. But he reflected the feelings of many involved in the project saying, “I feel fortunate to be in the position to do this. We have a great team of folks and everybody is motivated.”
Huang said the system will likely be tested again later this spring.
“This is really important,” he added.
