Recent tragic events at Casper College and Newtown, Conn., are reminders of the need to be prepared in emergencies, and the University of Wyoming offers resources and programs to assure the safety and well-being of the campus community.
Among those programs are the cell phone text alert system, “UW Alert”; a new emergency button on the WyoMobile App; and training exercises for individuals involved with UW’s Emergency Response Plan.
A text alert system was launched within minutes of the murder of a Casper College professor, and such a system is offered to UW faculty, staff and students.
“Text messaging is the fastest way to reach today’s population, and more than 95 percent of our students are signed up for UW Alert,” says Mark Collins, UW interim vice president of administrative operations. “But only about 54 percent of our faculty and staff are now able to receive emergency text messages. We want to increase that number. It could save lives, if the need ever arises.”
To sign up and for more information about UW Alert, click here.
The emergency button on UW’s mobile app system is another convenient way to quickly access essential information during emergencies, says Nancy Fox, Environmental Health and Safety Department director.
“This is one of several resources to ensure safety on campus. We encourage everyone to have access to this information on their cell phones,” Fox says. Instructions to download the app can be found here.
Fox points out that handy Emergency Preparedness and Response Guides are available at the Wyoming Union information desk, Coe Library, Classroom Building, Half Acre Gymnasium and the Environmental Health and Safety Department Office, Room 102 of Wyoming Hall. The guide and several other campus safety resources can also be found on the EHS Emergency Preparedness website.
Additionally, training exercises are conducted periodically to help plan responses for a variety of emergency situations. As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to safety, a review of UW’s Emergency Response Plan, featuring presentations by UW and law enforcement professionals, is scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the UW Conference Center at the Hilton Garden Inn. Registration and a continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m., with the program scheduled from 8-11 a.m. To register and for more information, click here.
