UCLA

I. PURPOSE & SCOPE

UCLA provides Emergency Notifications through the UCLA Emergency Notification System, commonly referred to as BruinAlert. BruinAlert allows for the quick dissemination of official information and instructions during a Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency that threatens the health or safety of members of the Campus Community or disrupts normal operations of the UCLA Campus or UCLA Health facilities. The UCLA Emergency Notification System is the only officially designated mode for the distribution of Emergency Notifications during a Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency.

This Policy outlines the process and requirements to transmit Emergency Notifications and sets forth the Campus Community’s responsibility to register to receive and to follow any instructions provided in Emergency Notifications.

This Policy does not address other, supplemental notification or communications systems managed by individual campus units, which operate independently of the UCLA Emergency Notification System; however, such units shall ensure that accurate contact data from their supplemental notification system is automatically shared with the Emergency Notification System. Any and all communications disseminated during a Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency, as determined and confirmed per this Policy, shall direct recipients to the UCLA Emergency Notification System, including a reminder to check both BruinAlert messages and consult www.bso.ucla.edu for additional information and instructions.

This Policy does not address Timely Warnings, which are required by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery Act”), as they do not constitute Emergency Notifications.

II. DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Policy:

BruinAlert is the moniker adopted to refer to both Emergency Notifications and the UCLA Emergency Notification System.

Campus Community refers to all staff, faculty, students, temporary residents, parents, visitors, vendors, neighbors, and other individuals who frequent the main UCLA , including UCLA Health facilities, UCLA owned or leased properties in Westwood or Santa Monica and UCLA Early Childhood Education units, the UCLA Lab School and UCLA Geffen Academy.

Dangerous Situation is an event being managed by a public safety entity that may necessitate restricted access to a specific area for either the safety of individuals or to allow public safety officials to complete operations. A Dangerous Situation does not necessarily pose any threat outside of a confined, identifiable area or have the potential to spread to other areas. Examples of potential Dangerous Situations include suspicious packages or localized hazardous material spills.

Emergency Notifications are announcements sent to the Campus Community, or a segment thereof, in the event of a Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency necessitating immediate communications with the entire Campus Community or a segment thereof.

Significant Emergency is an event that directly or indirectly threatens lives, safety, property, or the environment; requires immediate, mandatory action; and potentially affects a sizable portion of the Campus Community.

Timely Warnings are non-emergency communications about campus crime issued to students and other Campus Community members so they can make informed decisions, as required by the Clery Act.

UCLA Campus refers to the main UCLA Campus, UCLA Health facilities, and UCLA owned or leased properties in Westwood or Santa Monica.

UCLA Emergency Notification System refers to the critical event management platform (e.g., Everbridge) utilized to facilitate the delivery of Emergency Notifications to the Campus Community.

UCLA Health Notification System is an example of a campus unit supplemental notification system made up of a subset of the Campus Community to which UCLA Health sends priority messages for the benefit of UCLA Health employees, patients, and visitors. The UCLA Health Notification System does not constitute an Emergency Notification System under the Jeanne Clery Act. Every effort will be made to coordinate messaging between campus and health-based systems.

III. POLICY STATEMENT

In the event of a confirmed Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency, the Director of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM Director) or designee, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, will determine the appropriate segment of the Campus Community to receive Emergency Notification; produce the content of the notification; and initiate the notification system. The OEM Director may elect not to issue an Emergency Notification if, in the judgement of UCLA emergency response personnel, notification may compromise the efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the event.

A. Confirmation of a Significant Emergency or Dangerous Situation

Confirmation of a Significant Emergency or Dangerous Situation may be provided to the OEM Director or designee by various means, including UCLA departments and local, State, or federal public safety agencies.

Emergency responders and internal campus departments will advise the OEM Director or designee immediately regarding a Significant Emergency or Dangerous Situation as they occur and provide adequate updates so that timely and accurate Emergency Notifications may be issued. All Emergency Notifications and instructions shall comply with the campus Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

B. Emergency Notification Recipients

The OEM Director or designee will determine the appropriate segment of the Campus Community, if any, to receive Emergency Notification.

In the event the Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency affects UCLA Health facilities, Emergency Notification may be sent via the UCLA Health Notification System as well as the UCLA Emergency Notification System.

C. Content of Emergency Notifications

Emergency Notifications may be brief and may contain abbreviations to accommodate any technological restrictions of the UCLA Emergency Notification System and its various components. When content exceeds character or size restrictions, a sequence of multiple notifications may be issued.

All-clear communication should only be issued upon confirmation from the emergency response personnel primarily responsible for the incident that the Dangerous Situation or Significant Emergency no longer represents an immediate threat to the health and safety of the Campus Community.

1. Initial Emergency Notification should contain the following information:

• date and time of incident
   
• nature of incident (shooting, earthquake, police action, haz mat, police emergency, etc.)
   
• anticipated action required (shelter-in-place, evacuate, secure & deny entry, etc.)
   
• additional details necessary to preserve safety and security
   
• website, telephone number, or other sources for additional information regarding the incident

2. Follow-up Emergency Notifications should occur within 15 minutes of the initial Emergency Notification and contain:

• date and time of update and alert sequence number
   
• current situation status
   
• continued action (if any) required
   
• impacts to campus services, including which specific building or area of campus is impacted
   
• website, telephone number, or other sources for additional information regarding incident
   
• expected time of next notification

3. All-clear communications should contain the following:

• date and time of “all-clear” notice
   
• actions required to resume normal campus operations
   
• explanation of the resolution/conclusion of incident
   
• website, telephone number, or other sources for additional information regarding incident

D. Initiation of Emergency Notification

The OEM Director or designee will instigate and coordinate the initial Emergency Notification. Depending on the nature and scope of the event, follow-up communication may be managed by the OEM Director or designee; the UCLA Police Chief or designee; the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS); the University Communications Department (Media Relations) under the coordination of the Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications; or the Emergency Management Policy Group (EMPG).

E. Channels for Emergency Notification

Emergency Notifications shall be transmitted through one or more of the following channels, dependent upon channel availability during an event:

1. Email

An email with the subject line “BruinAlert” will be sent to all official UCLA email addresses on record for faculty, staff and students, or an appropriate subset thereof.

2. Text

A text message will be sent to all mobile numbers designated as “TEXT Msg” in BruinAlert profiles, or an appropriate subset thereof. Mobile devices issued to employees or partially paid by the university are auto-enrolled to receive Emergency Notifications via text. Standard text messaging rates apply and text notifications will only be used during a Significant Emergency, Dangerous Situation, or a test of the BruinAlert system.

3. Additional Channels

Dependent upon channel availability during an event, Emergency Notifications may be transmitted through the following additional channels:

• Bruins Safe Online at bso.ucla.edu

• Bruins Safe mobile application, available for download to iPhone and Android devices

• Cable TV scrolling EAS Messaging Systems

• Indoor digital signs

• “Big Voice” outdoor loudspeakers

• Activation of IP telephone speakers

• UCLA Newsroom website at newsroom.ucla.edu

• UCLA website home page at ucla.edu

• Office of Emergency Management at oem.ucla.edu

• Twitter

• Facebook

• AM 1630 Radio

• Everbridge mobile application

• Other methods as they become available (i.e. indoor speaker systems)

F. Emergency Notification Testing

Testing of the Emergency Notification System shall occur at least three times annually; at least one of these tests shall occur in conjunction with scheduled evacuation exercises. All Emergency Notification members should receive a reminder regarding scheduled testing via text message and email at least 24 hours prior to any test.

G. Emergency Notification Participation

Participation in the Emergency Notification System is mandatory for staff, faculty and students, including employees of the UCLA Pre-K to 12 schools on UCLA Campus.

Participation is optional but available for vendors and campus visitors.

Refer to Attachment A, for information regarding how to update information in your Emergency Notification profile.

IV. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Campus Community has the responsibility to register to receive and to follow any instructions provided in Emergency Notifications. The following campus offices and officials have specific responsibilities with respect to the processes set out in this Policy.

RESPONSIBILITY	ACTION
OEM Director or designee	Instigates and coordinates the initial Emergency Notification. Depending on the nature and scope of the event, follow-up communications may be managed by the OEM Director or designee; the UCLA Police Chief or designee; the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS); the University Communications Department (Media Relations) under the coordination of the Vice Chancellor of Strategic Communications; or the Emergency Management Policy Group (EMPG).
Emergency Responders and Campus Units	Advises the OEM Director or designee immediately regarding a Significant Emergency or Dangerous Situation as they occur and provides adequate updates so that timely and accurate Emergency Notifications may be issued.
Faculty and Staff	Responds appropriately to all BruinAlert messages, and when necessary, directs students and others to follow alert instructions.
Deans, Directors and Department Chairs	Ensures faculty and staff within their areas of responsibility have enrolled their mobile devices to receive BruinAlert via text message.
	Reminds department employees they must follow the instructions provided in Emergency Notifications when they are issued.
	Periodically reminds department employees of the available emergency preparedness resources, including training, print publications, online resources, and campus notification systems.
Administrative Officers	Ensures that cell phones issued or partially paid for by the university are enrolled to receive BruinAlert messages by text to SCS.

 

V. FURTHER INFORMATION

Questions and additional information regarding the BruinAlert mass notification system may be obtained at the UCLA Environment, Health and Safety Office of Emergency Management (OEM) website at oem.ucla.edu, or by contacting the office directly by email at uclaoem@ehs.ucla.edu or by calling 310-825-6800.

VI. REFERENCES

1. Office of the President: Policy on Safeguards, Security, and Emergency Management

2. UCOP Report of the University of California Campus Security Task Force (2008)

3. Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or “Clery Act” (20 U.S.C. § 1092(f)), and (34 C.F.R. §668.46.)

4. Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), 34 C.F.R. §668.46

5. Federal Register / Part II, Department of Education (Final Rule), Volume 74, No. 208 (Thursday, October 29, 2009 (official rules & regulations).

6. Department of Education, Negotiated Rulemaking for Title IV institutions (2009).

7. Virginia Tech Report – 05/2010 (Department of Education Post-Incident Review)

8. The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting (2016), U.S. Dept. of Education.

9. President’s Guide to the Clery Act (2012), American Council on Education

VII. ATTACHMENTS