Emergency Notification

Immediate Risk and Imminent Danger

The institution will immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the safety of the people on campus.

 

Who Confirms and Issues Notifications

The Chief of the DePauw Police Department or their designee will:

• Gather information and confirm that an emergency or dangerous situation is an imminent threat to the safety of the DePauw community.

• Consult additional resources if needed.

• Depending on the situation, may initiate a call-out of the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT).

If the CIMT team is convened:

• Members of the team will promptly create the appropriate message(s) to alert and instruct the campus community.

If the CIMT team is not convened:

• The Chief of the Police Department or their designee will create the appropriate message(s).

 

Message Content and Safety Considerations

The content of notification messages will take into account the safety of the community, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of campus authorities, compromise efforts to:

• Assist a victim, or

• Contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

The Putnam County Emergency Operations Center will assist with issuing any weather-related emergency information, such as declarations of Tornado Warnings by the National Weather Service.

 

What May Initiate an Emergency Notification

Emergency Notifications will be sent to the community when an imminent threat is perceived. Instances may include:

• Severe weather

• Earthquake

• Gas leak

• Terrorist incident

• Armed intruder

• Bomb threat

• Rioting

• Explosion

• Nearby chemical or hazardous waste spill

• Public health emergencies

 

How Emergency Notifications Are Sent

Multiple modes of communication will be utilized, including:

• SMS text messages via RAVE Alert

• Campus e-mail

• University website

• Calling trees

• Campus radio and television stations (when operable)

In the event of an approaching tornado:

• The Putnam County 911 Center will activate a warning siren and send an SMS text message from the County Emergency Operations Center.

All students are required to provide an emergency telephone number and cellular carrier upon enrollment to facilitate delivery of emergency notifications.
Employees with information in ADP will automatically be imported into the RAVE Alert text messaging system.

 

Additional Communication Channels

Communication is also used to alert and disseminate emergency information to:

• Local authorities

• The surrounding community

• Parents

• Other campus constituents

This includes:

• Calling trees

• E-mail distribution lists

• RAVE Alert subscribers

• The University website

 

System Testing

Alert system tests are scheduled at least once each academic year and will be announced in advance.