Alert Carolina Emergency Notification System Policy

University Policy

Title

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Policy on the Alert Carolina Emergency Notification System

Introduction

Purpose

The Alert Carolina Emergency Notification System ("Alert Carolina") is a complex multi-modal system the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ("UNC-Chapel Hill" or "University") uses to communicate important safety information to the campus community. While the system is primarily intended to disseminate information about emergencies on campus that present an imminent danger to the health and/or safety of individuals on campus, it is also used to communicate important information about other safety-related topics such as changes to the University's operating condition, severe weather conditions, notable crimes on/near campus, and other safety hazards impacting campus.

This policy provides a framework for Alert Carolina that guides the actions of the University employees who issue messages and provides the community with an expectation of how and when they can expect to receive messages.

Scope

As Alert Carolina impacts every member of the University community, this policy applies to all students, faculty, and staff and should be used to provide each member with a general understanding of Alert Carolina and how they will receive official information during an emergency.

Additionally, specific members of the University Units who have responsibilities that support Alert Carolina are expected to be familiar with this and any related University procedures, as outlined in those documents. This includes pre-identified positions within the UNC Police Department; the Department of Environment, Health and Safety; University Communications; University Compliance Office; and Information Technology Services. As the unit charged with the primary administration of Alert Carolina, all members of the Office of Emergency Management and Planning are expected to be familiar with this policy.

At all times in this policy, reference to any position at the University should be understood, in the absence of the referenced individual, to include designees.

Policy

Policy Statement

The University will use Alert Carolina as the principal method of communicating information about threats to personal safety or other emergencies that may affect the safety and welfare of students, faculty, and staff, as well as campus operations. This includes situations that present an immediate threat to health and/or safety on campus, situations that require a change in the University's operating condition, and Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act ("Clery Act") or other notable crimes.

The University will use the following principles to guide both the future of the Alert Carolina program and the use of the system itself:

• Inform students, faculty, and staff
  The University will use Alert Carolina to provide confirmed facts from emergency responders and instructions for protective actions.
• Provide time-sensitive, accurate, and regular updates
  The University will use Alert Carolina to issue notifications in a manner that is time-sensitive and appropriate. This includes issuing updates to Emergency messages as information is made available and issuing Clery Act notifications in a timely manner.
• Use simple and direct messages
  The University will use Alert Carolina to deliver critical information and expert-recommended actions to the community. Messages will not contain speculation, must consider legal and privacy/confidentiality concerns, and must not impact ongoing response operations (either by Law Enforcement or other groups).
• Affirm the University's commitment to the safety of the campus community
  The University will use Alert Carolina as a part of a good-faith effort to keep the campus community apprised of safety concerns on campus. Not all information obtained by the University may be shared with the community, and the University may have the need to make requests of the community without providing a complete picture of the unfolding situation. Alert Carolina will be the University's principal tool for sharing campus safety information as it becomes permissible.

The decision to issue an Alert Carolina message, and what information to include, must take into account various laws and regulations. This decision must be made in a professional and ethical manner that balances the University's duty to promote a safe environment with the privacy rights held by UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, staff, students, and guests.

Alert Carolina Message Types

Every Alert Carolina message must fit under one of the four categories of Alert Carolina messages, also known as 'Message Types': Emergency Warning, Crime Alert, Adverse Conditions, and Informational. Whenever possible, a 'Message Label' will be applied to each message. Message Labels are additional identifiers that are assigned to specific Message Types to provide additional context to the message. The sections below provide the framework for each Message Type.

Emergency Warning

Emergency Warning messages will be issued when a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students, faculty, staff, or visitors on campus is confirmed. The University will maintain a manner of providing near-instantaneous dissemination of general, pre-scripted Alert Carolina Emergency Warning messages to the campus community on a 24/7/365 basis at the direction of the pre-identified Activating Authorities.

If, in the professional judgment of the Activating Authorities of the responsible unit, issuing an Emergency Warning would compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency, the message may be delayed. In those cases, once the potentially compromising situation has been addressed, the emergency notification will be issued immediately if the threat to campus is still ongoing. If the threat to campus has been resolved or mitigated, an Alert Carolina message may be issued using another Message Type.

Emergency Warning messages are only issued for situations which present an active and ongoing threat to the campus and its community. The issuance of an Emergency Warning message automatically initiates significant response and coordination activities across the University and may serve as a trigger for the activation of the University's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

From the issuance of the initial Emergency Warning message until the issuance of an Emergency Warning: All Clear message, the University will operate under the framework of Emergency Coordination, as established in the University Emergency Management Policy and other supporting documents and plans.

Emergency Warning messages are the only Alert Carolina messages that utilize the Outdoor Emergency Sirens, Alertus Beacons, and Alertus Desktop Clients. They also utilize all other communication tools.

Initial Emergency Warning messages will include general instructions or recommended actions. These instructions/actions are intended to help influence the recipients' actions during the emergency but are not intended to outweigh the directions of emergency personnel on scene or the recipients' personal evaluation of the immediate situation. Always use best judgment and follow the directions of Law Enforcement, Fire, Emergency Medical Service, and other emergency personnel during an emergency.

There are six pre-identified Message Labels for Emergency Warning messages:

A. Armed/Dangerous Person

Emergency Warning: Armed/Dangerous Person messages are issued at the discretion of UNC Police during active assailant-type incidents on, or in the immediate vicinity of, campus. Active assailant-type incidents can include brandishing of a deadly weapon in a threatening manner, assault with a deadly weapon, and vehicular assault. Emergency Warning: Armed/Dangerous Person messages will only be sent when UNC Police has reason to believe that there may be an ongoing threat to campus due to any number of factors, including multiple reports of an active threat or Police Officer confirmation of an active threat. UNC Police may also issue this message if they have reason to believe that an active threat has occurred and are unable to sufficiently conclude that the threat has ended.

When an Emergency Warning: Armed/Dangerous Person message is issued, students, faculty, and staff are advised to Secure-in-Place and to Run-Hide-Fight/Defend, depending on their individual circumstances.

The University may not always be able to immediately provide complete information to the community and will use Alert Carolina to issue verified information to the community, to the extent that releasing information will not hinder the Campus Safety response to the incident or cause further harm to any victim(s) and/or their family members.

B. Tornado Warning

Emergency Warning: Tornado Warning messages are issued at the direction of UNC Police or the Office of Emergency Management and Planning when the National Weather Service's Weather Forecasting Office in Raleigh has issued a Tornado Warning that impacts the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.

When an Emergency Warning: Tornado Warning message is issued, students, faculty, and staff are advised to Shelter-In-Place or seek shelter immediately in accordance with the National Weather Service's recommendations.

C. Major Hazmat/Fire Incident

Emergency Warning: Major Hazmat/Fire Incident messages are issued at the discretion of UNC Police or the Department of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) during a significant hazardous material or fire-related incident on campus that will have a significant impact on campus operations and/or safety. For example, an Emergency Warning: Hazmat/Fire message could be sent for a large uncontrolled natural gas leak or a rapidly spreading multi-building fire.

When an Emergency Warning: Major Hazmat/Fire Incident message is issued, go inside, close all exterior doors and windows, and avoid the identified area or any area with a large emergency personnel presence. If no area or instructions are identified in the initial message, a follow-up message will be issued as soon as possible with more information.

D. Update

Emergency Warning: Update messages are issued to provide updates to the campus community during the period between an initial Emergency Warning message with a siren activation and an Emergency Warning: All Clear message. The University will strive to ensure that Emergency Warning: Update messages are sent out routinely until an Emergency Warning: All Clear message is sent out.

Emergency Warning: Update messages will contain new information when available but must only contain verified information that has been approved for release by the Incident Commander, Activating Authority, and/or the Emergency Operations Center Manager, in accordance with the University's Emergency Operations Plan. Information should not be released if it has a reasonable potential to impede the University's response operations or to cause additional harm to any victims or their families.

Emergency Warning: Update messages do not typically include activation of the Outdoor Emergency Sirens. Emergency Warning: Update messages will generally include all other communication channels.

E. All Clear

Emergency Warning: All Clear messages are issued at the discretion of the Incident Commander, Emergency Operations Center Manager, or Activating Authority once the threat to campus has been mitigated or determined to no longer exist. Emergency Warning: All Clear messages are pre-scripted messages that serve to notify the campus that the threat that warranted the issuance of the initial Emergency Warning message is no longer present. Depending on the situation, an Emergency Warning: All Clear message may be followed by an Informational: Update or Adverse Conditions message that provides additional information. Under select circumstances, such as a Tornado Warning that has been downgraded to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, the Emergency Warning: All Clear message may not be issued. Sirens may be deactivated, and the change in hazard status may be communicated through Emergency Warning: Update messages only, per the discretion of the Incident Commander, Emergency Operations Center Manager, or Activating Authority.

F. Alert Carolina Test

Alert Carolina Test messages are tests of Alert Carolina and each of its components, with a particular focus on the aspects of the system that are only used with an Emergency Warning message. Alert Carolina tests are structured to test every aspect of the program, including the process used to issue an Emergency Warning message, the activation of every communication channel used to communicate with the campus community, the initial steps of the Emergency Coordination process, and more. Students, Faculty, and Staff are also strongly encouraged to use these tests to confirm their ability to receive multi-modal emergency notifications, refresh themselves on what to do in an emergency, and to be sure that they have plans in place to communicate with their friends and family during an emergency on campus.

Alert Carolina tests are to be conducted periodically throughout the year and include both daytime and after-hours tests.

Alert Carolina Test messages will not use the phrase 'Emergency Warning' in the Short Message or in the Long Message subject line. The phrase 'Emergency Warning' will only appear in a message when there is an active and ongoing threat to the campus and its community.

Adverse Conditions

The University sends Adverse Conditions messages when circumstances exist that do not represent an immediate threat to health or safety yet require a change in the University's normal operating status. These situations include severe adverse weather incidents, such as snowstorms and hurricanes, as well as major campus utility outages or other situations that would require a change in the University's normal operating status.

Decisions about changes to the University's operating status are made in accordance with the University's and the UNC System's Adverse Weather and Emergency Events Policy. Once a decision has been made, a relevant Activating Authority will order the issuance of an Adverse Conditions message.

Adverse Conditions messages will include the reason for the condition change, the Operating Condition that the University is moving to, the beginning and (when possible) the ending date and time for the condition change, and other information relevant to the circumstances involved. If a condition change is extended or the condition is changed again, an additional Alert Carolina Adverse Conditions message will be issued with the updated condition or timing. If no additional messages are issued, the University will return to its standard operating condition at the time indicated in the most recent message.

There are two primary message labels for Adverse Conditions messages: Critical and Update. Adverse Conditions: Critical messages include a text message. Adverse Conditions: Update messages will be issued to provide additional information about a previously issued Adverse Conditions message and often do not include text messages.

Crime Alert

The University sends Crime Alert messages to notify the campus community of Clery Act crimes in a timely manner in order to enable people to protect themselves and/or their property from similar crimes only under the following conditions:

• There is a serious or continuing threat to the campus community that does not warrant an Emergency Warning;
• Issuing a Crime Alert will not compromise law enforcement efforts to address the crime; AND
• Issuing a Crime Alert will not provide identifying information or otherwise harm any victims of the related crime.

All available information, both public and confidential, will be taken into consideration when determining if a serious or continuing threat exists. Those considerations include, but are not limited to, the relationship between victims and perpetrators, whether an arrest has been made that mitigates the threat, and the amount of time that has passed between the commission of the crime and UNC Police being notified of the crime.

If, in the professional judgment of UNC Police, issuing a Crime Alert would compromise efforts to address the crime, the message may be delayed or information may be limited. Once the potentially compromising situation has been addressed, the Crime Alert will be issued immediately if the serious or continuing threat still exists.

Clery Act crimes include the following:

• Murder and negligent and non-negligent manslaughter;
• Sex offenses including rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape;
• Robbery;
• Aggravated assault;
• Burglary;
• Motor vehicle theft;
• Arson;
• Hazing;
• Dating and domestic violence;
• Stalking; and
• Hate crimes (including any of the above offenses, as well as any incidents of larceny/theft, simple assault, intimidation or destruction/damage/vandalism of property that were motivated by bias).

In addition, the University may issue a Crime Alert in other circumstances that do not represent an immediate threat to health or safety, yet action may enable people to protect themselves and/or their property. Circumstances may include, but are not limited to, civil disorder or a bomb threat.

A Crime Alert will typically include the following, unless issuing any of this information would risk compromising law enforcement efforts or cause harm to a victim:

• Date and time or timeframe of the incident;
• Incident location;
• A brief description of the incident;
• Information that will promote safety and potentially aid in the prevention of similar crimes (crime prevention or safety tips);
• Suspect description(s) when deemed appropriate and if there is sufficient detail;
• Police agency contact information; and
• Other information as deemed appropriate by the Activating Authority.

There are 2 primary message labels for Crime Alerts: Urgent and Update. Crime Alert: Urgent messages are issued at the discretion of UNC Police based on the severity of the crime, urgency of protective actions, or other similar factors. Crime Alert: Urgent messages include a text message. Crime Alert: Update messages are issued to provide additional information about previously issued Crime Alerts, such as updated locations or information about an arrest. Crime Alert: Update messages most frequently do not include a text message.

Informational

The University will issue Informational messages during situations that are not an emergency and do not pose an immediate threat to the campus community but do present an ongoing campus safety-related interest. The most frequent examples of these situations are imminent adverse weather not resulting in a Tornado Warning or condition change.

There is one primary message label for Informational messages: Update. Informational: Update messages will be issued to provide updated information about previously issued Informational messages.

Issuing Alert Carolina Messages

The University has pre-identified twelve (12) staff positions within UNC Police, Environment, Health and Safety, and Emergency Management and Planning that are authorized to order that an Alert Carolina message be issued. These individuals are referred to as Activating Authorities.

These positions are:

• UNC Police
  • Chief of Police
  • All Police Captains (3)
• Environment, Health and Safety
  • Executive Director of Environment, Health and Safety
  • Fire Safety and Emergency Response Manager
  • Workplace Safety Manager
  • Radiation Safety Officer/Manager
• Emergency Management and Planning
  • Director of Emergency Management and Planning
  • Emergency Management Coordinator
  • Emergency Management Planner
  • Continuity and Resiliency Planner

This authorization and responsibility is delegated to these positions, in accordance with the University's Emergency Operations Plan, from the Chancellor through the Chancellor's Chief of Staff and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Risk Management. The Chancellor, the Chancellor's Chief of Staff, and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus Safety and Risk Management may order an activation of Alert Carolina through any of the above twelve positions. If the Chief of Police and UNC Police Captains are absent, unavailable, or engaged in incident response, the ranking officer on shift may act as an Activating Authority.

While each of these twelve positions is authorized to activate Alert Carolina for any of the message types assigned to their department, the department head may establish additional internal parameters and/or procedures for authorized members of their department. These parameters and procedures may not contradict or supersede those expressed in this Procedure or the Alert Carolina Policy.

Each department is responsible for issuing certain Alert Carolina Message Types/Message Labels. UNC Police is authorized to issue any Alert Carolina Message Type/Label. EHS and EMP are only authorized to issue the Alert Carolina Message Types/Labels that they are responsible for. Departments may share responsibility for various Message Types/Labels, either in whole or in part based on departmental responsibilities. The table below identifies the current Message Types/Labels and the responsible department.

Once the decision to issue a message has been made, the Activating Authority will, for Adverse Conditions, Crime Alert, and Informational messages, initiate the message drafting process. Once the message has been drafted and approved, the Office of Emergency Management and Planning will issue the Alert Carolina message. For an Emergency Warning message, once the Activating Authority has confirmed that a significant emergency or dangerous situation is occurring, they will order that a pre-drafted message matching the general situation be issued immediately. The University will then issue routine follow-up messages until the situation is resolved. Not all follow-up messages will contain new information, and new information should only be released as approved by the responsible Campus Safety Unit.

Receiving Alert Carolina Messages

The official method of communicating Alert Carolina messages is via University email. All individuals issued Onyen accounts are automatically enrolled in Alert Carolina emails and may not unsubscribe from emails. All Alert Carolina messages are also posted publicly to the Alert Carolina website. An archive of historic messages and more information about Alert Carolina is also available on the Alert Carolina website.

The University utilizes a variety of additional tools to issue Alert Carolina messages to the campus community with the aim of making each message more accessible to individual members.

Individuals with an Onyen can subscribe to text message (SMS) notifications through the Onyen services website. UNC System Policy requires that all enrolled students and active permanent employees provide a current mobile phone number to receive text messages. The University encourages all students, faculty, and staff to submit a current mobile phone number. The University will not use this information for any purpose other than to issue Alert Carolina messages via text message.

Additional options for receiving Alert Carolina messages include social media and the Carolina Ready Safety App. Alert Carolina messages will be posted to the @AlertCarolina, @UNC, and @UNCPolice X accounts and the UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Police Facebook pages. All Alert Carolina messages will also be sent as push notifications through the Carolina Ready Safety App. The app is available for download in both the Apple and Android app stores.

The University also utilizes several infrastructure-based communication tools to provide information/notification to the campus. These include the Outdoor Emergency Sirens (Emergency Warning messages only), Digital Signage on Campus, University Website Banners, Alertus Beacons, and Alertus Desktop Clients.

Roles and Responsibilities

All units with responsibilities in the Alert Carolina System (including UNC Police, UNC 911, Information and Technology Services: Operations, the Office of Emergency Management and Planning, University Communications and Marketing, and Environment, Health and Safety) must ensure there are staff available to fulfill all assigned roles in the operation of the Alert Carolina System at all times.

System Operators must:

• Be trained in the operation of the system aspects to which they are assigned
• Maintain awareness of the current Activating Authorities
• Maintain awareness and understanding of the current Alert Carolina Policy and supporting documents

Activating Authorities must:

• Be authorized and trained to evaluate situations relevant to their unit and determine if an Alert Carolina message is appropriate
• Be authorized to order an Alert Carolina activation by their unit head
• Be trained on the process for ordering an Alert Carolina activation

Message Approvers must:

• Be authorized to sign off on drafted messages relevant to their unit
• Be trained to access and review message drafts

Definitions

Emergency Notification System: A multi-modal communication process designed to deliver acute hazard information to the campus community and enable individuals to take timely action to reduce their risk.

Campus Safety Unit: One of several units housed under the UNC Campus Safety division, including Emergency Management and Planning, Environment, Health and Safety, and UNC Police.

Related Requirements

External Regulations

• Jeanne Clery Act
• UNC System Regulation 1300.7.3[R]
• UNC System Adverse Weather and Emergency Events Policy

University Policies, Standards, and Procedures

• Emergency Management Policy