WebEOC Campus Makes Returning to Campus From COVID-19 Less Stressful for Staff and Students
The COVID-19 pandemic is slowly getting under control, and with vaccines now available for many, educators are preparing for the new normal on campus. With the pandemic not yet over, safely opening your doors requires special attention and detail. In our webinar, “Essential Workflows and Capabilities to Manage a Safe Return to Campus,” we hear […]
How to Improve Your Current Emergency Plan
The 2019-2020 school year saw unprecedented disruption in campus activities nationwide and caused many higher education institutions to reevaluate their emergency preparedness. While we all hope that there won’t be a disaster on the same scale as COVID-19 again, the reality is that colleges and universities must be prepared for whatever comes. Emergencies don’t follow […]
5 Best Practices and Recommendations for Preparing for an Active Shooter
In 2020, the United States saw a 47 percent increase in mass shootings with a record-breaking 611 critical events and 513 deaths. These figures—both tragic and alarming—represent a growing trend in violence and a call for organizations and educational institutions to heighten protection and response strategies. The lamentable truth today is that violence threatens every […]
Higher Education institutions can’t afford insufficient emergency management processes
The number of major events in 2020 has caused many organizations to step back and reassess how they can more effectively perform emergency preparedness and response activities. This is especially true of college and university campuses as they have been challenged more than ever by the increased variety of health and safety threats. Leadership at […]
How’s your situational awareness? 5 questions to help assess emergency response capabilities
Technology allows people and organizations to be more connected than ever before. However, the ability to connect doesn’t always mean we are connecting in the right ways. Plus, the abundance of information can sometimes be overwhelming and cause us the truly important information to fall through the cracks. The COVID-19 pandemic in particular has, for […]
Reopening higher ed will require greater testing and monitoring capabilities, according to study
Colleges and universities that open campuses for normal operations this Fall will need greater capabilities for large scale testing and tracking, a recent study has shown. For months, higher education institutions have been carefully weighing whether it is feasible to reopen for on-campus classes this Fall, or if they should wait until after the new […]
Federal safety reporting for education extended through end of year
Deadlines for higher education institutions to submit several required safety reports have been extended in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education last week announced the extensions of the required Annual Security Reports (ASRs) and Annual Fire Safety Reports (AFSRs) to the end of the year, but is encouraging institutions to distribute […]
5 important tips for better communication during the reopening process
Emergency managers we surveyed last year overwhelmingly responded that communications was the number one area for improvement in their organization’s critical incident response. That was in late 2019, only a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic brought everything to a grinding halt, with nearly three months of isolation and social distancing, and most organizations continuing […]
Increased June coronavirus cases underscore need for precautions while reopening
Recent reports of coronavirus cases are climbing in a number of states, suggesting that the U.S. is not out of the woods yet in dealing with the pandemic. Many businesses, schools, and other organizations, as they continue reopening activities, are urging the continued use of masks and social distancing to slow the spread of the […]
Finding a method in the mad dash to reopen for normal operations
After months of disrupted, disjointed, or altogether suspended operations, most organizations are champing at the bit to return to work. However, moving too quickly could potentially cause more harm than good if the rush to reopen results in missteps that jeopardize health and safety. In spite of their eagerness to get back to normal, leadership […]