UTSA emergency alert system launches Jan. 30

By Marianne McBride Lewis
Director of Public Affairs

(Jan. 24, 2008)--Reverse 911, a new emergency notification system, will be activated Jan. 30 at the UTSA Tri-campuses. In an emergency, UTSA students, faculty and staff who have registered in the system will be contacted by telephone, text message and e-mail.

More than 90 percent of UTSA students and more than 60 percent of faculty and staff already have registered their emergency contact information via the ASAP information system.

• To register for Reverse 911 notification, log on to ASAP, scroll to "Personal Information" and select "Reverse 911 Emergency Alert Contacts." (If problems occur during registration, e-mail utsapd@utsa.edu.)
• Or, download a Reverse 911 form at the Office of Business Continuity and Emergency Management Web site.

Once the Reverse 911 registration form is completed, individuals will be active participants in the system and will receive a telephone call, e-mail and/or text message in the event of a campus emergency. Messages will include pertinent emergency information and protective actions.

"The safety and security of our students, employees and visitors is of the utmost importance," said UTSA President Ricardo Romo. "This new notification system will greatly enhance our ability to get in touch with the UTSA community as quickly as possible in the event of an emergency. I encourage everyone to provide their emergency alert contact information so UTSA can best establish this robust Reverse 911 communication system."

The UTSA Police Department is pleased that many members of the UTSA community already have registered for Reverse 911. Those who are not registered are encouraged to do so because a 100-percent rate can greatly enhance campus safety.

"This system will be used to contact students and staff -- not their parents or their spouses, but the actual person who lives, works or goes to school here at UTSA," said Donovan Agans, UTSA director of business continuity and emergency management. "Hence Reverse 911 -- instead of you calling 911 for help, we would be calling you with a 911 emergency message."

The Reverse 911 system was selected after an exhaustive search to find the best system for UTSA's needs. In November, San Diego city and county officials used the system to alert citizens to evacuate during the California wildfires. Other universities using Reverse 911 are Michigan State University, University of Connecticut and Yale University.