Each month, emergency managers find new tools available in the market that can keep their student and faculty populations safe – tools like cloud-based safety platform CrisisManager, made by SchoolDude, which works with more than 6,000 institutions. And the company's CrisisManager platform enables faculty to reach people quickly during emergencies, instantaneously relaying varying instructions to emergency responders, faculty, parents and students.
On March 15, the company hosted a three-day event called SchoolDude University East in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where security experts gathered and shared knowledge about incidents ranging from harsh weather to school shootings. In preparing for the event, the company highlighted four best practices that emergency managers in education should be aware of.
- Make safety plans available on smartphones.
- Train people how to handle emergencies.
- Customize mobile-enabled safety plans based on each population’s role. Permissions should be set so that each group receives only the information they need.
- Communicate mobile plans so everyone knows what resources are available and that they can receive text alerts and push notifications.
The University of Miami doesn’t use an app specifically designed for emergencies, Burnotes explained, but emergency plan information is included in the school’s all-in-one app, which has the benefit of reaching more students.
“The university’s app has way more downloads than we could ever get if we just created our own app,” he said.
And while a move to digital technology provides many benefits, it shouldn’t be thought of as a panacea, Burnotes said, because many of the same barriers and challenges for emergency managers remain with new technology. For instance, he said, reaching and educating an audience is still a crucial step, because an emergency app is useless if people either don’t download it or don't know how to use it. It’s also important to ensure that the technology is robust and that people can access the information they need, even when the Internet, cell towers or other technology fails, he added.
“To successfully implement something like what they’re talking about, like an app or even a paper copy, you need leadership support and you need participation of the end users of that product,” Burnotes said. “I think that’s one of the biggest challenges of these products.”