FSU ALERT is Florida State University's emergency notification system. If there is a condition which threatens the health and safety of persons on campus, university officials will warn the campus community using one or more of the following 28 methods:
Primary:
- www.fsu.edu Home Page
- alerts.fsu.edu Alerts Page
- Outdoor Sirens
- Voice Over Fire Alarm
- SMS Text Messages
- Blue-Light Safety Phones
- (850) 644-INFO Hotline
- 530AM Visitor Information Radio
- Voice-mail Message
- Reverse-Dialing
- Computer Network Pop-Up Windows
- NOAA Weather Radios
- RSS Feeds
- Network Login Portals
- Myspace
- Two-way Radios
- Variable Message Boards
- Electronic Card-swipe Door Access
- Seminole Cablevision - Information Channel 19
- Television
- Radio
- Newspaper - Online Newspaper
- Vehicle Public Address Speakers
- Family Connection E-mail List Serve
- FSU Emergency People Locator
Secondary:
FSU ALERT is governed by Florida State University Policy,
OP-G-9.1.3 Emergency Notification and Warning.
PRIMARY:
1. www.fsu.edu Front Page: During an emergency at Florida State University, the main university Web Site, www.fsu.edu, will include prominent links to the Alerts Page. Look for one of the following.
- "Emergency Info" under "Quick Links". (click HERE too see a sample)
- Red FSU ALERT box under News / Events. (Sample)
- Gold FSU ALERT top banner. (Sample)
- Complete override of the Front Page with the Alerts Page.
2. alerts.fsu.edu Alerts Page: Everything points here. This is the official source for the most up to date emergency information and announcements. Within minutes, emergency and administration officials will post details regarding the emergency, protective action recommendations, and official announcements regarding cancellations, closures, etc. This page is available 24/7/365 with the latest information about any potential threats, and links to preparedness information.
3. Outdoor Warning Sirens: FSU has three outdoor warning sirens that cover the Main Campus in Tallahassee. Click HERE to read more about our siren system.
4. Voice over Fire Alarms: Six buildings on campus are now equipped with indoor voice-over-fire-alarm emergency notification. These systems are directly tied to the Outdoor Warning System. As the sirens sound outside, an equivalent message is simultaneously played indoors of these buildings:
- HCB Classroom Building
- Strozier Library
- Dunlap Student Success Center
- Leach Center
- Psychology Building
- Chemistry Building
A limited number of additional buildings on campus, such as the University Center, are equipped with the ability to make voice announcements over the fire alarm system. For isolated emergencies involving just one or two of these buildings, targeted announcements may be made over this system.
5. SMS Text Messages: By registering your cell phone number with the university you will receive emergency text messages alerting you to a current or imminent threat. FSU encourages you to select a unique ringtone on your cell phone for FSU ALERT messages; which will always be sent from the same number - 69310.
- FSU Students: Use Blackboard to register, confirm your registration, or to unsubscribe. Click HERE for details.
- FSU Employees: Use OMNI to register, confirm your registration, or to unsubscribe. Click HERE for details.
- Others: Non-FSUID persons with a legitimate need to receive FSU ALERT Text Messages may APPLY HERE.
6. E-mail: FSU can quickly alert students, faculty, and staff of emergency conditions by sending an e-mail to your official fsu.edu e-mail address. Don't use your FSU e-mail address often? That's OK. Go to the FSUID Web site to enable e-mail forwarding to a different account. Parents and Families may register to receive emergency e-mails from the FSU Family Connection. All other Non-FSUID persons with a legitimate need to receive FSU ALERT e-mails may APPLY HERE.
7. Blue-Light Safety Phones: The same blue light system that allows you to contact FSU Police from approximately 300 locations on campus may also be used to alert you during an emergency. Select phones out of range of the outdoor sirens (Heritage Grove and Innovation Park, for example) may be used to play an emergency recording. Also, as a visual indicator, all the blue strobe lights can be set to blink simultaneously, signifying that an emergency message has been disseminated via text Message, e-mail, or posted on the university Web site.
8. (850) 644-INFO Hotline: Official emergency information may also be accessed by calling (850) 644-4636. Please keep in mind that this recording may take several minutes to update.
9. AM 530 Visitor Information Radio: Available 24 hours a day / 365 days a year, this radio station normally provides useful information about parking and transportation for visitors to campus. During an emergency, it will also be used to provide critical emergency information. Please keep in mind that this recording may take several minutes to update.
10. Voice-mail Message: Voice-mail enabled campus telephones, such as in employee offices, may receive an emergency message in their inbox. Due to limitations with our current system, the 'message waiting' indicator light will not be illuminated.
11. Reverse-Dialing: Commonly referred to as "Reverse-911," the University has limited capability to call telephones with a recorded message. Due to current capacity limits, only key university administrators and visually-impaired students will receive reverse-dialed calls.
12. Computer Network Pop-Up Windows: Technology Enhanced Classrooms and student computer labs administered by the Office of Technology Integration can be targeted with emergency information pop-up windows on the screens of every computer. This feature will soon expand to include other networks on campus as well.
13. NOAA Weather Radios: FSU has nearly 100 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programmable weather radios distributed throughout campus in residence halls and other key central locations. In the event of severe weather, these radios will automatically sound with the appropriate warning message. The radios are maintained by the North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.
14. RSS Feeds: Real Simple Syndication is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, mobile device or any computerized Internet-connected device.
All feeds combined: http://blog.ucs.fsu.edu/safety/feed/
FSU ALERT: http://blog.ucs.fsu.edu/safety/category/fsu-alert/feed/
Crime Bulletins: http://blog.ucs.fsu.edu/safety/category/crime-bulletins/feed/
Safety & Preparedness Information: http://blog.ucs.fsu.edu/safety/category/safety-info/feed/
Weather Notices: http://blog.ucs.fsu.edu/safety/category/weather/feed/
15. Network Login Pages: Two Web sites that most every student, faculty, or staff members visit on a regular basis are BlackBoard and/or OMNI. Emergency information may be posted on the login screens and throughout these Web Sites.
16. Facebook: FSU ALERT also has a presence on the popular social networking website, Facebook. This will provide the over 59,000 Facebook users in the FSU network the opportunity to receive official emergency information. Click HERE to go to the FSU ALERT page on Facebook, and "become a fan" in order to receive notices.
17. Myspace: FSU ALERT also has a presence on the popular social networking website, Myspace. Click HERE to go to the FSU ALERT Myspace profile and "add as a friend".
18. Twitter: FSU ALERT also has a presence on the popular social networking website, Twitter. Click HERE to go to the FSU ALERT Twitter profile and "follow".
SECONDARY:
19. Two-Way Radios: Employees on campus who utilize two-way radios for routine business (for example, Police, Facilities, Housing) will also receive alerts and warnings via their radios from their home office.
20. Variable Message Boards: These are the boards you are used to seeing along the roadside, which alert you to construction ahead. FSU has several of these boards which can be deployed toward campus entrances to notify inbound drivers of any emergency conditions, such as road closures, which may exist.
21. Electronic Card-swipe Door Access: The doors on campus which are electronically controlled with the university's access control system can be locked or unlocked with a push of the button by university officials when deemed necessary. For example, during a Tornado Warning, exterior building doors may be automatically unlocked to allow people to seek shelter inside. Likewise, these doors can be simultaneously locked.
22. Seminole Cablevision - Information Channel 19: FSU Office of Telecommunications operates the campus cable television system, Seminole Cablevision, including all of the on-campus residence halls. Channel 19 is the OTC Information Channel. During an emergency, text messages can be displayed on this channel with additional information.
23. Television: Depending on the nature and severity of the emergency, local television news stations may carry live breaking news or periodic updates regarding an emergency on campus. Their websites may also carry live streaming video, video clips, or text updates.
24. Radio: Depending on the nature and severity of the emergency, local radio news stations may carry live breaking news or periodic updates regarding an emergency on campus. Their websites may also carry live streaming audio, audio clips, or text updates.
25. Newspaper / Online Newspaper: Depending on the nature and severity of the emergency, the local newspaper may post breaking news or periodic updates regarding an emergency on campus on their website.
26. Vehicle Public Address Systems: In cases where an isolated or targeted message may be required, university vehicles equipped with public address speakers (i.e. FSU Police) may be utilized.
27. Family Connection E-mail List Serve: Parents and Family members will be advised of major emergency situations on FSU's Campus via the Family Connection E-mail List Serve managed by the Dean of Students office. Click here to register.
28. FSU Emergency People Locator: Following an emergency, its is common for traditional communication methods such as telephones and mobile telephones to fail or become overwhelmed. The FSU ALERT People Locator web page allows students, faculty, and staff to post their current status and emergency instructions for their family members to look up. Try it now.
