Students urged to update info for emergency test

UC Davis is urging students to register or update their personal contact information in advance of a Nov. 4 test of the UC Davis emergency alert service.

Called UC Davis WarnMe, the service provides students and employees with timely information and instructions in major emergencies or other urgent situations that may affect their well-being. But to reach them, the system needs up-to-date contact information.

“It’s a system that we can use to notify employees and students of any event that is life-threatening or of significant importance to the campus,” said Valerie Lucus-McEwen, manager for emergency services at UC Davis.

On Nov. 4, UC Davis will send a text or e-mail test message to each of the more than 65,000 contacts registered with the service.

The university tests the notification service at least once a year to help ensure it will operate properly in an emergency and to help students and employees become familiar with it.

Part of comprehensive program

UC Davis WarnMe is part of a comprehensive program for managing emergencies and complements other communication methods, Lucus-McEwen said. For example, it may also direct recipients to visit the university home page or tune to KFBK 1530 AM radio in Sacramento for more information or updates.

UC Davis introduced the emergency notification service in 2008, shortly after the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008 highlighted the need for campuses to quickly alert their students and employees about emergencies such as natural disasters and acts of violence.

UC Davis WarnMe uses students’ official UC Davis e-mail addresses and personal contact information to send messages. When students sign up for classes each quarter, the registration system prompts them to check their contact information. At any time, students can log in at warnme.ucdavis.edu to enter or update their information. This personal information is not published in the university’s online directory.

More on emergency communications

UC Davis WarnMe is designed to provide life-saving information, so the university reserves the service to reach those who might be in harm's way. Parents and others can get emergency information on the UC Davis home page or by calling the campus Emergency Status Line at (530) 752-4000.

More information about campus safety and how the university communicates during emergencies is available at http://emergency.ucdavis.edu/. On that website is a downloadable brochure: “Emergency Communication: Be Prepared to Play Your Part.”