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Emergency Communications

There are several ways our department communicates important information to students, staff, and faculty.

Omnilert (EWU Alerts)

Omnilert messaging is used to communicate emergency notifications to students, employees and other subscribers. The notifications are distributed via text messages and e-mail, as well as the EWU Emergency Information web page, banners on EWU’s web pages, Twitter and via desktop in instructional classrooms .

Emergency notifications are sent upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees. Examples of a significant emergency include, but are not limited to, an approaching wildfire, fire in a building, outbreak of a serious contagious illness, extreme weather conditions, earthquakes, gas leaks, terrorist incidents, armed intruders, bomb threat, rioting, explosions or hazardous waste spills.  The Director of Public Safety will create and disseminate the emergency message using available information on a case-by-case basis and will generate the alerts, and updates will be sent to ensure current information is provided to the community.

All students and employees are automatically subscribed to Omnilert messaging; parents, community members and the general public can sign up for Omnilert via the EWU Alerts link above.

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Timely Warnings

Time Warnings and Public Safety Advisories are issued when a crime is reported on campus, and that constitutes a serious or ongoing threat to the campus community. The decision to issue a timely warning is decided on a case-by-case basis, in light of the facts surrounding a crime, including factors such as the nature of a crime, continuing danger to the campus community and the possible risk of compromising possible law enforcement efforts.

Timely warnings are emailed to all active students and employees, using their official EWU email address.  Timely warnings are also posted on our web page (click on the EWU Timely Warnings link above), and may be communicated through the snow line at (509) 359-7669, the EWU Alerts System, @EWUPolice Twitter feed, messages visible on computer screens logged into the University network system, and other electronic communication channels.  Additionally, depending on the circumstances, warnings may be issued through any or all of the following:

• Written notice through inter-campus mail systems
• Classroom announcements by faculty
• Notices posted in University facilities and other public places

Content of a timely warning includes, at a minimum, what the reported offense is, description and name of the suspect (if known), description of what happened, and information that promotes safety and that would aid in prevention of similar crimes.

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Social Media & Websites

Omnilert alerts are also posted to the EWU Police Twitter feed and the the EWU web page banner.  The Twitter account is also used to post other tips and helpful information.

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Emergency Response Procedures

The Emergency Response Procedures are designed as a quick reference to emergency management guidelines for Eastern Washington University. These guidelines are intended to provide a basic procedural framework for responding to an emergency at the university.  The guidelines can be accessed by clicking on the Emergency Response Procedures above.

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Spokane Campus Emergency Response Video