Emergency Notification
Board of Trustee Policy: 5.19
Date: February 2025
Supersedes: December 2019, February 2014
Purpose
This policy is established by Montgomery County Community College in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security and Campus Crime Statistics Act, (the Clery Act) to provide emergency response and notification guidelines for our campuses. The policy applies to all College faculty, staff, students and visitors.
Policy
This policy covers internal electronic mass communications to Montgomery County Community College faculty, staff, and students in emergency circumstances. Emergency notifications are those electronic messages that are intended to inform the community regarding an ongoing emergency. Electronic messages include but are not limited to the following: text, social media, email, website messages and telephone.
Montgomery County Community College must exercise appropriate control over electronic communications in order to properly maintain network performance, limit the number of unsolicited email messages, and prevent desensitization that could inhibit the communication of critical information. As a result, the use of the College’s designated emergency communication system(s) will be limited to emergency notifications and timely warnings, weather-related events, and important time-sensitive announcements (as described below).
The President, or his/her designee, the Vice President of Administrative Services, and the Director of Strategic Communications, are authorized to make any final decisions in cases where this policy does not clearly apply or in cases when the protocol changes as the emergency situation unfolds. Any individual who is deemed in violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action.
Emergency Notification Procedures
Reporting Emergencies
Individuals should report all emergencies by calling the Camps Safety Department.
- At Blue Bell Campus, dial 215-641-6666 from a cell or outside phone or Extension# 6666 from a College Phone
- At Pottstown Campus, dial 610-718-1913 from a cell or outside phone or Extension# 1913 from a College phone.
- For police, fire, or medical emergencies, all faculty, staff, and students are authorized to call 911 (9911 from a college phone) to report the incident. Campus Safety should also be notified in these circumstances.
General Information
Montgomery County Community College offers a free text messaging subscription service for all faculty, staff, and students to receive notification of certain emergencies and timely warnings and strongly encourages subscribing to this important service. Subscribers will receive text messages on any device that accepts text messaging (SMS) through cellular service, such as cell phones, and some wireless PDAs. In addition, there is an option to have messages sent to a personal email address. Click on the link below to register for emergency notifications.
Emergency Text Alerts
It is imperative that contact information is accurate and up to date in order for students and staff to receive some forms of emergency notifications.
Montgomery County Community College faculty, staff, and students are strongly encouraged to activate and maintain regular access to College-provided electronic mail accounts. Montgomery County Community College faculty, staff, and students are expected to access electronic mail to obtain official College communications.
Significant Emergencies
Emergency Notifications are required to immediately notify the campus community of a significant emergency or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to the health of safety of students or employees occurring on campus. An “immediate” threat as used here encompasses an imminent or impending threat.
Examples of significant emergencies when an Emergency Notification may be issued:
- Approaching weather such as a tornado, flood or hurricane
- Earthquake
- Gas leak
- Terrorist incident
- Armed intruder
- Bomb threat
- Civil Unrest
- Explosion
- Outbreak of meningitis, norovirus or other serious illness
Initial emergency communications will be sent immediately and will convey only the most critical information. Whenever possible, details will be carried on the college’s website, which will be updated as circumstances dictate.
Communication Methods
The Montgomery County Community College Emergency Notification System allows the College to contact the members of the College community in the event of an emergency by employing any of the following techniques:
- Text message
- Social messaging networks
- Video monitors
- College website
- Audible signals and loudspeaker systems from some of our campus buildings
- College Marquee
- TV and radio media
- Person-to-person communications
The actual method(s) of communication used will based on the particular emergency.
Post Emergency Communication
The College will issue a message to convey the College’s return to normal operations to all faculty, staff and students via College assigned email accounts, the MCCC homepage, and text message via MCCC text-messaging subscribers.
Authorized Users
Authorized users of the emergency notification system are:
- The Director of Strategic Communications
- The Public Relations & Communications Manager
- The Chief Information Officer
- The Senior Director of Campus Safety
- The Campus Safety Supervisor
Other users may be temporarily designated by these authorized users as required in an emergency.
Annual Testing
The emergency notification system will be tested annually. Procedures will be publicized in conjunction with the annual test. Additional testing may be conducted as part of drills and exercises, or as necessary.