WORKING@DUKE
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STICK IT TO THE FLU Dr. George Jackson says one of the best ways to prevent influenza is getting the flu vaccine.
N EWS YO U CA N U S E
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GET FIT
This season’s Eat Wise and Exercise program at Duke begins with an essay contest to win a lifestyle makeover in 2008.
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SUSTAINABLE DUKE
The Duke community is invited to tour Duke’s new Smart Home, an energyefficient residence hall and laboratory.
November 2007
What if it happened here? DUKE’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN ince the shootings at Virginia Tech in April, several Duke committees have been analyzing Duke’s own emergency response policies and procedures, researching best practices at other universities and studying new technology and communications systems. The result: in an emergency, Duke’s staff, faculty and students will get information quickly and in numerous ways. The Duke community will also see enhanced systems to help the campus return to normal operations after an emergency has ended. “This issue has been taken very seriously,” said Kemel Dawkins, vice president of campus services who led the review of Duke’s emergency plans in coordination with President Richard H. Brodhead, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III and other senior leaders. “The university has devoted considerable effort into reviewing our current procedures and identifying best practices at other institutions. Our new plans will significantly improve our preparedness.” One key area where improvements have been made is communications, Dawkins said, noting the recent adoption of a new, university-wide crisis communications plan. A companion emergency management plan that includes coordination with Duke University Health System is in the final stages Kemel Dawkins of review by Brodhead and senior leaders. As part of the new plans, senior officials will invest in new, dedicated computer servers to speed e-mail communications. Duke is purchasing a siren and voice-announcement system to broadcast messages across large areas of campus. A system called eNotify will be used to send email, pager and phone messages to senior campus administrators, who would then be charged with helping to communicate information and activate emergency plans. The university will also expand wireless coverage in residence halls to reduce the chance that students would not receive an emergency message due to limited Internet access. Some ideas are still being considered. For instance, a text-messaging system could be a useful way to notify the Duke community about an emergency, and Dawkins said the university is continuing to investigate options and will likely add other capabilities as technology evolves. “We’re making a significant investment in technology and communications systems to improve what we already have,” Dawkins said. John F. Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, has convened a crisis communications team with representatives from more than a dozen units around the University and Health System. The group has been meeting regularly to review procedures and develop systems for each unit to communicate quickly in an emergency.
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Top: Virginia Tech students sign a book in memory of those killed on the Blacksburg, Va., campus April 17. Photo by Reuters/Chris Keane.
2007 Gold Medal, Internal Periodical Staff Writing 2007 Bronze Medal, Print Internal Audience Tabloids/Newsletters
DUKE’S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
AT A GLANCE • Duke will invest in new, dedicated computer servers to speed e-mail communications. Duke will also purchase a siren and voiceannouncement system to broadcast messages. • A system called eNotify will be used to send e-mail, pager and phone messages to campus administrators, who would then help communicate information and activate emergency plans.
• The university’s wireless coverage will be expanded in residence halls to reduce the chance that students would not receive an emergency message.
• The emergency plan will be tested through regular drills to ensure operations and communications procedures meet the needs of a changing campus.
For more info, visit
www.emergency.duke.edu
>> See EMERGENCY, PAGE 5
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