11/01/2021
By Richard Wood

The UMass Lowell Office of Life Safety & Emergency Management will be conducting a test of the UMass Lowell Emergency Alerts System on Thursday, Nov. 4 around 9:30 a.m. Most of you are aware we currently can send text and emails messages via our UML Alerts notification system. We continue to expand and enhance our tools to increase our ability to notify and instruct our campus community in the event of an emergency affecting campus.

In addition to text, email and uml.edu website alerts, some of the features to be utilized during this test are:

RAVE GUARDIAN
Campus community members are encouraged to download the free Rave Guardian App to their phone to utilize enhanced features such as direct push messaging of emergency information, the popular safety timer feature, quick access to emergency information and safety content.

TWITTER
Our emergency notification system includes the capability to push automatic emergency messages directly to twitter @UMLAlerts. If you’re on Twitter, please consider following us.

DESKTOP CAPTURE
This feature allows our Emergency Management team and UMass Lowell Police to send emergency messages direct to computer screens (if machine is powered on) at the same time as voice, text and email messages. This feature is reserved for emergencies with immediate action required on the part of our community members. Once the message is read, the user can click the “Acknowledge” button at the bottom of their screen to hide the message. If you do not normally reboot your machine, please do so prior to the test to ensure the software is fully installed on your machine.

IN-BUILDING VOICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Additionally, we have expanded our interface between our Emergency Alert Notification system and some of our building voice emergency systems, allowing us to make verbal emergency announcements. This technology is currently installed in more than 20 UMass Lowell buildings with more slated to be added this fiscal year. When this alerting component is activated, the speakers of the buildings fire alarm system open and allow us to broadcast a brief Emergency Alert tone followed by verbal instructions. In addition, in buildings equipped with yellow strobe lights, those lights will flash upon activation of the system. This alert tone and message will continue to repeat until it is cancelled, or a pre-set time has passed.

EXTERIOR VOICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
We will also be testing the interface between our Emergency Alert Notification system and some of the Emergency Blue Phones at various locations around campus. During this test the blue lights will flash, and a voice announcement will be heard in the area emanating from the speakers atop the Emergency Blue phones at these locations.

All questions regarding this planned test or expanded features should be directed to Richard Wood, Executive Director of the Office of Life Safety and Emergency Management, at ext. 4-2583.