Emergency notification system performed well during threats

Friday morning’s bomb threats at Clapp and Langley Halls put the University’s Emergency… Friday morning’s bomb threats at Clapp and Langley Halls put the University’s Emergency Notification System to its first real test.

The approximately 7,700 students who were signed up for the service received word of the threats via text message, phone call and e-mail.

“It was very effective for the people who signed up,” Pitt’s director of computing services and systems development Jinx Walton said.

“The key is having people signed up.”

The University is currently working with the office of Student Affairs and attending campus events to persuade more students to sign up for the service.

“The University sees this as an important tool for us to use to communicate,” Walton said. “We do have other tools, but [ENS is] directed toward local devices. It’s more real-time.”

Students who received messages Friday noted the same thing.

“I looked at it right away,” freshman Dan Carr said.

Many students who got messages appreciated the notice, but didn’t let it fluster them.

“It didn’t worry me, but it was good to know that, had it been something more serious, I would have known about it,” junior Michael Susick said.

But what could be more serious than a bomb threat?

Some students said that the problem wasn’t that they don’t take bomb threats seriously, it was just that they don’t think a real bombing could happen here.

“You don’t expect a bomb to actually go off, but it’s good to know that they didn’t take any chances in evacuating,” Susick said.

But other students treated the alerts with more earnestness.

“I took it pretty seriously,” freshman Sandy Williams said. “It’s not something I’m going to take lightly. We’re in a big city.”

Williams’ reaction is the one University officials hope for, because the messages aren’t sent out frequently.

“The University is committed to not overusing it,” Walton said.

She added that the decision to send the notifications is made jointly by the campus police and a university emergency executive.

Pitt police chief Tim Delaney said on Friday that his decision to send out the alert was based on the fact the threat included specific details.

Once the approval was given, the messages went out through students’ phone services.

“The amount of time it took varied because it goes through your carrier,” Walton said.

“Some got it in a half a minute, some in more time.”

Walton added that setting up the program this way increases the chances of students getting the message if something should affect large portions of the city.

“I think the service that the University selected was great because it was through Verizon,” Walton said. “It’s very robust and able to, in case of an emergency, get these messages out.”

Students who signed up for the service didn’t report any problems receiving the alerts, although they did note that they couldn’t access them unless they had their phone or computer with them.

Others simply didn’t sign up for the service.

“I thought about it, but I’m not sure how I feel about it – if it’s really going to help me, I would check it,” freshman Sami Melaragno said.

Since Friday’s threats, approximately 1,500 students have signed up to receive alerts, according to Walton.