{"683993":{"#nid":"683993","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Guide to Emergency Preparedness at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe first week of each semester is a time for new students, faculty, and staff to familiarize themselves with the landmark buildings, classrooms, and dining spaces on campus, but it\u2019s also an opportunity to identify the alerts, policies, and protocols issued by the Georgia Tech Office of Emergency Management (OEM).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS)\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/gtens\u0022\u003EGTENS\u003C\/a\u003E is a system used to share important information with the Georgia Tech community immediately. All students, faculty, and staff are automatically enrolled in email alerts, but are also encouraged to opt in to text and phone call alerts via \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/passport.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Epassport.gatech.edu\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E. GTENS alerts come in two forms:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGTENS Emergency! \u003C\/strong\u003E\u2013 This alert indicates an imminent threat to campus, i.e., natural disasters or an active shooter, requiring immediate action.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese are the most prominent alerts we send out,\u201d OEM Director William Smith said. An initial alert will instruct community members to shelter in place or evacuate, if necessary, but communication does not end at that point. During an emergency, OEM will continuously send out updated information as it becomes available. When the situation is resolved, OEM will issue a \u201cGTENS All Clear\u201d notification.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGTENS Inform\u003C\/strong\u003E \u2013 These alerts do not require immediate action but are meant to inform the community that the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) and OEM are monitoring a situation on or near campus. Inform messages were developed in 2023 to issue a unified and reassuring message that a situation is being actively monitored by authorities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShould the situation escalate to become a threat to campus, a GTENS Emergency! notification will be sent out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EClery Act Safety Alert \u2013\u003C\/strong\u003E Issued by GTPD, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/police.gatech.edu\/timely-warnings-clery-act-safety-alerts\u0022\u003Ethis alert\u003C\/a\u003E notifies the campus community of a crime that has taken place on or around campus. Alerts are typically issued if the perpetrator has not been apprehended. While not indicating an immediate threat to the entire campus, the alerts allow the community to stay informed and protect themselves from similar incidents, i.e., robberies or assaults.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGuardians of students who attend Georgia Tech can opt in to GTENS by texting GTPARENT to 67283.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EA Plan in Place\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf the phases of emergency management \u2014 preparedness, planning, response, and recovery \u2014 the OEM team spends most of its time on preparedness and planning to ensure campus partners are ready to respond at a moment\u2019s notice, armed with the necessary resources. OEM works directly with building managers to develop emergency response plans, known as redbooks, for each of the 236 buildings on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese plans provide specific details for each building, such as lab spaces that may require additional response efforts to contain unique biohazards. All plans offer a detailed map of the building to assist with shelter, evacuation, and first responder access. Building managers and occupants can request a meeting with OEM to review policies and procedures and ask questions in a session titled Emergency Preparedness 101.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo view the redbook for any building on campus, employees can use their Georgia Tech login and search the database \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/redbook.gatech.edu\/app\/home\u0022\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E. Students interested in reading the plan can contact the building manager for assistance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EIt\u2019s All in the App\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlong with the building-specific plans, OEM offers general guidance and reporting procedures for emergency scenarios on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/active-shooter\u0022\u003EActive Shooter\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/fire\u0022\u003EFire\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/hazmat\u0022\u003EHazardous Materials\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/medical-emergency\u0022\u003EMedical Emergency\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/suspicious-package\u0022\u003ESuspicious Package\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/weather-hazards\u0022\u003EWeather\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll Institute emergency procedures can be found in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/prepare.gatech.edu\/livesafe-app\u0022\u003ELiveSafe App\u003C\/a\u003E, along with other resources like campus maps, health and well-being services, and various ways to connect with GTPD. The app allows community members to access emergency policies from anywhere on campus and message or call GTPD. Messages can include photos, videos, and audio, along with a written message, which can be sent anonymously.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOEM highly recommends familiarizing yourself with the campus and surrounding area so that, in case of an emergency, you can provide as much information as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EModified Operations\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the case of severe weather, safety concerns, or other interruptions to campus operations, a GTENS Inform message may alert the community to a shift to modified operations and\/or digital learning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.policylibrary.gatech.edu\/employment\/hazardous-weatheremergency-conditions-plan\u0022\u003EModified Operations\u003C\/a\u003E: The modified operations policy refers to \u201ctemporary changes to Georgia Tech teaching, learning, research, and business operations in response to a threat of an emergency, ongoing emergency, or any other interruption that requires Institute-level action. In extreme cases, modified operations can include up to the cancellation or temporary suspension of all in-person and digital instruction.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/policylibrary.gatech.edu\/academic-affairs\/digital-learning-days-modified-campus-operations\u0022\u003EDigital Learning Days\u003C\/a\u003E: For courses typically taught in person, a digital learning day is a day of instruction leveraging online delivery (either synchronous or asynchronous) due to the modification of campus operations.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe weather is often the cause of a shift in campus operations. When forecasts indicate potential impact to campus, OEM begins sending situational awareness emails to units to indicate how they may be affected and narrow the scope of the information shared by the National Weather Service. OEM communications inform the executive leadership team\u2019s decisions when shifting campus operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EKeeping Campus Running\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContinuity planning is another key aspect of the OEM\u2019s role. When an emergency affects campus life, such as the chilled water outage in 2024, OEM works with units to minimize disruptions. Communication is critical to managing a situation, but to be effective, it must begin before an emergency occurs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELaura Gustavson, OEM\u2019s assistant director, works with the 136 units on campus to develop continuity of operation (COOP) plans that can be enacted quickly. Certain actions must be taken in the early stages of an emergency, so the team prioritizes relationship building to cultivate a responsive and engaged network on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe relationship building that happened before the outage was critical during that specific incident because when those phone calls started happening, we were not introducing ourselves,\u201d Gustavson said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOEM arranges COOP training sessions for individual units, where they work through a hypothetical scenario to test response efforts and coordination.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch4\u003EThe Team Behind the Alerts\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmith, Gustavson, and coordinator Gabbie Masinko make up the OEM team charged with preparing the Georgia Tech community to respond to and recover from all hazards. While each member of the team plays a different role, they all feel the same responsibility to keep people safe.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESmith, a Marine Corps veteran and 2001 Tech alumnus in international affairs, never knew he\u2019d work in emergency management, but he says, \u201cI knew this type of service is in my DNA.\u201d His grandfather was a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, and his father worked for Florida Power, routinely dealing with power losses after storms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGustavson has always been fascinated by the field. A trip to her hometown EMA office sparked the curiosity that eventually led her to pursue a career in emergency management. Masinko is responsible for emergency planning and supports day-to-day activities for the Office of Emergency Management. She began at Georgia Tech after starting her career as a broadcast meteorologist in Louisiana.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe trio is constantly in communication with each other and often studies previous emergencies \u2014 at Tech and around the world \u2014 to learn what can be done better the next time, because, as Smith says, \u201cYou\u2019re always a phone call or a text away from dropping everything\u201d and putting plans into action.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Whether you\u2019re new to campus or need a refresher, this is your guide to Georgia Tech alerts and policies.\u00a0 "}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhether you\u2019re new to campus or need a refresher, this is your guide to Georgia Tech alerts and policies.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Whether you\u2019re new to campus or need a refresher, this is your guide to Georgia Tech alerts and policies.\u00a0 "}],"uid":"36418","created_gmt":"2025-08-20 16:39:38","changed_gmt":"2025-08-20 17:32:47","author":"sgagliano3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-08-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677749":{"id":"677749","type":"image","title":"Emergency Sign","body":null,"created":"1755708987","gmt_created":"2025-08-20 16:56:27","changed":"1755708987","gmt_changed":"2025-08-20 16:56:27","alt":"Emergency Call Box","file":{"fid":"261684","name":"IMG_8443.JPG","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/20\/IMG_8443.JPG","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/08\/20\/IMG_8443.JPG","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3513521,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/08\/20\/IMG_8443.JPG?itok=b9oR1X2A"}}},"media_ids":["677749"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187397","name":"Emergency management and Communication"},{"id":"4470","name":"Office of Emergency Preparedness"},{"id":"2543","name":"GTPD"},{"id":"3390","name":"Georgia Tech Police Department"},{"id":"1219","name":"GTENS"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:steven.gagliano@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESteven Gagliano\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["steven.gagliano@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}