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Emergency Preparedness Goes Mobile at Providence College

This fall, students, faculty and staff at Rhode Island's Providence College will receive real-time emergency plans and procedures via mobile device thanks to In Case of Crisis, an emergency preparedness app from Irving Burton Associates. The mobile emergency response and business continuity solution allows organizations to publish emergency information via an online portal accessible on Apple, Android and Amazon Kindle mobile devices.

"We needed a mobile app to help instruct our community about crisis situations, e.g., fire, weather, personal emergencies, including our on and off-campus students," said Koren Kanadanian, director of emergency management at the Catholic liberal arts institution, in a press release. "Previously, we relied on flip charts, department meetings and printed materials for emergency preparedness. These methods were limited, as materials were often lost or outdated and it was difficult to share plans and procedures easily with students."

The mobile app will provide step-by-step guidance on what to do in cases of fire, severe weather and other emergencies. An incident reporting feature will allow the campus community communicate information quickly and provide an anonymous way for students to ask questions or seek help. Other features include instructional and building diagrams, one-tap key contact calling, push notifications for updates/alerts and a library of 85 possible emergency event scenarios with templates and images.

The college also plans to integrate the mobile app with parts of its Providence College CARE Student Network, a program that helps faculty and staff provide support, counseling and other services to distressed students.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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