Blinn Alert is an emergency communications system that is used for contacting students, faculty, and staff. The system is used for emergencies, school closing, or other vital information. It is not used for routine communications.
Alerts can be sent by the following methods:
Alerts will consist of a message explaining the situation and then the alert will ask for confirmation that the message was received. During the Fall and Spring semester, a system wide test will be conducted. This will typically occur within the first three weeks of class.
Students are automatically enrolled in the alert system, while faculty and staff must sign up. In either case it is imperative that the correct emergency contact information is given. For example, students should give their cell number versus their home number as a primary contact. If an alert is issued, and the student is on campus, they will not be immediately aware of the alert.
Students and employees should review all of their entries to make sure the contact information is correct. Mistyped phone or email addresses, will result in missing an alert.
In case of an alert, please read or listen to the entire message. Next, please respond as directed to confirm you received the alert. Again a test is typically given once each semester. Anything else is an important message.
Click here for instructions on how to use the Blinn Alert system.
If an emergency situation exist that threatens or has the potential to threaten the safety of individuals on our campuses, a lockdown will be issued. A lockdown may be issued for an entire campus, a section of a campus, or an individual building. If a lockdown is needed, a Blinn Alert notification will issued. This will give specific information about the lockdown.
If a lockdown occur, the following actions should be taken:
There are situations where remaining outdoors is not safe. Some of these are: severe weather, hazardous material events, or emergency situations. A shelter in place may be issued for an entire campus or a section of a campus. If a shelter in place is needed, a Blinn Alert notification will be issued, giving specific information. A shelter in place is not a lockdown.
If a shelter in place is issued, the following actions should be taken:
There are some situations where a building may need to be evacuated. This may include, fire emergencies, police activity, or other safety related events. No matter what the cause, please remain calm and do the following:
The safety and well-being of all students, employees, and guests are a priority. Anytime anyone sees something that is out of place or suspicious, they are encouraged to report it immediately. Likewise, if anyone sees suspicious activity, they should report it immediately. There are several means of reporting and include:
Bomb Threat/Suspicious Package
Bomb threats may come in different forms. They can be called in, text, email, notes, etc. No matter how the threat comes in, always report it immediately. Call 911 or the campus police. Do not panic or give wide spread warning, that is the job of the emergency officials. If you see a suspicious item or package, do not touch it. Do not use a mobile phone in the immediate area and warn others to stay away. Immediately notify emergency officials.
If you receive a threat on the phone, try to obtain the following: