Applies to:	Original Policy Date:	Date of Last Review	Approved by:
Students, faculty, staff and the general public	09/11/2019	02/26/2024 07/01/2024	Dr. John Nicklow, President

To inform individuals that an emergency condition exists that threatens the campus community’s health and/or safety, and to provide action recommendations.

Policy Owner: Department of Security

Policy Purpose

To inform individuals that an emergency condition exists that threatens the campus community’s health and safety and to provide action recommendations.

Policy Scope

All students, faculty, and staff.

Policy Statement

Upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on campus that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees, the University will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of an Emergency Notification (Rave Alert) and initiate its emergency notification procedures, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgement of the first responders, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency. “Immediate threat” as used here includes an imminent or impending threat. Examples of significant emergencies or dangerous situations may include but are not limited to: an outbreak of meningitis, norovirus, or other serious illness; approaching hurricane or other extreme weather conditions; earthquake; gas leak; terrorist incident; armed intruder; active shooter; bomb threat; civil unrest or rioting; explosion; and chemical or hazardous waste spill.

Procedures/Guidelines

Confirming the Existence of a Significant Emergency or Dangerous Situation and Initiating the Emergency Notification System: The initial and primary responder to emergencies will normally be the Department of Security. It is possible that the initial and primary responder may be different, particularly for incidents such as an outbreak of serious illness; extreme weather conditions; earthquake; gas leak; or chemical or hazardous waste spill. In either situation, the ranking or senior officer/administrator on the scene will quickly assess the situation and notify the Director of Security (or designee), or in their absence, the highest-ranking officer in Florida Tech Department of Security.

The Director (or highest-ranking officer) will take immediate steps to confirm whether the incident constitutes a “significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on the campus that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees,” such that an Emergency Notification (Rave Alert) is warranted. If time permits, the Director (or highest-ranking officer) may consult with other senior administrators at the University. If the consultation would result in a significant delay in disseminating the information, the Department of Security will send alerts on its own initiative, using predetermined templates.

Determining the Appropriate Segment or Segments of the Campus Community to Receive an Emergency Notification: The appropriate segment or segments of the university community will receive a notification and that will be determined by the information available at the time. The Director of Security (or designee), together with Vice President for External Affairs and Strategic Advisor to the President, will continually evaluate the situation and assess the need to notify additional segments of the campus population.

Determining the Contents of the Emergency Notification: The content of an Emergency Notification (Rave Alert) will include the nature of the emergency or dangerous situation; the particular location or individuals affected by the emergency or dangerous situations; and any other critical information necessary in order to allow members of the university community to take preventive measures.

Procedures Used to Notify the Campus Community: In the event of a situation that poses an immediate threat to members of the campus community, the campus has various systems in place for communicating information quickly. Some or all these methods of communication may be activated in the event of an emergency. These methods of communications may be issued in many ways, including, but not limited to:

• Rave Alert
• Florida Tech First Safety App
• Florida Tech home page posting (banner at top of page)
• Alertus External Notification System
• Email (University distribution lists)

For additional information visit: Safety Alerts.

Compliance Reference

According to Federal legislation (Clery Act), any incident that represents a serious or continuing threat to the students and employees shall require a timely warning to be issued.

Responsibilities

The Florida Tech Department of Security shall without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the judgment of the first responders (including, but not limited to: the Melbourne or Palm Bay Police Departments, and/or the Melbourne or Palm Bay Fire Departments), compromise the efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency. Before sending a message, the incident must be confirmed through one or more of the following methods:

1. Confirmation of an emergency in progress is subject to:
   1. Confirmation of the incident by an emergency responder in the area
   2. Visual confirmation via CCTV systems
   3. Audible confirmation either in person or via telephone systems
   4. Three (3) unique reports of the incident from members of the public or University community

2. Confirmation of an impending emergency is subject to confirmation of the incident by an emergency responder or relevant agency.

   The system will be tested during the Fall and Spring semesters. Every student and employee with a university-provided email account will receive safety alerts in their fit.edu inbox. No action is needed to receive these alerts as all fit.edu emails are added automatically.

Students, Faculty and Staff are encouraged to use the link below to add additional email addresses, phone numbers (text, voice messages), and to manage your preferences. Signing up within RAVE allows you to receive safety and Security alerts via:

• Non-University Email
• Text Message
• Phone (recorded voice message)

For additional information visit: https://www.fit.edu/security/safety-alerts/

Enforcement

Failure to comply with and abide by the rules and regulations set forth in policy may give rise to disciplinary action, up to and including separation from the University.