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Emergency Notification, Response and Evacuation Procedures

Policy Statement

Colby-Sawyer College is proactive in planning and preparing for emergencies. It has developed Emergency Guidelines to provide a basic procedural framework for responding to emergencies at the college. All community members are encouraged to review this important information before an emergency occurs.

Training and Testing Procedures

New London Police officers are well-prepared for emergencies through comprehensive training in incident command. They regularly participate in hostile intruder exercises to maintain readiness. Colby-Sawyer’s Campus Safety and Emergency Management teams also actively engage the campus community by offering educational programs. These programs focus on appropriate responses to hostile intruder scenarios and cover a range of other safety concerns, ensuring that students, faculty and staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle such situations effectively.

During Mountain Day each fall, the college’s CSC ALERT system is tested. The Marketing & Communications department thoroughly evaluates and documents the test. To encourage sign-ups, a campus-wide invitation is sent. This invitation includes details on where to find more information about emergency response and evacuation procedures, including a website link.

Every school year, emergency evacuation exercises are conducted for each college-owned residence hall and house. These exercises aim to educate and train occupants on issues specific to their building. During the exercises, participants practice emergency procedures, familiarize themselves with the location of exits and recognize the sound of the emergency alarm. Campus Safety documents each exercise, including the date and time and an evaluation of its effectiveness.

Each year, the college community conducts tabletop exercises to test and evaluate the college’s emergency response and evacuation procedures. The participants in these exercises vary annually and have included members from the Senior Leadership Team, the Incident Response Team, academics, Marketing & Communications, Facilities Management, Campus Safety, Residential Education, Baird Health & Counseling Center, Student Development, food service and Athletics, as well as student representatives. Outside agency partners, such as the New London Police Department, New London Fire Department, New London Hospital, New London Ambulance, and New London Emergency Management, are sometimes involved. After completing these exercises, Colby-Sawyer summarizes its emergency response and evacuation testing to ensure continuous improvement and preparedness.

CSC ALERT Policy Statement

Colby-Sawyer provides the CSC ALERT system to the college community through Omnilert, LLC. This system is designed to send emergency messages to enrolled campus members via multiple channels, including SMS (text) messages to wireless devices, emergency displays throughout the campus and on college-owned computers, and text-to-voice messages to campus telephones. The CSC ALERT system is integral to the college’s overall emergency communication plan, ensuring that critical information is quickly disseminated to enhance safety and preparedness across the campus.

The CSC ALERT system is used primarily when a situation presents an imminent danger to the campus, to notify the college’s Incident Response Team (IRT) of an incident, and when urgent and timely information must be conveyed to the college community. "Imminent danger" refers to threats that jeopardize the immediate safety of the campus community and are unexpected, in which failure to provide a warning could result in serious harm. Examples of such emergencies include tornadoes, chemical or hazardous material spills, or the presence of an armed or actively violent person. Additionally, CSC ALERT is utilized to communicate urgent and timely information, such as delayed openings or closures of the college due to weather, or to provide updates during a power outage.

Contact information submitted to the CSC ALERT system will be used only for purposes of emergency and urgent communication, such as campus closings. It will not be sold or used for marketing or any purpose other than emergency and timely communications.

The president or the president’s designee authorizes the activation and use of this system during a campus emergency or when urgent and timely information must be conveyed based on recommendations and/or discussion with the director of campus safety, director of emergency management (or Incident Response Team designee), and/or the director of marketing & communications. During a life-threatening emergency, the president or designee may act alone based on information and recommendations from the director/assistant director of campus safety or other professional staff members. In the absence of the president and only in situations that pose an “imminent danger” to the campus community, the director/assistant director of campus safety or director of emergency management has the authority to request and/or implement this action with an immediate briefing to the president and other Senior Leadership Team members to follow.

The CSC ALERT system will be tested at least once annually as part of a campus-wide drill. The drill ensures that the system is in good working order and that campus community members know what actions to take in an emergency. The annual Mountain Day notification is considered an announced test of the CSC ALERT system.

Procedures

Registration

1. Enrollment in CSC ALERT is available to all members of the Colby-Sawyer College community, including the Board of Trustees and Windy Hill parents.

2. To receive CSC ALERT messages on their electronic devices, members of the Colby-Sawyer College community must enroll online and provide contact information indicating how they would like to be notified in case of an emergency.

3. A campus-wide message will be sent via the college's email system explaining the importance of registering with the CSC ALERT system and providing a link to the enrollment page.

4. Individuals who choose to enroll will complete the online registration form available through myColby-Sawyer.

5. Enrollment information will be provided to all new college employees upon hire.

6. At the beginning of the fall semester, an email message will be sent to all Colby-Sawyer community members, inviting those who have not done so to enroll and/or ensure correct contact information.

Activation of CSC ALERT

Initial Report and Assessment

  1. When Campus Safety personnel receive a report of an incident that has occurred, is occurring or may occur, they will immediately notify the director of campus safety or designee.
  2. The director of campus safety or designee will promptly assess the report and classify the situation as either a) imminent danger or b) urgent situation/lower-level emergency, based on the immediacy and severity of risk to the campus community.

Imminent Danger (Immediate Threat to Health or Safety)

Definition: An imminent danger situation involves a credible, immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community and requires immediate mass notification.

Examples may include, but are not limited to, a hostile intruder, active violence, severe hazard on campus or other rapidly developing life-safety threats.

Procedure:

  1. If the incident is determined to present imminent danger, a CSC ALERT will be issued without delay.
  2. The director of campus safety will immediately send the emergency notification via the Omnilert system.
  3. If the director of campus safety is unavailable, the first available person on this call list will issue the CSC ALERT message. Omnilert access and message activation will follow this call list order:

a.      Assistant director of campus safety

b.     Director of emergency management

c.      Director of marketing & communications 

d.     Communications back-up member of IRT

  1. The director of emergency management or designee will initiate the IRT telephone tree, if not already activated.
  2. Follow-up CSC ALERT messages will be issued, as needed, based on incident commander and IRT guidance.

Urgent Situation/Lower-Level Emergency (Not Imminent)

Definition: An urgent situation involves a significant incident that requires response and coordination but does not present an immediate, life-threatening danger requiring instant mass notification.

Procedure:

  1. If the incident is assessed as not an imminent threat, the director of campus safety or designee will contact the incident commander (or appropriate authority) to determine:
  • The nature and level of threat
  • Whether a CSC ALERT message is warranted
  • The appropriate audience (all campus or targeted groups)
  1. If a CSC ALERT is approved, an Omnilert administrator will be contacted to send the message. The message will typically be sent by the Office of Marketing & Communications or by another designated authorized Omnilert administrator.
  2. The director of emergency management or designee will initiate the IRT telephone tree as appropriate.
  3. Message timing and distribution method (CSC ALERT vs. email/web/other channels) will be based on urgency and scope.

Follow-Up and All-Clear Messaging

  1. When the incident is resolved, the responsible responding agency incident commander (as defined by statute) will provide the all clear to Campus Safety.
  2. An all-clear message will be issued to the campus community by the Omnilert administrator who sent the original message or by the Office of Marketing & Communications.
  3. Additional follow-up messages with instructions or clarifications may be distributed using CSC ALERT or less urgent communication channels, depending on need.

External and Extended Communications

The Office of Marketing & Communications and the President’s Office, in coordination with the IRT, may issue additional communications through other channels (website, email, media statements) to key external audiences, including parents and families, alumni, trustees, surrounding community members, media and/or the general public.

CSC ALERT Testing/Maintenance

The emergency notification system will be tested periodically to ensure it is in good working order during an emergency or drill.

1. When a test of the system is authorized, the college will make every effort to notify the Colby-Sawyer College faculty, staff and students via the website and email.

2. When the test begins, the Office of Marketing & Communications will send a message indicating that the system is being tested using the abovementioned procedure.

3. After the test, an email will be sent to Colby-Sawyer College faculty, staff and students advising them that the test is concluded and any further emergency notifications should be considered real.

The following individuals are authorized to request a test of the system:

  • College president or designee
  • Director of campus safety or designee
  • Director of marketing & communications or designee
  • Chief of New London Police Department
  • Chief of New London Fire Department

The CSC ALERT system is one aspect of a layered approach to notification. Other notification methods, such as officer presence, printed posters, website alerts and local television and radio broadcasts, may be used depending on the circumstances. The college may use these other notification methods to inform the broader community of the emergency.

This policy is subject to periodic review and revision at the request of the college’s Incident Response Team. Last updated in February 2026.