Emergency Preparedness and Response
If you have an emergency, call 911 for assistance
Preparedness
Emergency Notification System
An important first step for Westfield State University community members is to sign up for Emergency Notifications. This system is activated whenever there is a university-wide emergency. The system sends a voice message to all on-campus phones, an e-mail to all Westfield State University e-mail addresses, and a text/voice message to cell phones. During activation, additional audible systems will be activated, including in-building alerts and an outdoor alert system, audible across campus.
Text Alerts
Family, Friends and Community Members who wish to stay informed about urgent situations at Westfield State can sign up to receive text alerts. Text WSUALERT to 67283. This service will be used for emergency situations ONLY and not for events or promotions. This service is intended for off-campus family, friends and community members. On-campus faculty, staff and students should sign up for Emergency Notifications as indicated above.
Emergency Guidebook
The next step is to understand what will be expected of you in case of an emergency. Please review the Westfield State University Emergency Guidebook. Physical copies of this are placed in buildings around campus.
Evacuation Assistance
Individuals who believe that they may need assistance, even if only on a temporary basis, from emergency personnel to evacuate campus buildings may request that assistance in advance by filling out and submitting the Evacuation Assistance form.
Preparedness for:
What's that Sound?
These wav files can help you understand the alerts you might hear in your residence or classroom
- Click here for the fire tone. This indicates evacuation.
- Click here for the mass notification (general emergency) warning. If you hear this, check your emergency notifications by text or e-mail. It may indicate sheltering in place, lockdown or other action.
What's that Alarm?
Sometimes the right thing to do is evacuate the building, but sometimes (for example a tornado or active shooter) the right thing to do is shelter in place. These alarm boxes allow officials in Public Safety to communicate directly through audible voice instructions. If the Fire light is flashing, evacuate. If the Alert light is flashing, listen for instructions.
Response
In the event of a campus emergency, the Emergency Notification System will be activated. The first priority of the University is to respond to the incident, direct members of the campus community to the appropriate action (whether shelter-in-place, evacuation, or other action), and then to keep members of the campus community, parents, neighbors, and the public informed. The Emergency Response Team will gather at a pre-determined location, ready to work with local, state, and federal officials as necessary and to keep the campus community informed of developments.