The U is adopting a nationally recognized Standard Response Protocol and updating its emergency alerts to ensure more people receive critical safety information faster.

The changes are designed to support active threat response programs and align emergency communications with standardized procedures used nationwide. Together, these updates aim to help U students, faculty and staff take action more quickly during emergencies.

Standard Response Protocol

One of the primary reasons the U has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is its familiarity among students. Many students may have encountered the SRP during drills or real incidents in K-12 settings, where terms such as “lockdown” are commonly used. By continuing to use this established terminology in a higher education environment, the U builds on students’ prior knowledge and experience, making emergency guidance easier to understand and act on.

There are differences in a higher education environment, however. In K-12 settings, SRP success is based on direct supervision, smaller and more controlled facilities, and regular, real-time drills. By contrast, a university campus is made up of a variety of adults who are constantly coming and going. This open-campus model requires emergency guidance that favors individual decision-making. Furthermore, the sheer size of the university makes campus-wide participation challenging, so the U complements drills with clear, concise guidance that can be applied across many different situations and locations.

In addition, the clarity and consistency of the SRP allow law enforcement, fire, dispatch and EMS professionals to operate using a shared language, improving coordination and efficiency during emergencies.

Beyond familiarity, research shows that people often hesitate when first prompted to take protective action during an emergency. Well-known safety instructions, such as “Stop, Drop, and Roll” in the event of a fire or “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” during an earthquake, help overcome this hesitation by providing clear, recognizable actions.

According to Stuart Moffatt, director of emergency management at the University of Utah, the SRP is designed to reduce that initial delay. “The familiarity of this protocol works to shorten response time,” Moffatt said. “We’re always trying to reduce the delay in taking a protective action.”

This same principle applies to the U’s approach to active threat situations, where the new training advises members of the campus community to “Avoid, Deny, Defend” and campus alerts will reflect that language.

For most types of hazards, the U will ask students, staff and faculty to take one of the following actions outlined in the Standard Response Protocol.

They are:

• Hold: Stay in your room or area. This may be used if emergency personnel are responding to a situation that doesn’t pose a threat to others in the building.
• Secure: Get or stay inside. Lock outside doors. Used when the threat is outside the building or in another area of campus. Lock outside doors and stay inside until the “all clear” is announced.
• Lockdown: Locks, lights, out of sight. Used for immediate threats, typically inside a building. Lock or barricade individual rooms, turn off lights and stay out of sight.
• Evacuate: Get to a safer location. An evacuation order will direct those in harm’s way to a safer location. That could be outside or to another area in the building.
• Shelter: Pay attention to the announced hazard and instructions. Instructions will be based on the situation, such as an earthquake or severe weather.

In an emergency, an on-scene first responder or a university official may direct people to take one or more of these protective actions. These directions may also be sent through campus alerts.

Emergency alert upgrades

Updates to the campus alert system will now include new terminology, icons and colors. Using common language allows the message to be understood more clearly and reduces the time it takes for people to act.

Alerts will also change from an opt-in to a nationally recognized opt-out model. The combination of SRP language and opt-out allows more of the campus community to receive the information they need and know what action to take to remain safe.

To ensure that campus alerts are properly received, Moffatt explained, “In the coming months, you may find that when you log in to CIS, you’ll be redirected to the new campus alert registration page where you can provide up to three SMS numbers. We advise that you add your cell number first and that of a parent, guardian or significant other in the other available fields. This ensures that in an emergency, your loved ones are also notified. You can also choose to opt out of SMS alerts; however, it’s the quickest way for you to receive them. You can’t opt out of email alerts, and they will be sent to all users at their preferred email address listed in CIS.”

These streamlined communication procedures will reduce the time it takes for the campus community to receive and act on critical and time-sensitive safety messages.

“Experience confirms that campus alerts sent by SMS are the most effective way to deliver critical safety information,” said Moffatt. “Our own campus alert drills show that SMS messages are typically delivered in 3-5 minutes.”

Implementing SRP at the University of Utah

While the Standard Response Protocol is widely used in K-12 schools, it functions differently in a higher education environment. In K-12 settings, the SRP is supported by clearly defined roles for teachers and students, smaller and more controlled facilities, and regular, real-time drills. By contrast, a university campus is open, geographically larger, and made up of individuals who have greater independence in how they move and respond.

“The complexity of our campus environment motivated us to merge the SRP with evidence-based research to make our emergency communications clearer,” said Moffatt. “By combining opt-out and understandable, action-oriented messages, we hope our improvements result in broader reach and clarity of campus alerts.”

Whenever possible, alerts will include key information such as the type of hazard, its potential impact, the time and location (if known) and the specific action to take. There may be situations where alerts can’t provide every detail during a fast-moving crisis. The campus community is advised to pay attention to subsequent official communications sent directly rather than unofficial information posted on other channels.

Throughout the year, additional improvements will be announced as they are implemented. The Department of Public Safety encourages the campus community to actively review and understand these key improvements to be better prepared in an emergency.

Visit here to ensure all relevant mobile numbers are included in the campus alert system.