App Helps Campus Stay Safe

George Mason University

SchoolDude’s CrisisManager app allows students and faculty at George Mason University to stay abreast of emergencies or dangerous situations — even if cellular service is interrupted.

At George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, VA, creating and maintaining a safe environment for 32,000 students across four campuses is a serious priority. The university’s emergency preparedness campaign “Are You Mason Ready?” brings awareness to emergency preparedness plans, including the use of SchoolDude’s CrisisManager, a mobile safety app.

In the event of a crisis on campus, such as a building evacuation, fire, severe weather, violence or medical emergency, finding printed emergency materials and actionable response steps can be a challenge. GMU’s Environmental Health and Safety Office has made great strides in mobilizing safety plans — making them easily available on smartphones.

CrisisManager allows the university to proactively address major and minor emergencies and empowers students, faculty and staff with important steps to take during a crisis. One-tap calling and detailed safety procedures, which can be updated in real-time to reflect any changes on campus, are stored locally on the app.

Emergency plans are even available if cellular service is interrupted. This feature ensures that everyone on campus can access response plans at all times. Safety guidelines on the app mirror information available in online and printed guides; however, the app is more easily accessible.

“By detailing how to prepare for an emergency and take action on a mobile and easy-to-use platform, CrisisManager has helped GMU become a safer campus and learning environment,” says David Farris, George Mason University’s director of safety and emergency management. “The app’s utility, convenience and ease of use makes it one of our most valuable tools for sharing emergency preparedness and response information with the university community.”

GMU is currently expanding the functionality of the app by using it to report incidents to University Police and will make annual security reports available to the community via a PDF published to the app.

www.schooldude.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • Spaces4Learning Announces Winners of 2025 Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning has just announced the winners of the 2025 Product Awards! The award program recognizes innovation and excellence in products that enhance learning environments in K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

  • Average Annual Number of Tornadoes per State

    New Tornado Wind Load Design Criteria in IBC Offer Improvements to Life Safety

    For the first time in U.S. building code history, the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) includes tornado wind load design criteria, marking a significant advancement in life-safety provisions.

Digital Edition