Emergency Notification System (ENS)

The University of Richmond (UR) has an Emergency Notification System (ENS) with multi‐channel communication capabilities. The UR ENS is intended to rapidly disseminate emergency information about an incident and provide instructions to the pertinent UR campus. Currently, the UR ENS consists of the following channels:

UR Alert

During an emergency impacting campus, the University of Richmond will use UR Alert to provide critical, safety information via one or more of the following channels: text messages, email, phone calls, digitial signs, a banner across the top of the University website, and posts to Facebook and Twitter. UR Alert is dependent on an individual “opt‐in” registration in order to receive text messages and phone calls. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for the service. Users can select up to three channels/contact points by which they wish to be notified. Learn more and sign up.

Additional ENS Channels

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  • Outdoor Warning System

    The Outdoor Warning System (OWS) consists of clusters of outdoor speakers centrally located on campus. It is capable of playing a recorded message or live audio from the URPD Dispatcher.

    The system is most frequently used to alert persons outside to seek shelter indoors immediately due to an approaching tornado. At present, a siren runs continuously during a tornado warning and when the warning expires the siren stops.

    The OWS is tested once a semester. The timing of these tests will be announced in advance.

  • Voicemail to UR Campus Phones

    Voicemail to UR campus phones will record outbound messages onto voicemail throughout the UR phone system.

  • Posts to the University Website

    Posts to alert.richmond.edu may supplement the UR Alert format with more in-depth information and instructions.

  • UR Hotline

    The UR hotline, (804) 289-8760 or toll free at (866) 386-0403, is a recorded message system which provides status information.

  • Classroom Paging

    The classroom paging application, grouped by building, uses existing Avaya phone sets to support one-way paging.