UCLA Gateway

The BruinAlert^TM Mass Notification & Advisory System

UCLA has developed BruinAlert to communicate official information during an emergency or crisis situation that disrupts normal operation of the UCLA campus or threatens the health or safety of members of the campus community.

UCLA faculty, staff with valid email addresses in the UCLA Campus Directory and students with valid email addresses in URSA are automatically enrolled in BruinAlert to receive email alerts.

Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging via BruinAlert is also available to UCLA faculty, staff, and students on a voluntary self-subscription basis. Students should log on to URSA to enter or update their cell phone information. Faculty and Staff can enroll directly at BruinAlert.

Note: Only active faculty and staff or currently enrolled students will receive BruinAlert emergency messages.

BruinAlert is comprised of several individual (multi-mode) resources to advise the campus community of an emergency in progress. BruinAlert^TM will not be used for issuing routine advisories.

UCLA Communication & Advisory Resources

UCLA uses mass notifications, traffic advisory notices, and emergency news and information systems to communicate during critical events. Campus departments also issue information about special events through their websites.

The emergency communication and advisory systems are constantly changing as technology evolves on a day-to-day basis. The UCLA community should refer to this site frequently to stay informed and educated as new systems are implemented and upgraded. Part of the warning system's success is the ability of the community to understand how the systems are used, their limitations and how an individual should respond once the system is activated.

UCLA is currently investigating visual warning systems, audible warning systems (both indoor and outdoor), and e-technology systems to communicate during a crisis. It is important to understand that no single system has the capability to provide 100 percent coverage of the UCLA campus. An effective and reliable notification system utilizes many redundant systems, integrated with several resources. UCLA is impacted by topography, building design and other factors in providing mass notification and communications during crisis.

UCLA Communication & Advisory Resources Include:

• BruinAlert
• AM 1630 Radio Station (also simulcast on UCLA TV Channel 3)
• 1-800-900-UCLA (recorded campus emergency information)
• Cable Television System (Emergency Advisory System – EAS)
• Outdoor Warning Sirens located the north campus areas above Delta Terrace (the Hill), Intramural Field (Drake Stadium), Ashe Center (Bruin Bear and Bruin Walk), and the Humanities Building (Dickson Court).
• General Services Outage Notice System
• Campus Safety Website
• Campus Emergency Website
• California EDIS (Emergency Digital Information System)
• UCLA Main Website and Newsroom

AM 1630 Radio
 
AM 1630 is licensed to operate using low power (10 watts). AM 1630 broadcasts seven days a week, 24 hours a day. AM 1630 is also simulcast daily on UCLA Cable TV channel. There are many situations that the campus AM radio system is utilized. Here are possible scenarios:

You're driving to your job at UCLA, listening to the radio, when you hear a news report about a chemical spill and possible evacuation on campus. The report doesn't say how bad the spill is or which buildings are affected. You're wondering what to do: Is it safe for you to go to work, or should you just turn around and go home?

You are a student, faculty or employee and you see media helicopters hovering over the UCLA campus – is there something bad happening on- or off-campus, a celebrity sighting in Westwood, a vehicle pursuit or is it just a slow news day?

The answer may be right at your fingertips: Tune to the UCLA Emergency & Travel Advisory Radio Station, 1630 on your AM dial, for emergency instructions and other advisories.

The mission of the AM 1630 radio station is to provide the UCLA community with information about real-time traffic conditions as they're coming into campus, or provide emergency news and information. Likewise, if there were a building collapse or a fire, the radio station could tell people which parts of campus are closed, or whether people should assemble and wait for emergency instructions. If a substantial incident is occurring like a major travel route adjacent to the campus is blocked, the radio station is the first likely source for information.

Get into the habit of checking the radio station for information or other advisories. AM 1630 station programming may be adjusted to provide information that is critical to the UCLA community.

During "normal" times, the station plays the same message – "You are listening to the UCLA Emergency Advisory System as approved by the Federal Communications Commission...in the event of an emergency or urgent condition, please tune to AM 1630. You will be provided with instructions or life-saving actions to take during the emergency" – on an endless loop.

UCLA Cable Channel 3 & Emergency Advisory System (EAS)

UCLA manages cable television services campuswide. In the event of an emergency, UCLA students, faculty and staff can turn to UCLA Cable channel 3 and listen to the audio simulcast feed from AM 1630.

In the event of a campuswide emergency, UCLA may also issue an EAS advisory on all cable channels through a scrolling "EAS" message banner. The EAS message may consist of information about the location of the emergency, immediate actions and directions to take, and other information vital to public safety and security.

Outdoor Siren & Voice Warning System

In the summer of 2008, UCLA implemented a outdoor mass notification system. The system consists of outdoor siren and audible voice messaging speakers placed in the Dickson Court, Drake Stadium & Intramural Field and the Student Residential Housing Area, Bruin Plaza, and on top of the UCLA Police Department Building. In 2012, a sixth siren was added on top of Young Hall in the Court of Sciences. This system provides a siren-type alert, which is immediately followed by a clear, intelligible voice advisory.

This system is designed to capture your attention and then provide instructions on how you should respond to the alert. It is essential that you educate yourself on how this system is used on the campus.

1-800-900-UCLA (8252)

1-800-900-UCLA is a means to convey pre-recorded information and updates to long-term emergency events occurring on campus. In the event of a substantial emergency, the UCLA community can call 1-800-900-UCLA to obtain information about campus closures, evacuations and whether programs or other operations may be affected. This system will also be used to provide information about call centers, student support services, and other assistance available to the University community during a crisis.

General Services Outage System

The UCLA General Services Department hosts an outage warning system. This internal notification system is used by Trouble Call and General Services staff on a daily basis to issue alerts for Building Coordinators, building occupants, faculty, personnel and other UCLA community members of planned utility outages (elevator repairs and generator testing), road closures and detours, special events and planning, system failures and other advisories as they occur. The system can also be used in an emergency to deliver e-notifications and advisories to approximately 1,500 users of the system.

Public Awareness Systems

UCLA is currently reviewing and implementing several systems that have the capability to deliver mass notification to a campus population of over 60,000 people. Time is essential during crisis as well as system redundancy so the systems work in a large-scale disaster when the wired resources and infrastructure in the greater Southern California area are knocked out (local phone lines, Internet, computer network servers and cellular carriers) or suffer from severe, prolonged disruptions. The entire campus administration is working toward implementation of a large-scale mass notification system with guaranteed delivery and reliability.

California Emergency Digital Information System (EDIS)

The Emergency Digital Information Service (EDIS) delivers official information about emergencies and disasters to the public and the news media in California. EDIS is a service of the State of California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

The UCLA Emergency Manager is authorized issue alerts, advisories, and warnings through the EDIS system. UCLA students, faculty, staff and visitors can subscribe to the EDIS advisory system through the EDIS website. See Related Information for a link to the EDIS site.