Public Safety Update
Presentation to University Senate
September 23, 2011
Updates on…
• Emergency Preparedness
• Role of Housing Officers
• Passenger Van Fleet
• Process for signing up has been automated.
Results
Incoming Class Year
# of Freshmen Signing Up
2008
918 (56%)
2009
1,143 (69%)
2010
1,213 (74%)
2011
1,532 (93%)
Emergency Management Group Role
• Emergency Management Group met on
August 26th to discuss possible impact and
priorities.
– Two additional conference calls leading up to the
storm & one post-storm call.
– Nova Alert used to update EMG during storm.
• Seven alerts sent throughout storm updating EMG
regarding conditions on campus.
Preparedness Priorities
• Emergency Communications –
– With students and emergency responders
• Continuing to supply food and water for oncampus residents
• Preparing the campus in advance to mitigate
damage.
Communications
• One phone line in Public Safety that is
independent of the University phone system
• Established two-way radio communications
with one RA in each residence hall
• Established radio communication with Radnor
PD.
Facilities Preparation
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Gutters and drains were cleaned and snaked on problem buildings.
Storm drains were checked.
Plumbers gathered pumps and hoses and put them in stores area.
Lg. pump was checked and gassed up.
Building generators were checked and fueled.
Portable generators were moved ,put in place and temporary line run to two dining halls.(
Dougherty and Donahue)
Storeroom had supply of batteries on hand.
Pump house fuel tank and all generator tanks were topped off.
Outside furniture was either secured or brought indoors.
Stocked up on plywood, plastic and duct tape for windows.
Checked flat roofs for any loose debris and cleared off any that was found.
Chained and secured satellite dishes.
Checked and secured all roof hatches and doors.
Had all vehicles gassed up and gas cans filled.
Made sure vehicles were not parked under trees.
Made sure dumpsters were chained or secured.
Made sure recycle bins secured or stored.
Dining Preparedness
• Emergency Generators Pre-Positioned at
Dougherty and Donahue.
• 3-4 day supply of food prepared.
• Extra paper products
• Dining services committed to keeping halls
open, but with limited (cold) menu offerings
contingent on the availability of electricity and
potable water.
Collaboration with Radnor
• Meeting with Radnor Township officials in
collaborative effort.
• Police
• Radnor & Bryn Mawr Fire
• Public Works
• Township Administration
• Code Enforcement
• Cabrini, Eastern, Valley Forge.
Staffing During Storm
• 27 Public Safety Officers on campus during
storm.
– 7 additional officers in hotel rooms
• 12 Custodians on during overnight hours
• 12 additional on Sunday
• 12 Facilities Tradesmen
Command and Control During Storm
• Weather conditions monitored throughout
night.
• Nova Alerts Issued
• Conditions assessed
• Staff Re-deployed.
Alerts Issued
• Saturday, 8/27 @ 10:27 AM – VU Hurricane
Irene preparation update available at
www.villanova.edu.
• Saturday, 8/27 @ 8:53 PM – Flood warning
has been issued. Take shelter immediately
until storm all clear is issued.
• Saturday, 8/27 @ 10:25 PM – A tornado
warning has been issued for the VU area until
11:00 PM. Take shelter immediately.
Alerts Issued Cont….
• Saturday, 8/27 @ 11:35 PM – Tornado watch
remains in effect until 5AM. Wind and heavy
rain will continue thru the night. Stay inside.
• Sunday, 8/28 @ 9:36 AM – Storm Update
Available at www.villanova.edu
• Sunday, 8/28 @ 6:00 PM – Final storm update
and all clear. Visit www.villanova.edu for more
info.
Injuries
• Three students injured
– Two ‘mud sliding’
• One required 31 stitches and tore a ligament
• One twisted her ankle
– One fell on wet lobby floor in residence hall.
• North Ithan Avenue
at County Line flooded
intermittently.
• South Ithan Avenue
flooded at SEPTA
overpass
• Loss of power to
Lancaster Avenue
properties
• Generator moved
to power Moriarity.
• Downed Tree on S.
Ithan
Storm Impact
Additional Storm Impact
• Water in Stanford and
St. Mary’s
Clogged Drain at HSB
Redefining the Role of the Housing
Officer
Overview of Changes
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Shift in focus from desk attendant to security
Coverage increased from 11 to 13 buildings
Hours moved to 9PM to 5AM
Officers no longer stationed at fixed locations
No longer one officer per building
OLD SOP
A Housing Officer is posted at the main card
reader entrance to some co-ed and all female
residence halls.
He/She is there to supplement the card
reader system. Their primary duties are to
ensure only Villanova University students
enter the building, by verifying the students
through a valid WildCard.
NEW SOP
A Housing Officer is assigned to an area
consisting of one or two residence halls on
South and Main campus.
He/She is there to monitor activity in and
around their assigned residence hall(s) and to
be on the lookout for safety and security
hazards. Housing officers visually inspect for
propped doors and windows, as well as signs
that the security of the building has been
breached or that unsafe conditions exist.
They also identify and register the entry of
Officers should be conducting foot patrols of
any visitors, when the visitor is accompanied interior common areas and the building’s
by a Villanova student.
exterior. At the same time, officers may ask
for ID from any individual in or around a
residence hall whose actions or appearance
are suspicious.
Officers will position themselves in such a Officers will continue to conduct exterior and
way as to strictly control access to the hall.
interior building checks throughout their
shift. Officers will pay particular attention to
areas of high activity, areas known for
breaches of security, or policy violations.
Officers will respond to requests from
dispatch to check on propped door alarms
received in the Communications Center.
Officers will similarly position themselves at Officers will assist and support students and
the end of visitation hours to identify exiting residence life staff in courteous and
males.
professional manner.
Officers will be on the lookout for injured or
ill students and will provide aid consistent
with their level of training until additional
Rationale for changes
• Limited value of
enforcing visitation
rules
• Recognition that perils
to residence hall
students lie outside the
building’s walls.
• Able to cover more
halls, (13 vs. 11) picking
up St. Mary’s and
Simpson
• Layout of lobbies not
conducive to funneling
people past the officer’s
desk.
• Volume of traffic made
it impossible to check
ID’s against building
rosters.
Officer Initiated Activities
August 14th to September 19th
Passenger Van Fleet
Background
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Operation of large passenger vans is recognized as one of the highest-risk activities in
higher education institutions, and this is reflected in our own insurer’s loss experience.
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Numerous catastrophic accidents involving large passenger vans in higher education settings
have been reported in the media, including:
o Temple University dance team accident in 2010 (1 fatality and 7 injuries)
o California Baptist University cross-country team accident in 2010 (3 fatalities and 16
injuries)
o Prairie View A & M University (Texas) track team accident in 2000 (4 fatalities and 7
injuries)
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Villanova has long recognized large passenger vans as an area of high potential risk, while
recognizing their necessity for student-related activities.
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In early 2007, the University’s provider of general liability insurance (United Educators)
approached Villanova and other selected schools, and requested that the schools
undertake a significant risk-reduction project as part of a pilot program.
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Villanova committed to analyzing our passenger van activity and identifying ways to decrease
our risk, with the endorsement of United Educators.
Description of How the Van Fleet Will Operate
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The University’s large passenger vans be managed by the Parking and Transportation Office.
Initially, the University will maintain the same number of passenger vans that are currently owned
or leased by the University, although it is anticipated that over time, the University will be able to
reduce the size of the van fleet, and the size of some of the individual vans in the fleet.
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A centralized scheduling system will be utilized by the departments that are contributing vans to
the pool, to reserve vans for their use. Departments will continue to approve the individual van
trips when they make reservations in the scheduling system. Departments with regularly recurring
trips (i.e., trips at the same time of day on the same days of the week) will be able to make
reservations up to one year in advance for planned trips.
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The keys to the passenger vans will be picked up from and returned to the Public Safety
Office in Farrell Hall, which will be open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Special procedures will be
put in place to accommodate the needs of Mission and Ministry and Service Learning, which
for programmatic reasons, need students to be physically present in their offices prior to and upon
returning from their service experience.
Recent Developments
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A Fleet Advisory Committee was formed to oversee the implementation of the centralized
passenger van fleet, and to provide feedback on an ongoing basis after implementation. The
Director of Parking and Transportation will chair the committee, and the committee will include
representatives of the following departments:
o Risk Management & Insurance
o Facilities Management
o Athletics
o Mission and Ministry
o Service Learning
o Biology (faculty and staff representatives)
o Residence Life
o Student Development
o Music Activities