SCOPE

This policy applies to emergency notifications sent by the University regarding incidents that occur on on-campus property at UC San Diego as defined by the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (20 USC Section 1092(f)(6)).

The policy also applies to alerts issued for the medical facilities that are located on on-campus property (collectively, the “La Jolla Medical Campus” (“LJMC”)), which use a notification system for emergencies that may impact their hospital or clinical settings in addition to receiving Triton Alerts that are issued pursuant to this Policy. While health-related codes apply across all UC San Diego Health hospitals, this Policy does not apply to UC San Diego Health hospitals other than LJMC.

POLICY SUMMARY

Introduction

The University of California San Diego provides emergency notifications to members of our campus community and the public upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on campus that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.

As required by the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, UC San Diego has developed and maintains a system known as the “TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification” system, which is used to immediately inform the UC San Diego community upon confirmation of an emergency or dangerous situation that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.

If an event occurs at the LJMC that may impact the hospital or clinical settings, including an emergency or dangerous situation, the LJMC will activate its Emergency Operations Plan. If the event constitutes an emergency or dangerous situation that has the potential to impact the (non-medical) campus, a TRITON ALERT will also be issued as described in this Policy.

Reporting Emergencies

All members of the UC San Diego community should report emergencies to the UC San Diego Police Department by calling 9-1-1. The UC San Diego Police Department can request other emergency responders, such as Fire or Paramedics, in addition to local law enforcement.

Any situation or incident that involves a significant emergency or danger that may pose an immediate or on-going threat to the health and safety of students, employees and/or visitors on campus should be reported immediately.

DEFINITIONS

Emergency Notification: A time-sensitive message distributed through authorized communication systems to immediately inform the UC San Diego community of an emergency or dangerous situation that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.

Timely Warning: A time-sensitive message distributed through authorized communication systems when a Clery Act crime occurs on Clery geography that constitutes a serious or continuing threat to students and employees. Clery Act crime and Clery geography are defined in 34 CFR 668.46.

LJMC Code Orange Alert: A critical alert in the hospital system that signifies a need for heightened readiness in response to internal or external emergencies interrupting normal hospital functions, ensuring that hospital can effectively manage interruptions to business or patient care.

POLICY

1.                   When Emergency Notifications are Sent

A.       TRITON ALERTS

Upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation which presents an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees, UC San Diego will without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

The types of emergencies that may trigger a TRITON ALERT include, but are not limited to: structure or wildland fire; earthquake; hazardous materials incidents, including chemical spills or gas leaks; active shooter or armed intruder incidents; bomb threats; civil unrest, rioting or significant public disturbances; explosion; terrorist incidents; public health emergencies or outbreaks of serious contagious illness; extreme weather conditions such as severe storms, flooding, tornado, or extreme heat; or significant utility disruptions.

A TRITON ALERT will be sent for emergencies affecting LJMC if the emergency threatens the health and safety of students and employees beyond the LJMC, or if there is a need for the community outside of the LJMC to be informed of the emergency in order to stay away from the area. The issuance of an LJMC Code Orange Alert typically does not replace the obligation to issue a TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification if one is required.

B.       LJMC Code Orange Alerts

The LJMC Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) may be activated in response to incidents requiring coordinated emergency management, including Code Orange activations. When the EOP is activated, one of four “Levels of Activation” may be implemented based on the actual or anticipated operational impact of the incident. The Level of Activation defines the degree to which the hospital's Emergency Operations Plan and Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) are activated. An activation may occur at any level and does not require a stepwise progression through lower levels of activation. Code Orange notifications associated with EOP activation are distributed only to staff with an @health.ucsd.edu email address.

Level 1 Activation (Alert/Monitoring) occurs when advance notice is received about an incident that has the potential to produce casualties or disrupt normal business operations. The hospital is not currently impacted by the incident (e.g., a severe thunderstorm, a notification about a train accident with no known casualties at that time).

Level 2 (Minor) Activation occurs when there is an incident having a minor impact on hospital operations. This type of activation typically occurs when an incident impacts one or two departments or a small part of operations; its scope is limited and of short duration.

Level 3 (Moderate) Activation occurs when an incident has a moderate impact on operations. This type of activation typically occurs when an incident impacts about half of hospital operations and requires substantial support.

Level 4 (Major) Activation occurs when there is an incident with likely significant impact on operations, including the potential for long duration. This type of activation is considered significant, meaning that nearly all normal activities in the hospital are disrupted and the focus of most leadership and staff is on the incident.

Some LJMC Code Orange Alerts are issued before a Code Orange Level of Activation has been determined. These alerts should be issued immediately upon recognition of an event that may require Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) activation. A Code Orange Level of Activation will be established as soon as practical based on the incident's operational impact. Other emergency alerts, including but not limited to Active Intruder, Active Shooter, and Code Adam (abduction or missing infant/child), are separate emergency notifications and are not assigned a Code Orange Level of Activation. These incidents are managed in accordance with their respective response plans. For life safety incidents, the UC San Diego Police Department will be notified.

2.                   Content of Emergency Notifications

TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications will contain a brief description of the emergency, location and instructions about what to do.

A.       Emergency Instructions

TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification instructions should be followed immediately.

The LJMC Code Orange Alerts will contain instructions that are applicable to the Level of Activation.

If the emergency affects only a small portion of UC San Diego and is unlikely to impact the larger community, a TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification may be made only to the group affected; this decision will be made by the UC San Diego Police Department Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Watch Commander, the Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director or Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Manager.

B.       Evacuations

In the event an evacuation of a portion or all of the campus is needed, the TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification will describe those evacuation procedures. The Campus Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and the Emergency Management web page also include evacuation guidelines that will be used in the event of a campus evacuation.

In the event an evacuation of part or all of the LJMC is needed, the Health Emergency Operations Plan along with LJMC Code Orange Alerts will provide the hospital community with instructions about evacuation procedures.

C.       Follow-up Information

After the initial TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification, follow-up information will be distributed by additional TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications, as needed, until the emergency or threat has concluded and an all-clear message has been sent.

Updates and follow-up information will also be added to the UC San Diego homepage or the Campus Emergency Current Status page, or another website created specifically for the emergency as appropriate. The updates and follow-up information will be completed by the Executive Director, Internal Communications or the Senior Executive Director, Public Relations or their designee within the Public Relations department.

The UC San Diego Police Department Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Watch Commander, the Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director or Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Manager is responsible for issuing an all-clear message for all TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications. The all-clear message types may be limited to personnel initially notified of an incident. LJMC Officials are responsible for issuing an all-clear message for all LJMC Code Orange Alerts. The all-clear message types may be limited to personnel initially notified of an incident.

3.                   Method of Providing TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications

A.       E-MAIL to Official UC San Diego Accounts

When it has been determined that a TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification is required, an e-mail will be sent to all students, faculty and staff at their official ucsd.edu or health.ucsd.edu e-mail address. The e-mail subject line will be “TRITON ALERT.” Students, faculty and staff may not opt-out of receiving TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications sent to their official UC San Diego or UC San Diego Health email account.

B.       TEXT to Mobile Numbers

On an annual basis, all UC San Diego students, faculty and staff will be asked to provide text message contact information to be used for the purpose of receiving TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications, Timely Warnings, Community Alert Bulletins, or as part of a drill to test the TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification system. In order to receive these notifications via text message, individuals must provide accurate and up-to-date contact information.

Students, faculty and staff are reminded to update their contact numbers once a year and are advised to update the information sooner if it changes. Contact information may be updated on the Triton Alert Emergency Notifications page. UC San Diego strongly encourages all students, faculty and staff to provide contact information for text messages; however, individuals may opt-out from receiving these notifications via text message. Opt-out information may be found at the Triton Alert FAQ page.

Standard text messaging rates apply.

C.       Additional Methods of Providing TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications

Everbridge mobile app, telephone, loudspeakers, bullhorns, Talkaphone Callboxes, UC San Diego Police Department vehicle public address systems, building fire alarm systems or paper postings are methods that may also be used to relay information in an emergency or threatening situation.

Emergency information may also be provided through announcements to TritonLink, Blink, campus emergency status messages, social media websites, and the UC San Diego Radio Station (1610 AM).

4.                   Method of Providing LJMC Code Orange Alerts:

Code Orange Levels of Activation:

Level 1 Alert - Key personnel alerted via page, text or email.

Level 2 Alert - Key personnel alerted via page, text or email - Opening of the Hospital Command Center, either virtually or physically, with limited positions assigned as the situation warrants.

Level 3 Alert - Key personnel alerted via page, text or email - activation of Hospital Incident Command System team. Enhanced management in the Hospital Command Center is required.

Level 4 Alert - All staff notified via page, text, email and overhead announcement system.

Other timely alerts may be issued to Health system personnel before a Level of Activation is implemented. The method of communication for these alerts without a Level of Activation may be different based on the emergency code or incident, but will usually go out multimodally – page, text, email, and/or overhead system.

5.                   Emergency Information via Web Sites

The following web sites may also contain local emergency information:

1.       UC San Diego homepage

2.       UC San Diego Emergency Status website

3.       Blink website

4.       Triton Link website

5.       UC San Diego Police Department website

6.       San Diego County Emergency homepage

7.       UC San Diego Health homepage

Or an additional website created for the emergency by UC San Diego, if appropriate.

6.                   EXCEPTION to USE of TRITON ALERT/LJMC Code Orange Alerts for Providing Information in an Ongoing Emergency

In the event an emergency is prolonged, such as in the case of a pandemic, UC San Diego may use additional methods of communication to provide on-going information, resources and guidance relating to the emergency to the campus community in addition to TRITON ALERTS/LJMC Code Orange Alerts. The purpose of these communications is to keep the campus community informed of day-to-day operational needs or changes relating to the emergency without necessarily relating to an escalation in the emergency itself. These types of notifications include emails, text messages, social media postings, website postings, and town halls and may be issued to segments of the population as needed. The decision to issue these communications and the content of these communications will be determined by the Chancellor’s office or other Cabinet-level offices as appropriate. These notifications do not replace TRITON ALERTS or LJMC Code Orange Alerts.

7.                   TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification Tests and Drills

A full-scale test of the TRITON ALERT Emergency Notification system will occur at least once a year. One of the tests will generally be performed in conjunction with a regional drill or exercise. The University will publicize its emergency response and evacuation procedures in conjunction with the annual test. For each test, the University documents a description of the exercise, the date and time, and whether it was announced or unannounced. Documentation of each test will take place and be maintained by the University for seven years.

8.                   TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications to Others

Individuals who are not faculty, staff or students may sign up to receive TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications by texting “TRITONALERT” to 888777. Once enrolled via text, individuals will also receive an option to receive TRITON ALERT Emergency Notifications by email by providing their email address.

These individuals will be automatically unsubscribed each year with an option to subscribe again by texting “TRITONALERT” to 888777.

Standard text messaging rates apply.

9.                   Providing Information to Surrounding Community

Individuals in the surrounding communities may go to the main UC San Diego homepage or the Campus Emergency Current Status page for information regarding any significant emergency or dangerous situation which presents an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.

The following individuals are responsible for providing information to the Executive Director, Strategic and Critical Communications or the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer or their designee within University Communications so that websites can be updated appropriately.

a.     UC San Diego Police Department Chief;

b.     UC San Diego Police Department Assistant Chief;

c.     UC San Diego Police Department Captain;

d.     UC San Diego Police Department Lieutenant;

e.     UC San Diego Police Department Watch Commander;

f.      Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director; or

g.     If none of these individuals are available, a direct designee of the UC San Diego Police Department Chief who is within the UC San Diego Police Department or a direct designee of the Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director.

The following individuals are responsible for contacting the County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services, City of San Diego Office of Emergency Services, or San Diego Police Department to provide information regarding the emergency or dangerous threat and to coordinate the appropriate response, as necessary.

a.     UC San Diego Police Department Chief;

b.     UC San Diego Police Department Assistant Chief;

c.     UC San Diego Police Department Captain;

d.     UC San Diego Police Department Lieutenant;

e.     UC San Diego Police Department Watch Commander; or

f.      Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director; or

g.     If none of these individuals are available, a direct designee of the UC San Diego Police Department Chief who is within the UC San Diego Police Department or a direct designee of the Campus Emergency Management & Preparedness Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

PROCEDURES

None

FORMS

None

RELATED INFORMATION

1.             UC San Diego Emergency Operations & Incident Management Plan

2.             Emergency Preparedness – Blink

3.             The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting

4.             Clery Act Appendix for Federal Student Aid (FSA) Handbook

5.             UC San Diego Health Emergency Operations Plan

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

None

REVISION HISTORY

August 24, 2026 – Policy revised to reflect current processes and clarifying edits.

August 21, 2024 – Policy revised to update nomenclature of La Jolla Medical Campus from East Campus Medical Center and minor edits.

August 18, 2023 – Policy revised to update procedures at ECMC.

August 17, 2022 – Policy revised to include new methods for signing up to receive Triton Alerts, additional department responsibilities, address how text messages are used, and other minor edits.

April 11, 2022 – Policy revised to include campus notifications in on-going emergency situations.

September 23, 2021 – Policy revised to include UC San Diego Health East Campus Medical Center emergency notification procedures.

December 14, 2020 – Policy revised to align with Clery Act requirements.

October 13, 2020 – Policy formally reviewed and formatted. Minor edits made.

October 10, 2017 - Policy revised to update Emergency Notification procedures. Also, Policy reformatted into standard template.

September 22, 2016 - New policy.