Dear SRJC Community, 

As we embark on the start of the Fall semester, I wanted to share information about the various safety initiatives the District has undertaken in the past few years regarding prevention, communication, and preparation for disasters and incidents.  

Every day, we are seeing tragic events occurring across schools and college campuses nationwide, and I believe it’s important for our college community to know what steps the District has taken to prepare for an emergency, and what personal steps each of us can take as well. While we can never anticipate when a disaster or incident may occur, we can ensure we are prepared to respond to any type of situation. 

SRJC has made great strides in improving safety protocols over the last few years, in response to local incidents and requests by the college community. We recognize and appreciate the role of our unions in ensuring their members’ safety as part of their purview and continue to collaborate with them. Below are three main areas we have identified and enhanced – emergency preparedness, building and personal safety, and risk management.  

While these steps are important, they are only one component to building a safe campus. This past spring, you received information about the initiatives SRJC has undertaken to respond to the mental health crisis that is impacting our students and community and I look forward to continuing to implement this important work. 

Below you will find updates on the work we have recently done to improve our on-site preparedness and safety. This information, and much more, can be found on the District’s new comprehensive safety website at http://safety.santarosa.edu. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the website and read more about the initiatives we have underway or completed. 

Emergency Preparedness 

The District continues to make every effort to be prepared in the event of disasters and critical incidents that may affect our college community.  

Emergency Preparedness and Response  

The District is continuously evaluating and preparing for a variety of disasters and critical incidents. Recent initiatives include: 

• Equipment and supply purchases (including generators, light trailers, traffic signs, etc.) 
• Micro-grid installation and implementation to serve as back up electricity  
• Ongoing drills and training for Emergency Operations Center personnel  
• Campus and site-specific emergency trainings  

For information on policies and protocols during emergency situations, please download the Emergency Preparedness and Response Guide.  
 

Building Emergency Action Plans and Building Safety Teams 

Buildings and campuses may have designated Building and Area Safety Coordinators who serve critical roles during emergencies such as directing people to exits during an evacuation.  Teams conduct periodic trainings and update Building Emergency Action Plans with procedures specific to each building. Contact Emergency Management Specialist Dawn Carter at dcarter@santarosa.edu with questions about Building Safety Teams, emergency procedures, or if you would like to volunteer as a Safety Coordinator for your building or area.  
 

Trainings 

We are committed to providing ongoing trainings for all employees. There were multiple sessions during Fall 2023 PDA dedicated to safety, including sessions on critical incident mindset and emergency preparedness in the workplace and we will offer more again in Spring 2024 PDA. Later this fall, SRJC will be participating in the Great Shakeout Drill to practice how to be safer during earthquakes. More information on the Great Shakeout Drill will follow. 

Trainings are available for workplace and personal emergency preparedness on request for departments and during Professional Development Activities day.  Contact Dawn Carter, Emergency Management, at dcarter@santarosa.edu.  

 

Campus, Building and Personal Safety 

In 2018, the District commissioned a security study, which provided final recommendations for improving campus safety. In 2019, the District formed a taskforce to provide further recommendations trainings and reports. As a result of these recommendations and in response to the requests of employees and students, the District has upgraded or improved security measures in the last four years including: 
 

Interior and Exterior Door Locks and Cameras 

Electronic locks were installed on exterior doors that will allow District Police to remotely lock-down a building or campus if needed. Manual locks were installed on interior doors, allowing individuals to lock doors from the inside. Any new buildings or renovations include these upgraded locking systems. The only exception are buildings that are considered temporary, which received manual locks, but no electronic locks.  Exterior video cameras have been added or updated across all campuses and sites, which are monitored and recorded 24 hours a day. 
 

Emergency Lockdown Buttons 

Emergency lockdown buttons are located in any classroom that has an exterior facing door. These lockdown buttons allow the instructor or anyone in the classroom to lock that classroom’s door. The buttons are only to be used in extreme emergencies where there is a direct threat to those within.  When activated, District Police dispatch is notified, and officers respond.  When it is safe to do so, it is important District Police is called so responding officers have as much information to properly manage the event. 
 

Emergency Call Towers 

Emergency call towers have been upgraded, added, and will be included in future projects across all campuses and sites, with updated features and technology, including cameras. Towers can be used 24 hours a day with calls being made immediately to notify District Police for a response. These towers are intended to be used for security or safety concerns, and not for medical emergencies. 
 

Active Shooter Trainings and Drills 

All employees and students have the opportunity to learn what to do in the event of an active shooter. The SRJC District Police provide active shooter trainings on request and during Professional Development Activities day.   

District Police offer trainings directly to departments, which can be tailored to include evacuation preparation, shelter-in-place direction, as well as information specific to a given department’s needs and location. They are able to provide the training at a regularly scheduled department meeting if preferred.  

Please contact your area supervisor to arrange this training with District Police.  
 

Police Escorts 

District Police are available to provide safety escorts to and from parking lots and buildings. Please contact District Police at 707-527-1000 to request an escort.

  

SRJC ALERT: Text and Email Alerts 

All current students’ emails and cell phone numbers are automatically uploaded into the District’s emergency notification system known as SRJC ALERT.  If you hear from a student who is not receiving these alerts, please direct them to check with Admissions & Records to confirm their contact information is up-to-date.

Employees’ work email accounts are automatically entered into the alert system. However, due to privacy laws, we are required for employees to opt-in to receive text alerts on their personal devices. The District recommends employees opt-in to receive SRJC’s emergency text alerts on their personal cell phone number through the Escape Employee Online Portal. By opting-in, this will allow the District to provide potentially lifesaving notifications via text in the event of a disaster or emergency should one affect SRJC. Sign up today. 

We also have systems in place to broadcast messages across the District through the Cisco phone system. This allows us to provide audible alerts through the speakerphone in the event of an emergency, in addition to sending text and email alerts. 
 

Community Emergency Notification Systems 

The District encourages all employees to subscribe to the Sonoma County alert systems that are available through various cities and the county.   
 

COVID-19 Information 

You can now find all information, forms, and updates related to COVID-19 on the safety website at https://safety.santarosa.edu/covid-19-information. 

 

Risk Management 

The District strives to reduce injury and illness, and property losses to protect resources for instruction and student services. To ensure SRJC is a safe and healthy environment for all, the District identifies hazards and evaluates risk factors to prevent harm. Recent initiatives undertaken to support the safety of the District include: 

• Hiring of the Hazardous Materials Specialist and a Director with responsibility for risk management; 
• Creation of a non-emergency safety and hazard online reporting form;  
• Creation of an accident, injury or illness reporting form; and  
• Creation of a general email for reporting concerns (riskmanagement@santarosa.edu) 

• Offering general employee safety trainings by department request, during Professional Development Activities day, and through the District’s service provider, SafeColleges. 
• Employees can now log in to SafeColleges with Single Sign-On, using their SRJC email address and password to access trainings.  

 

As always, thank you for your ongoing support as we continuously strive to improve and create a safe campus for our community. Please reach out to me with additional questions or suggestions. 

 

In community, 

Dr. Garcia 

Angélica Garcia, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
707-527-4431, angelicagarcia@santarosa.edu