Category: News & Highlights

Safety, Emergency, & Enterprise Risk Management is proud to present its annual report, covering activities and accomplishments from fiscal year (FY) 2020 through FY 2022. This report details SEERM’s extensive COVID emergency response as well as routine operations over the last three fiscal years.

To download this report as a PDF, click here.

To view this report in an interactive format, click here.

Tornado Drill: This message initiates the 2023 Statewide Tornado Drill.  This is a TEST of the Mason Alert emergency notification system. This drill will begin at 9:45 a.m. and end at 10 a.m. today; there will be no further Mason Alert messages. Participation in this drill is optional.

To participate, identify or gather in a shelter area, and review the Tornado and Severe Weather Preparation Guide with coworkers, students, or friends (https://ready.gmu.edu/be-prepared/).

Mason Alert Tornado Warnings: Tornados, although rare, do occur in our region and can produce life-threatening conditions. All university students and employees automatically receive tornado warnings that are issued within three miles of a Mason campus or site (Mason Square, Fairfax, Loudoun, SciTech, SMSC, Potomac Science Center, and Point of View). These alerts are distributed to ensure that students and employees are made aware of potentially life-threatening weather conditions.

Students and employees are strongly encouraged to register a cell phone with the Mason Alert system or download the RAVE Guardian application to receive Mason Alert messages in a timely manner. Instructions on how to register a cell phone number in Mason Alert or download the RAVE Guardian public safety application are available at http://ready.gmu.edu.

For additional information about emergency preparedness at George Mason University, please visit http://ready.gmu.edu or contact SEERM-Emergency Management at 703-993-8448 or seerm@gmu.edu. To change your emergency notification preferences or to register your cell phone to receive emergency notifications via text message, visit http://alert.gmu.edu.

Thank you for participating in this drill and test of the Mason Alert system.

This course provides information on how to respond to an active threat situation (a person with a weapon intent on causing harm), hands-on experience using a tourniquet,  and providing first aid to someone who is the victim of an attack. Participants will learn the RUN-HIDE-FIGHT response to active threat situations. This class offers participants the ability to ask what-if questions regarding active threat situations. This class is open to all faculty, staff, and students.

To register, click here or email seerm@gmu.edu for support.

Dear Patriots,

You have either heard of or experienced last month’s erroneous active threat announcement. Fortunately, this was not a real event, but instead an error caused by an external vendor which has been resolved.  For more information about this situation, please visit our advisories page.  Many members of our community reacted quickly using their training to find a safe location, barricade/lock doors, and helped others as necessary. Although we regret this incident, it does remind us of the importance of individual and institutional preparedness. We continue to explore ways to make our campuses as safe as possible.  Please help us in this endeavor by educating yourself on recommended preparedness and response procedures and report emergencies or suspicious conditions to University Police by calling (703) 993-2810.

Mason Alert: All students, faculty, and staff are strongly encouraged to register one or more cell phone numbers with Mason Alert, the university’s emergency notification system. Mason Alert text messages provide timely notification of events affecting your safety.

Active Threat Prevention and Response: Please take 15 minutes to review the university’s Active Threats Awareness and Prevention Video designed to help you identify and report concerning behaviors. This video also reviews actions that should be taken if a person with a weapon is reported on campus.  To register for a scheduled viewing of the Active Threats Awareness and Prevention Video in the Johnson Center Cinema facilitated by University Police and the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHS) with a question and answer session, please click here. University Police provide routine Active Threat Training Opportunities or training upon request.  To sign up or request training please click here.

Rave Guardian Public Safety App: Mason offers a free public safety app to all students, faculty and staff. Rave Guardian is integrated with Mason Alert and offers a number of important features, including a virtual safety escort function, the ability to submit tips anonymously to University Police, and a panic call button that relays your location to University Police.  The Rave Guardian app is free through the iTunes store and the Google Play store. 

Be Prepared: Information on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies that might occur on campus is available at ready.gmu.edu. This site also has resources to help faculty and staff prepare for emergencies that interrupt classes or impact research activities.

If you have any questions or concerns about Mason’s readiness for potential emergencies on campus, please contact EHS at safety@gmu.edu or 703-993-8448.

September is Campus Fire Safety Month, and the Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHS) is pleased to use this opportunity to remind the Mason community of a few essential fire safety tips. In addition to the advice below, EHS encourages you to review the university’sFire Safety Plan, which describes roles and responsibilities, policies, and procedures designed to mitigate the causes of fire, prevent loss of life and property by fire, and outline the procedures used to maintain fire protection and life safety systems at George Mason University.

Stay Warm…and Safe!

With cold weather approaching, it’s important to be aware of heating safety practices. While the university permits the use of personal space heaters, they must be used in accordance with the directives below.

• Space heaters must have tip over automatic safety cut-offs and wiring that is in good condition.
• All combustible materials must be removed at least three feet from the space heater.
• Never place a space heater directly on top of combustible paper products, wood, or fueled equipment.
• Space heaters must be plugged directly into the wall, without the use of an extension cord or power strip.
• Space heater may never be used in areas where hazardous materials (i.e., flammable materials) are used or stored.
• Space heaters must be turned off when they are left unattended.
• Heaters must have a ceramic element. Coil elements are not permitted.

Download this tip sheet from the National Fire Protection Association to learn more about heating safety practices.

Fire Emergencies – Evacuation

Most of us have a habit of entering and leaving our offices through the same door. In an emergency, that exit door may not be accessible, and you’ll need to quickly locate an alternate way out.

Evacuation Plans, like the one pictured here, are posted throughout all university buildings. Students, employees, and visitors are encouraged to know and use two exit routes for all buildings and know your designated assembly area. Evacuation plans also show the location of fire extinguishers and pull stations.

Review your evacuation plan today, and if you have any questions or need additional guidance, please contact EHS.

Training Opportunities

EHS offers Fire Extinguisher Use training to all members of the university community. In this engaging, one-hour course, you’ll learn how to operate a fire extinguisher through hands-on practice and classroom instruction. Visit ehstraining.gmu.edu to register for a class today, or contact EHS to schedule a group session for your office.

Dear Mason Community,

This morning, our community received an alert that there was a dangerous person on our campus. This was an error.

The message was sent inadvertently by one of the university’s emergency notification system software vendors. It was not initiated by anyone on our campus. There was never a threat reported on the Fairfax Campus. Within minutes of receiving this message, the university immediately sent out a message letting the campus know that this was an error.

We understand that this was a frightening experience for our community and apologize for the fear it may have caused.

Environmental Health and Safety is working with the university’s emergency notification system providers to determine how this message was sent and to prevent future incidents.  It appears that this message was triggered by an automated process linked to a test conducted by the emergency notification system vendor in question.  Once we have more information about this incident, we will share it with our community.

Thank you for your patience.

Respectfully,

David Farris, PhD

Executive Director of Safety & Emergency Management

George Mason University

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