Emergency Procedures for Fire and Tornado
Emergency Text Messaging Notification System (Omnilert)
Temporary Closing/Late Start Information
Southwestern Community College (SWCC) is dedicated to providing a safe and healthy environment for all students, staff, and visitors. With this in mind, the following paragraphs reflect the policies and procedures to follow in case of any emergency or criminal act which takes place on the campus of Southwestern Community College at the Creston campus, the Red Oak Center, or the Osceola Center.
Emergency Notifications
Fire
The fire alarm will be a continuous sound from the alarm horn. Evacuate the building by the nearest exit and move a minimum of 100 feet away from building. Maps are posted throughout SWCC facilities. - Fire Alarm Sound
Tornado
The tornado alarm will be a fluctuating tone. Move to the designated tornado shelter areas. Maps are posted throughout SWCC facilities. - Tornado Alarm Sound
Emergency text messaging notification system
The Omnilert service provides a campus-wide emergency notification system to send instant text messages and/or email messages to all students, faculty, and staff members who have elected to receive them. This service also allows users to receive messages when classes are canceled and/or messages when the college is closed due to weather.
To sign up for Omnilert, SWCC's campus-wide emergency text messaging notification system, students and/or employees should log on to the SWCCyou portal. Once logged on to SWCCyou, look for the Omnilert link on the left-hand side of the page. New students receive training on SWCCyou during new student orientation session.
With this system in place, SWCC can instantly and simultaneously distribute brief time-sensitive messages in emergency situations. Although there is not one system that is 100 percent guaranteed effective, this is a great addition to methods of communication.
NOTE: Some carriers may charge for incoming text messages so keep this in mind should you decide to sign up. You may also sign up to receive the same messages via email with or without signing up your cell phone number.
Temporary closing/late start information
Every effort will be made to keep the college open. However, should inclement weather or other emergencies necessitate closing the college or delaying the start of classes, the decision will be made between 5-5:30 a.m. When inclement weather causes the college to have a delay, the following procedures will be followed:
- If the delay occurs on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, then classes will start at 9:40 a.m. (7:30 a.m. and 8:35 a.m. classes will not meet). Offices will open at 9 a.m.
- If the delay occurs on a Tuesday or Thursday, then classes will start at 9 a.m. (7:30 a.m. classes will not meet). Offices will open at 9 a.m.
Delays/closings will be announced on the following media outlets:
Radio stations
KSIB-KITR Creston (AM 1520/FM 101.3); KOAK/KCSI Red Oak (AM 1080/FM 95.3); KMA Shenandoah (AM 960/KM 99.3); KKDM Des Moines (FM 107.5); KXNO Des Moines (AM 1460); KDRB Des Moines (FM 100.3); KDXA Des Moines (FM 106.3); K245CO Des Moines (FM 96.9); KSOI Des Moines (FM 91.9); KSOM Atlantic (FM 96.5/95.7); WHO Des Moines (AM 1040); and KJAN Atlantic (AM 1220)
Television Stations
KCCI-TV 8 Des Moines; KDSM-TV Fox 17; WHO-TV 13 Des Moines; WOI-TV 5 Ames/Des Moines; KMTV-TV 3 Omaha; KETV 7 Omaha; and WOWT-TV 6 Omaha
Websites/Apps
Des Moines Register, WHOtv.com, and 13Now App