Campus Safety and Fire Safety Awareness Month Kickoff Set for Sept. 6

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 2, 2016) — Recognizing September as a trifecta of preparedness, National Preparedness Month, Campus Fire Safety Month, and Campus Safety Awareness Month, University of Kentucky Police Department’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness (CMP) and the UK Fire Marshal’s Office will host an event Tuesday, Sept. 6, to kick off Campus Safety and Fire Safety Awareness Month. The event will take place on the corner lawn of Woodland Avenue and Hilltop Avenue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and engage students, faculty and staff on various issues related to safety and preparedness.

While safety begins and ends with personal responsibility, there are a number of campus departments and programs that promote safety, preparedness and crime prevention throughout the year:   

· UK Alert

· LiveSafe

· 2015 Annual Safety & Security Report

· 2015 Annual Fire Safety Report

· UK Daily Crime Log

· UK Campus Fire Log

· UK Fire Marshal – Fire Safety Month

· UK Emergency Assistance Card Program

· UK Citizen’s Police Academy

· UK Campus Community Emergency Response Team (C-CERT)

· UK Police, Self Defense Tactics and Risk Reduction (STARR)

· UK Police Active Shooter Training and Class Presentations

· Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

· Kentucky WILDCAB

· Cats Path

· Safe and Free Escort for Campus Area Traveling Students (SAFECATS)

· UK Department of Environmental Management

· UK Department of Occupational Health and Safety

· UK Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center

· UK Wellness Initiatives for Student Empowerment

· UK Community of Concern

The 2016 kickoff will showcase a live burn and fire extinguisher training by the UK Fire Marshal’s Office along with free T-shirts that support the message, “Get up and get out!” UKPD staff will be on site to answer any questions you may have while also promoting the LiveSafe app and UK Alert. Items that are recommended to be included in a home preparedness kit will also be on display. 

UK Alert is one of the most important safety tools available to the entire campus community. UK Alert is an emergency notification system designed for use only when an incident threatens the immediate health and safety of the campus community, such as the need to seek shelter or when there is a significant disruption to campus operations.

All UK students, staff and faculty are registered in UK Alert via their official university email address, a total of 57,968 users. Of those registered, 59 percent have provided additional contact information, such as personal email addresses and mobile numbers in order to receive voice calls and/or text messages, to their accounts. UK students, staff and faculty may access and update their UK Alert account via the myUK portal. Parents, media, visitors and other interested parties may register for UK Alert on a voluntary self-subscription basis by clicking here.

The UK Campus Safety and Fire Safety Awareness Month Kickoff will emphasize a variety of UK programs to encourage students, faculty and staff to stay more informed, aware and safe while on campus.  

UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue

MEDIA CONTACT:  Kathy Johnson, 859-257-3155