Step 2. Rely on uOttawa Alert
In the event of an emergency, it’s vital that we be ready to provide you with reliable information as early as possible. The University is therefore implementing the Emergency Notification System (ENS) to ensure we can reach you efficiently and effectively through a variety of methods.
uoAlert will be activated only in a major emergency, such as a violent attacker, a serious fire or severe weather. Notification could take place through some or all of the following tools:
Screen alerts for personal computers with Alertus
Stay informed during emergencies with Alertus, a new tool available for uOttawa students. You will also be helping us with our pilot test of new tools for students! Download the Alertus client in order to receive screen alerts during an emergency affecting campus:
When activated, an alert will appear on your screen with the following text: URGENCE / EMERGENCY ALERTE !! ALERT followed by a brief description of the affected area and what action to take.
Look for your Alertus icon in your tray!
If Alertus is not installed on the personal computer that you are working on you won’t receive a screen alert. Check your tray for the Alertus icon and if it is not connecting, be sure to contact Information Technology (IT) for assistance.
Emergency notification by text
Image of a cell phone text message to opt-in to receive text alerts.
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Image of a cell phone text message confirming the user’s subscription to text alerts
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Screen alerts
An alert will appear on University of Ottawa computers if connected to the uOttawa network at the time of an emergency. The following text will appear on your screen: MESSAGE D’URGENCE uOttawa EMERGENCY MESSAGE.
Look for your B! If the University computer that you are working on doesn’t have the alert software installed, you won’t receive a screen alert. Check your tray for the B icon and if it is not installed or if it is not connected, be sure to contact Information Technology (IT) for assistance.
Image of a lockdown alert posted on a computer screen
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All uOttawa account holders will receive an email with the subject line:MESSAGE D’URGENCE uOttawa EMERGENCY MESSAGE. The message will contain important information about the emergency. To prevent it from going to your junk mail folder, please add Alerte-uOttawa-Alert@noreply.uOttawa.ca to your “safe sender” list.
Image of an alert sent in an email
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Social media
Throughout an emergency, the University will tweet updates using the Twitter handle @uOttawaAlert. Other Twitter handles, such as @uOttawa, will also retweet (RT) emergency messages. As a follower, you’ll be asked to retweet all related posts to help spread the word.
We’ll also post updates on the University’s Facebook page.
Website banner
In emergencies, the uOttawa website will feature an emergency Web banner. It will appear at the top of every Web page and will be updated as often as possible so that you have easy access to the latest developments on the situation. The banner will also feature a link to the University’s dark site,uOttawa.ca/emergency, which will be activated only in emergencies.
Image of an uoAlert web banner
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Image of a web banner alert posted on uoMobile
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Dark site
In the event of a major emergency, a dark site will take over the uOttawa homepage and gateway pages. It will display the latest information about the emergency as it unfolds, as well as links to additional resources.
Image of the Emergency Information Page
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Emergency InfoLine
The University’s Emergency InfoLine, 613-562-5555, will provide up-to-date information on all major campus emergencies.
Image of the Emergency Infoline phone number
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