Liberty University’s Emergency Management & Community Engagement Department focuses on an all-hazards approach to prepare the Liberty community for any type of emergency that may occur on or near campus.
The office is responsible for many vital functions of the university, including a 24/7 dispatch center for emergency calls, preparedness and response for everyday operations and large campus events, building and threat assessments, and the Campus Alert System.
Jeff Hurtak, EMCE director, said the office acts as a “facilitator,” bringing all parties to the table, whether it is the Liberty University Police Department, local police, fire, and EMS services, the National Weather Service, or state and federal agencies.
“It’s a lot of collaboration and thinking outside of the box,” he said. “We have an operation that needs to be flexible and adaptable, and it starts with having a group that works together, all people on one team with one voice.”
Liberty’s Emergency Operations Center was formally designated the Region 3 Coordination Center at a ceremony on April 6, attended by representatives from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, Lynchburg Mayor Stephanie Reed, Virginia Del. Wendell Walker, State Sen. Mark J. Peake, and members of Liberty’s administration.
Liberty recently upgraded the department’s Emergency Operations Center, located on Mayflower Drive, to serve as a hub for campus emergency operations and as the Region 3 Coordination Center for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (the region includes Charlottesville, Farmville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, South Boston, Staunton, and Waynesboro).
The EMCE has expanded from what was once a task force into an office of 18 employees, including eight dispatchers, three emergency management planners, a senior communications supervisor, a senior emergency management planner, a training coordinator, and a community engagement analyst. In recent months, several members of the department have received advanced certificates from the Federal Emergency Management Association and the Virginia Emergency Management Association.
The dispatch center is staffed around the clock and is the first line of response when someone calls (434) 592-3911 from campus. Dispatchers receive the same crisis intervention training that is administered to outside police and rescue workers and use the latest technology, including the Motorola Spillman, a CAD (computer-aided design) dispatch system.
Day to day, the department is collecting data to plan for emergencies and assessing various potential threats, from an active shooter to a severe weather event or spills that create fall hazards at events.
Thanks to its preparative measures in place for natural disaster occurrence and recovery, Liberty has been certified as a “StormReady” campus by the National Weather Service, making it one of four universities in Virginia (and the only private university) to receive the designation.
Liberty is certified as a “StormReady” campus by the National Weather Service.
The department helped launch the Champion Safe app, the official safety app of the university that integrates with Liberty’s safety and security systems to offer timely alerts and useful resources. Students can access tools such as a Friend Walk, which allows them to be virtually connected to a friend until they are safely to their destination, and a Mobile Blue Light, which allows users to share their location in real time with LUPD in the time of a crisis (the university has 13 emergency blue light call boxes across campus). The app is also outfitted with customizable plans for various university events, such as Commencement or student bus trips to Washington, D.C.
The department has also begun offering training classes for Liberty students, faculty, and staff.
Vice President of Security & Public Safety Marcus Tinsley said the university has abundant resources to keep safety at the top of mind.
“It’s an amazing blessing to be a part of an institution that prioritizes the safety and security of our community, without exception,” he said. “We have been given the opportunity to bring together incredible people, with state-of-the-art resources, in an effort to achieve the highest level possible of protection through service.”
Hurtak, who served over 27 years in law enforcement, including with the Miami-Dade Police Department, Alachua County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office, and LUPD, where he served as a sergeant, said it’s the job of his office to not only determine ways to keep the Liberty community safe but to also carry the university’s distinct Christian mission forward.
A perfect example, he said, was his department’s collaboration with local officials when Liberty Football played in the Fiesta Bowl. In preparations for the trip, his team reached out to the bowl’s emergency management team to see how Liberty could assist in the logistics of transporting the team around the Greater Phoenix area.
“They were so surprised by that,” he said. “They had never heard of someone reaching out to see how we can support their function … and that’s something we did that’s different. That’s how this country progresses in emergency management. And if we can bring that with the flag of Christ, that’s something this country hasn’t seen in a long time.”
