Beginning Tuesday, July 2, cellphone numbers automatically will be integrated from Firefly and MyRecords into UNMC Alert to further enhance the safety of the UNMC community.
In life-threatening situations – whether it’s a fire, armed intruder or tornado – every second matters. If an emergency occurs at work, Public Safety needs to be able to notify UNMC faculty, staff, and students immediately.
Campus safety is the No. 1 priority, which is why cellphones registered in Firefly (for faculty/staff) and MyRecords (for students) will be integrated into UNMC Alert, the med center’s new emergency notification system.
Once the integration occurs, all faculty and staff will begin receiving voice calls and text messages for emergencies where your life could be in danger, such as:
- Armed intruder
- Bomb threat
- Explosion
- Fire
- Tornado warning
“While everyone at UNMC already receives emergency alerts through email, we know the fastest way to reach someone in an emergency is through their cellphone and text messaging,” said Diane Mack, director of emergency management for UNMC. “Only 20% of UNMC faculty and staff have their cellphones loaded into Firefly. We encourage everyone to enter their mobile numbers into Firefly – and the UNMC Alert system – to ensure they get life-threatening emergency alerts when seconds count.”
Students’ contact information in MyRecords also will be loaded into UNMC Alert. “We are excited to offer students this way to receive emergency alerts,” Mack said, noting that students should update their contact information in MyRecords and in UNMC Alert, as well.
Any UNMC employee or student can sign up for alerts on our campuses at these links:
- UNMC Alert
- UNK Alert
- UNL Alert
- UNO Alert
- Norfolk (Northeast Community College)
- Scottsbluff (Western Nebraska Community College)
UNMC employees and students will not receive voice calls or text messages for non-life-threatening emergencies, such as facility updates. If you want to voluntarily enroll in text messages for these additional alerts, text “UNMCALERT” to 226787.
Although not recommended, if you do not wish to receive emergency notifications to your phone, users can log in to UNMC Alert after Tuesday, July 2, to remove the cellphone number from their account.