Emergency Preparedness

Ready When it Matters

When confronted with a minor emergency, Inver Hills normally carries out responsibilities largely independently. However, in the event of a major emergency/disaster, the actions of Inver Hills Community College and the Office of the Chancellor must be closely coordinated to respond effectively. The Inver Hills Community College Emergency Preparedness Plan encompasses several additional plans which support the overall All Hazards Planning Architecture. The objectives of these plans are:

1. To maximize the protection of lives and property;
2. To ensure Inver Hills can survive and continue to provide essential services;
3. To support local units of government;
4. To describe standards regarding training and exercise activities, plan maintenance, and other preparedness activities;
5. To ensure that all state and federal government planning requirements are met.

The campus publishes an Emergency Reference Guide to assist the community in common emergencies that may occur while on campus. These Reference Guides are located in all classrooms and are distributed to employees. Review a copy of the current Emergency Reference Guide.

How Campus Weather Decisions are made

We strive to make the best decisions we can around weather delays and closures, balancing our need to keep students and employees safe with ensuring continuity in student learning and campus events.

Decision Factors

In making the decision, we consider a number of factors. We consider weather factors like snow accumulation rates, wind strength, and wind chill. We consider travel factors like MnDOT travel advisories and availability of public transit. We also consider operational factors like how many classes would be disrupted, what campus events are scheduled, and the impact on our co-located partners.

Our threshold for canceling classes or closing the campus is different from that used by local school districts. We do not automatically delay classes or close if K-12 schools close.

Weather-Related Announcements

StarAlert is our primary method of communicating weather delays/closures and emergency messages, delivered through text, email, and voice call. Learn more about this system and how to keep your contact information up to date.

The college also uses these additional methods for communicating weather delays/closures and emergency messages:

• Banner message at the top of all pages
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Home page of Website
• Local TV stations (KSTP, WCCO, Kare 11, Fox 9)

Decision timeline

We will try to make decisions about winter weather-related delays or closures the evening before. However, we often need to see how weather materializes overnight. In those circumstances, we will seek to make decisions by the following times:

• 5:30 a.m. for morning classes
• 10 a.m. for afternoon classes
• 4 p.m. for evening classes

StarAlert Emergency Notification System

StarAlert is Inver Hills Community College's emergency notification system for students and employees. It delivers time-sensitive emergency notifications and updates to you from campus leaders and the Safety and Security Department, within minutes via phone calls, texts and/or emails.

All students and employees will receive StarAlert messages to their primary contact methods listed with the college.

To update or add additional contact information, create an account on the Blackboard Portal. Use your StarID to create an account for the first time.