The University of Stockholm is a large working-space with 25,000 full-time students and 5,500 faculty members, studying and working on a site covering approx. 400,000 sqm. Typically with a site of this size, there are many security and safety considerations and therefore the University has recently decided to implement EcoOnline Crisis Management as their primary Crisis Management System.
“As our business is very varied, we need a Crisis Management System that can cover all aspects of the University´s Emergency Response Plan”, says Nellie Grenius Head of Security and further explains that “not only does the campus span a wide area, but there are also an active research environment and laboratories with many people entering and exiting the facilities”.
Nellie Grenius
In order to quickly implement EcoOnline Crisis Management, the University of Stockholm decided to start with some pre-defined scenarios. Nellie Grenius continues, “the easy implementation of EcoOnline Crisis Management within our infrastructure showed how user-friendly the platform is and further exhibits how important emergency planning is. Furthermore, Grenius points out that the solution is delivered with a standardized checklist that can be easily amended and expanded.
Nellie Grenius is especially satisfied with the support she received from EcoOnline, during the implementation phase, adding that their assistance was not only insightful but also helpful. – This enabled us to not only further strengthen our Emergency Response but also effectively train our faculty members. It is especially important for me that not only I can handle the situation set out in the ERP but also my colleagues and any employee at the University with access.
The system is made more powerful by the built-in checklist and automated alert systems, which quickly mobilize all necessary personnel. User-friendliness was one of the key elements for choosing EcoOnline as our primary Crisis Management Tool.
The crisis management team at the University consists of 10 people, with each of them having substitutes who all receivied the necessary training. Grenius explains, “the University has decided to structure their Crisis Management System into three scenarios, crisis communication, information security, and laboratory operations. For each of the three scenarios there are specific checklists, alerts via e-mail, SMS and voice calls. In addition, the University´s 15-page Emergency Response Plan is stored digitally on EcoOnline, in the cloud, making it easily accessible”.
When asked which incidents are the most challenging Grenius continues that fire and water pose the biggest threat, as many of the faculty buildings and laboratories on campus store chemicals. And fire is also challenging as there are always many people on campus. Therefore, in is necessary to have a close relationship with local authorities and a comprehensive plan in place to inform students in case of an emergency.
The Corona Pandemic has forced faculty members and students alike to work from home and attend virtual meetings and classes. – Nellie Grenius concludes that these times have shown the utmost importance of having a digital Crisis Management System in place. With EcoOnline we have a handy system that alerts and virtually assembles our crisis management team whether they are on or off campus.