RADFORD – Radford Safe, a free app that sends important safety alerts and provides instant access to campus safety resources, is available now on Google Play or from the App Store.
The app, which replaces Radford University’s previous safety app, Rave Guardian, can be found by searching for “Radford Safe.”
Radford University Chief of Police Eric Plummer said that all Radford Alert messages will be pushed to the Radford Safe app. Highlander parents, spouses, other loved ones, and the community at-large can download the app to receive the emergency alerts.
“It is important to offer this type of technology in an effort to keep our campus community informed, aware, and ready to respond to any situation in which they may find themselves,” Plummer said. “Building a culture of safety is one of our goals, and this technology assists us in moving in that direction.”
Plummer said the app puts safety tools and resources within reach of Radford students, faculty, staff, and visitors, enhancing the current safety efforts on campus and in the surrounding communities. Many of the features offered through Radford Safe work in both on- and off-campus locations.
The app includes these safety features:
Work alone/study alone allows the users to set up automated check-ins and emergency escalations if they are working or studying alone in an area.
Mobile Bluelight turns one’s phone into an emergency “blue light” system, providing Radford University’s police with the location and establishing immediate voice contact.
Virtual Police Walk allows university police to monitor the users’ walk if they feel unsafe when walking on campus. A police department dispatcher will monitor their journey until they reach their destination.
Friend Walk sends the users’ location to a friend through e-mail or SMS on their device, allowing the friend to track the location in real time, ensuring the users make it safely to their destination.
Report a tip offers multiple ways to report a safety or security concern directly to university police.
Emergency Contacts provides the user with contacts for services in case of emergency or non-emergency concerns.
Emergency Procedures gives the users access to campus emergency guidance that can prepare them for disasters or emergencies, which can be accessed even when users aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Campus Maps helps navigate the Radford University area, locate AED locations and find transit routes currently in service.
Safety Toolbox enhances safety with a set of tools provided in one convenient location, including the ability to communicate live with safety staff at Radford University via chat; find previous push notifications for this app with the date and time; send users’ location to a friend by sending a map of their position; and send the users’ location and a message indicating that “I’m OK” to a recipient of their choosing.
-Radford University
