KINGSTON, R.I. — Feb. 19, 2020 — The University of Rhode Island community should dial 9-1-1 to report any emergency, on- or off-campus, effective immediately. The former Kingston Campus emergency number (401-874-2121) will remain in service for the foreseeable future as the campus community transitions to calling 9-1-1 exclusively for emergencies.

Non-emergency calls from the URI community should be made to the Public Safety Dispatch Center at 401-874-4910.

The shift was made possible when the University recently became an officially designated Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) under the state’s Enhanced 9-1-1 Uniform Emergency Telephone System.

This designation means that emergency calls from the Kingston Campus to 9-1-1 are now routed directly from the state’s 9-1-1 center to University Police and Emergency Medical Services. Previously, calls made from campus to 9-1-1 were routed first to the South Kingstown Police Department, the PSAP historically designated to cover URI, which then had to be relayed to University Police.

The process to join the 9-1-1 system began in the fall of 2019 when URI Public Safety Director and Police Chief Stephen Baker contacted David Smith, director of the state’s 9-1-1 system. Smith worked with URI staff to test the technology for URI’s Public Safety Answering Point in January. URI’s full participation in the 9-1-1 system began this month.

“This step is one of many we have taken in the past several years to make the University a safer place,” said Sam Adams, assistant director of Public Safety and director of Emergency Management. “It’s part of protecting our greatest asset–our students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

Adams said the growth of URI in terms of enrollment and facilities has led to this move and others, including building a robust Office of Emergency Management, establishing community policing and bicycle patrol units and arming campus police, all critical to building a safer campus.

In addition, Adams said the latest research shows that most 9-1-1 calls come from wireless phones and that call locator technology can be used to assist the 9-1-1 dispatcher and URI first-responders.

The 9-1-1 service also provides translators, a key feature for international students and faculty at URI.

“This is a great success story that involves the state’s 9-1-1 system, the South Kingstown Police Department, URI’s Campus Planning and Design Department, URI’s Department of Information Technology and URI’s Department of Public Safety,” Adams said. “Campus Planning and Design helped us update our campus addresses and maps and Information Technology assisted with state 9-1-1 and Verizon and Cox.”

Smith said the initiative is a huge step for the University and the state because it reduces relay times and the chance for error.

“Statistically, RI E911 receives more than 470,000 calls per year,” Smith said. “We know that lives are saved when first responders can deploy to a scene or at least provide pre-arrival instruction for medical assistance. The direct routing of calls from administration, staff, students, and visitors at their time of emergency is the best way that our agencies can work together to provide the most efficient and elite public service that they all expect and deserve.

“On behalf of State Police Col. James Manni, and director of the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety, we are committed at RI E911 to providing the best possible service to our state. The ability to provide dedicated service to the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston Campus is just the latest example of improvements to the integrity, timeliness and delivery of service.”