Introduction to SafeZone:

No.

If you are using a personal phone, the University does not have a mandate to force you to install the app onto your phone.

However, if there are certain activities that are high-risk, where the expectation is that you might need to carry them out alone, the University is allowed to make a decision as to whether they will allow you to carry out that task if the safety controls without the use of SafeZone are not sufficient.

If you do not have a phone, there is the option to use the Desktop PC version of SafeZone.

Yes.

A Desktop app is due to be made accessible to all University PCs; this will apply mainly to the use of the SafeZone system, but consideration is also being given as to whether a Responder system can be made available to all.

Both Desktop apps are more limited in functionality compared to the mobile phone apps, in that they prevent you from directly calling through them, so the preference is to use the phone app where possible.

Guides will be made available for both of these when they are made available on the University systems - at the time of writing in July 2025, they are not accessible.

Simply put: Yes and No.

There are two angles to consider:

1. via the SafeZone app that is used by users when they need help.

By default, the app does not share your location with anybody. The app will ask you to ensure that location services are activated, but nothing is shared until you have pressed either the Red Emergency or Green First Aid buttons. Your location will also be shared if you click the Check in buttons. Your location cannot be shared if you are outside of the campus e.g. if you are at home. Just having the app open DOES NOT share your location. 

2. via the app that First Aiders use to respond to alerts

First Aid Responses are carried out through the use of the Responder app: Omniguard.

Your location is never shared with anybody regardless of whether you are on or off campus.

Your location will be shown on the app to yourself, but user permissions are set to prevent other responders seeing your location. Your location will be shared if you activate the Duress mode button, but this will only be available to the Security team and your departmental first aiders.

It was initially to be the case where all First Aider locations would be shared with others in their building, but permissions have been set to prevent this.

The only details SafeZone holds is your name, email address and phone number - no other details are stored in the system.

As a user of the SafeZone app, if you raise an alert then responders in your area are notified. This shows your name, your phone number, and your location, but only if you are within the campus geofence. The alert/location will not be displayed to responders if you are off campus.

Details of the First Aid responder are not shared with the alerter other than their name. The responder has the ability to view/call the alerter, but not vice versa.

First Aid Responders cannot see the location or details of any other First Aid Responders through either the SafeZone app or the Responder App, Omniguard.

Although we discourage this, your phone number can be removed from your account, however this will prevent you receiving certain notifications and warnings through the system.

SafeZone requires a phone and/or Wi-Fi signal. Without either of these, functionality becomes limited.

It is still possible to use the Check-in function if you know you are intending to be working in an area of low signal. If you are intending for a task to take a certain amount of time, you can check in whilst signal is still available, and then if you don't get out before the timer is up, the alert will still be sent regardless of your signal.

Alerts can still be raised via SMS if you are in areas with patchy internet.

Alternatively, if a wired internet connection is available, the Desktop PC version of SafeZone can be used

Yes, absolutely.

For both the SafeZone app as well as the Responder app, Omniguard, full functionality of the system is available for the majority of phones via wifi only.

You will still be able to share location (if you're raising an alert), receive messages from Responders (as well as send them), and make/receive calls if your phone has wifi calling enabled (which most modern phones now do).

If you're based somewhere on campus with patchy wifi, you don't want to use your personal mobile data, but you have access to a PC with internet, a Desktop web app is to be made available shortly. Details on these will come in future training/guidance material.

Some elements of SafeZone still work off campus, such as the Wellbeing button, as these only provide information to the user.

The Red Emergency button or Green First Aid button will not connect you to responders on the University site, rather they will prompt you to call 999.

As a First Aider, you will be assigned to respond to one or more buildings.

If you are signed into the phone app for Responders (Omniguard), you will receive alerts that are raised when a user is physically located in the building(s) you are assigned to.

For example, you may be assigned as a First Aider to George Green Library and Portland building. If a student has an incident in Portland building and raises an alert, you will receive that alert regardless of your current location. If a colleague has an incident outside of either of these areas, you will not receive any alert.

The initial idea behind the red Emergency button is that this would be an event that the Security team would respond to.

However, in the initial instance, the Red Emergency button will notify both First Aiders and Security simultaneously. This gives local First Aiders the opportunity to respond to a First Aid emergency where needed.

Additionally, it means that a local responder can ascertain the extent of the emergency and decide whether they need to/can respond.

Security will be able to see any chat records related to Emergency button pushes, regardless of who else has acknowledged the response.

If a person needs help and they are unable to activate an alert themselves, you can and should request aid via SafeZone on their behalf if it is needed.

The First Aiders/Security team can  then liaise with you as the primary contact to help the person get the help they need.

No.

The purpose of the app is to get help to somebody when they need it i.e. it is there to summon help where it may not be obviously available to the user.

If help is already available, then the purpose of the app is fulfilled, and there is no need to report anything using the app.

The system maintains all alerts raised, as well as any chat/photos sent through the system.

These are maintained in the system for 3 years.

The system, by default, defines working hours as 8am-6pm on Weekdays only. Any other time is considered out-of-hours.

In working hours, First Aid requests default to local, building-based First Aiders. Outside of working hours, First Aid requests default to the Security Team.

Wellbeing resources may differ depending on the time of day.

All other functionality is unchanged regardless of hours.

Out-of-hours time windows can be changed on a building-by-building basis. If you need changes to be made, please contact the H&S Department at H&S@nottingham.ac.uk

No - the policy on phones in labs is unchanged.

For the majority of First Aid incidents, the user or a nearby worker will be able to leave the lab in order to summon help, so a change in policy is not required.

For lone working in labs, additional devices called V.ALRT buttons are available for each department to purchase at a cost of £50 each. These connect to a phone by bluetooth with a range of 10m, and can be used to raise an alert without contamination of a phone. 

These buttons must be treated as contaminated if used in labs.

Currently - no. 

We have submitted this as feedback to the company for consideration.

Yes - we don't want to discourage First Aiders from continuing in their roles.

As the implementation of the system progresses, First Aiders not using SafeZone may find that they aren't being contacted as much, but First Aiders who do not wish to use the app are still valued and encouraged to continue in their roles.

On release, no, it won't.

We are working on creating a map layer within the Omniguard system that will allow First Aiders to see all the AEDs across the campus alongside their availability. 

We will communicate this to all First Aiders when it is available for general use.

SafeZone does NOT replace reporting an incident through the University incident reporting system (https://irs.nottingham.ac.uk/default.aspx).

It is a legal requirement to report incidents and near misses, to please continue to do this through the system.