Education
When Student Safety Can't Wait for a Playbook
Brief #
OB-2026-3
Date Prepared
Status
Active
Location
Richmond, VA
Enrollment
~4,000 Students
Campus
350 Acres
EM Team Size
1.5 Personnel
Applicable to
Emergency Management
Higher Education
Public Health
Healthcare
It's a no-brainer if you're looking at using AI.
Maribel Street
Director of Emergency Management, University of Richmond
Mission Outcomes
EM1 transformed how a 1.5-person office builds programs, distills documents, and keeps sensitive campus data secure:
Program Built from Scratch
Created a complete campus EpiPen program with no existing higher-ed template, using EM1 to draft every component.
Document Synthesis
600 Pages to Action Plan
On-Demand Executive Summaries
Turned source documents into audience-ready briefings in minutes instead of hours.
Briefing Turnaround
5 min request, 2 min delivery
Stakeholder Accessibility
Distilled a 71-page legacy hazard mitigation plan into a summary that brought the planning team up to speed.
Plan Comprehension
71 Pages to Exec Summary
1
Situation
The University of Richmond's emergency management office runs lean. On a 350-acre private campus serving roughly 4,000 students in Virginia's capital, Director Maribel Street and graduate fellow, Hannah Concannon, handle everything from continuity planning to training and outreach. When students experienced allergic reactions in dining facilities, the Chief of Police asked a straightforward question: could they stock EpiPens on campus? The answer was yes, in theory. In practice, every existing framework for EpiPen programs was built for K-12 public schools. "I basically just didn't have anything to go off of because everything Epi-related is K-through-12 oriented," Concannon said. She was starting from absolute scratch, with Virginia legal code, liability questions, and no template to follow.
Starting from Scratch
Every existing EpiPen framework was built for K-12 public schools. For higher education, there was no template, no precedent, and no guidance. The team had to build it themselves.
The team was already using ChatGPT for drafting work, but uploading sensitive campus safety documents into a public AI system was a growing concern. "My university would love if I had a closed network where I was putting all this information into instead of on ChatGPT," Street recalled. They needed a secure, purpose-built alternative.
2
Discovery & Security
When EM1 approached Street, the decision was fast. A closed AI system designed for emergency management solved two problems at once: data security and domain relevance. "It wasn't a hard yes for me at all," she said. Before onboarding, the university's information security team vetted EM1 through their internal review process. "They are pretty stringent on what we're allowed to have," Street explained. "Considering they felt comfortable, I had no problems because I know that they are very picky." EM1 cleared the bar, and the team moved forward.
IT-Approved on First Review
The university's information security team ran EM1 through their internal vetting process. EM1 cleared the bar, giving Street full confidence to upload sensitive campus documents.
Closed System
Private Knowledge Base
No Model Training
No Redaction Required
3
Building from Scratch
Concannon uploaded six documents into EM1: anaphylaxis guidelines for public spaces, Virginia legal code on emergency care liability, Virginia Department of Health K-12 templates, athletic trainer protocols, and campus-specific health plans. She asked the assistant to draft an action plan, then worked section by section through training requirements, medication storage rules, standing order procedures, and liability protections. "I used EM1 probably every single week while I was working on the program and then also implementation," she said. The platform identified what needed to be in the plan so her meetings with dining, public safety, and university health could focus on decisions rather than discovery. The EpiPen program launched over spring break.
Six Documents, One Action Plan
Concannon loaded Virginia legal code, Department of Health templates, and campus health plans into EM1. The assistant drafted the framework; her cross-functional team made the decisions.
Fall 2025
Project Initiated
Chief of Police requests EpiPen program
Fall/Winter 2026
Weekly Drafting in EM1
Action plan, training, and storage protocols built section by section
Spring Break 2026
Program Launch
EpiPen program goes live in dining facilities
4
Expanding Use
The project proved EM1's value beyond a single initiative. Street began using it for on-demand executive summaries: when her chief needed a briefing in five minutes, she delivered it in two. The team also distilled their 71-page legacy hazard mitigation plan into a summary that finally made the document accessible. "I was overwhelmed by the original document, but I was able to read the executive summary, and now I know what we're doing," a colleague told them. Next up: a full-scale exercise and a 12-month hazard mitigation plan rewrite.
From One Project to Every Project
What started as a single EpiPen program expanded to executive summaries, hazard mitigation planning, training descriptions, and full-scale exercise preparation.
5
Assessment
For a 1.5-person office juggling projects with no predecessors' documentation, EM1 became the difference between stalling and shipping. Concannon captured it plainly: "I can't even imagine how many days or weeks it has saved me when going through and writing drafts, executive summaries, editing, and comparing. It's really saved me."
Street, who described herself as initially hesitant about AI, offered her own verdict: "Just knowing that you've got a safe way to analyze information, it's a relief." Both spoke highly of EM1 at the IAEM University and College Caucus conference. Street's advice to peers considering the platform: "It's a no-brainer if you're looking at using AI."
A Relief, Not a Risk
A director once hesitant about AI now advocates for EM1 at national conferences. The closed system turned a security concern into a competitive advantage.
