Case Study: University of Exeter achieves rapid mass evacuation and coordinated emergency response with CriticalArc SafeZone

WWII Bomb Unearthed Near Exeter Campus

The University of Exeter selected CriticalArc’s SafeZone to improve lone-worker safety, emergency response and targeted communications across its campuses. The system — originally deployed to protect researchers and out-of-hours staff — was unexpectedly tested when a 1,000kg WWII bomb was discovered near campus, creating an immediate major-incident challenge to warn and evacuate students and staff.

CriticalArc’s SafeZone was used to mobilize patrol officers and send direct emergency alerts to roughly 4,000 app users and 32,000 preregistered contacts via push, text and email, enabling a rapid response, a 100m then 400m exclusion zone and the safe evacuation of halls and buildings before a controlled MoD detonation. The event validated CriticalArc’s platform for real-time location visibility and coordinated multi-agency response, accelerated wider adoption across Exeter’s sites (including Penryn) and partner Falmouth University, and delivered measurable improvements in mass notification, officer coordination and lone-worker protection.

University of Exeter

Dan Nicoll

Head of Security