SafeZone

SafeZone is a mobile application that helps keep our CDU community safe. Its primary purpose is to offer our staff and students the following benefits: 

• Access to personalised emergency assistance without delay (Emergency Alert, First Aid, non-urgent matters, and Wellbeing Services) 
• A direct line to the CDU Security who can deploy appropriate emergency resources. 
• Notifications regarding critical incidents or emergency issues on campuses. 

Staff and students not registered in SafeZone will receive an email to their CDU account in the event of a critical incident or emergency.

1. Download the app. 
2. Enter your organization’s email address. 
3. Follow the prompts to complete your registration. 

You must complete your registration before you can begin using SafeZone

Phones: SafeZone currently runs on: 

iPhones (iOS v12+) 

Android phones* (Android v6+) and 

Windows PCs (a limited-functionality desktop version of SafeZone is available) 

Important: SafeZone for Android requires Google Play Services for geo-location, push notifications, and to periodically wake the app. Google Play Services is supported by most Android devices. Newer Huawei devices (Mate 30 Series, Honor 30 Series and P40 Series, and later) are not supported due to restrictions on Huawei’s ability to use Google apps and services. Blackberry 10 and Nokia X are only supported when Google Play Services is installed manually. 

Tablets: SafeZone currently runs on iPads or Android tablets however, as most tablets do not have a standard SIM-based incoming voice call capability (i.e. no phone number), we recommend an iPhone or Android phone as your primary sign-up device. 

If you don’t have a smartphone, but you do have a mobile phone and a tablet or iPad, use that device to sign up but put your separate mobile phone’s number in as your contact number.

Email address: you must use your organization’s email address. If you are signing up through a university or college, use the e-mail address supplied by your organization. Personal emails will not work. 

Password: Do not use your organization password. If you forget your password, you can easily reset it. 

Name: Use your real name. This helps to ensure security can identify you. 

Phone Number: Provide your mobile number. If you are signing up for the first time on an iPad or tablet, use your mobile number (even if that is not a smartphone). In most situations, responders will use this to contact you.

Picture (optional): This will help responders identify you if you are in a crowded location. 

Other optional Information: Your organization may set other fields e.g. your office number, a medical condition, or a physical limitation that will help the security team respond more effectively. 

Profile Updates: Once you’ve signed up, you can open the SafeZone app and update your details at any time, except your email address. If you enter the wrong email, sign up again using the correct email address. 

Remember, your personal information is held in strictest confidence (see the SafeZone Privacy Policy) and your location is never recorded except when you raise an alert for help from the security team. If you have problems downloading the app or signing up, use your nominated email address to send our support team a message.

SafeZone does not share a user’s location until they send an alert (emergency, first aid, or help), use the check-in or check-in timer features, or submit a tip-report that includes their location. All information that users provide as a SafeZone user is protected by Federal and State Privacy Laws. Read about our Privacy Provisions and Privacy Video.

SafeZone needs to access your location to allow you to ‘Raise Alerts’, ‘Check In’, connect Bluetooth devices and signup. Note that your location is only shared when you raise an alert or check-in. Even then, your location is only shared with your organization’s team of professional responders. Your right to privacy is always respected and you can cancel any alert or check-in at any time. We recommend this is set to “Always Allow Access”.

By always allowing access to location, you can check-in and then continue to use your phone as normal, minimizing SafeZone to the background and making calls, sending mail, using the internet and other apps. If “only while using” is selected, this is not possible and SafeZone would have to remain in the foreground. This causes additional battery-drain and stops your phone from being effective. 

NOTE: Always allowing access does not mean your location is always shared with responders. Your location is only shared when you actively raise an alert or check-in.

Messages like the one adjacent may seem to contradict the privacy controls, where the app only shares your location while checked-in on site or when you raise an alert. For the app to work, there are other occasions when it needs to access your location in the background, for example if you have automatic check-in enabled and the phone needs to check if you are in a geofence. Despite the app checking the location locally on the phone, this location data is NEVER shared off device and does not go into the SafeZone servers. Your privacy is key and always protected. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Apple’s notification does not distinguish between a location check and a location being transmitted.

You will be prompted to have location services enabled when installing the app. If you need to check the Location Services settings afterwards, here are our recommendations for your phone: 

• iPhone, iPad SETTINGS / PRIVACY / LOCATION SERVICES [ON], and scroll down in the Location Services screen to the SafeZone app, make sure it’s [ON]. 
• Android varies by manufacturer and model, e.g. Samsung Galaxy S3: SETTINGS / MORE / LOCATION SERVICES / Check all boxes (Access, GPS, Wi-Fi) all [ON]. 

Having notification services enabled will also be prompted for this when installing the app. If you need to check the Notification Centre settings afterwards, here are our recommendations for your phone:

• iPhone, iPad SETTINGS / NOTIFICATION CENTER scroll down in the Notification Centre screen to the SafeZone app, make sure ALERT STYLE is either BANNERS or (preferably) ALERTS, and ALL other settings are [ON]. 
• Android SETTINGS / MY DEVICE / BLOCKING MODE / Either all BLOCKING MODE is DISABLED, or at least Disable Notifications is UNCHECKED [OFF]. 

Having Wi-Fi enabled (without even being connected to a network) will significantly improve the accuracy of the location information sent by your device. 

Being connected to your organisations Wi-Fi will help ensure that your alert is sent, even if your mobile service provider does not have coverage. 

SafeZone only shares your location with the Response Team when you raise an Alert or Check-In. 

It is not possible for another person to activate the share location function externally. Only you can activate this by raising an alert or call, or by checking-in. The location service uses a combination of cell-network, Wi-Fi, and GPS positioning. 

The location service also requires an internet connection (via Wi-Fi or Mobile Data) to operate. 

Your location is most accurately determined when you have ‘Wi-Fi Enabled’.

SafeZone has several features designed to optimize battery usage. Motion and activity detection limits the amount of location polling which is carried out (if allowed in your device’s permissions) The app can have different activity profile settings, ‘default’ is recommended here for most users. Also, remember to move SafeZone to the background once checked-in or when not being used.

In an emergency or major event your organization/university may need to send you ‘Alerts’ through push notifications. These notifications may contain: 

• Information or instructions (in the case of emergencies) or links to websites for further information 
• A request to Check-in. A Check-in request would be sent so that response teams know your location and can send appropriate follow-up messages based upon it (for example instructions to evacuate, lockdown or go to an area). 

It also allows the organization to co-ordinate its response assets getting them to the right areas.

If you accidentally press any SafeZone call button, you can cancel the call by tapping the button again while the “timer” is winding down. After the call (alert) has been sent, you can still cancel your request, but you will be contacted by security to ensure your safety. Please answer their call or message to confirm you are ok.

After pressing any of the three Call buttons, your phone will display the information shown on the left. 

• The three icons mean: 
• Obtaining location (checked when successful) 
• Sending your request (checked when successful) 
• Awaiting Acknowledgement from Security the Text changes from ‘Alert Sent’ to ‘Alert Acknowledged’ when the Security Team has seen your request and physically sent you, their acknowledgement. The icon will be ‘ticked’, and your phone will also vibrate when this happens. This means they are about to call you (if you don’t call them) and they are responding to your request. 

Having sent an Alert, you can call security directly by tapping the green button or cancel the Alert by tapping the red button. If you cancel at this point, Security will still call you to check that you are OK.

When you Check-In, your location and ID information is shared with members of your response team. If you need help, you will still need to press an alert button or make a Help call.

No, you do not need to be checked in first. If you need help, open the app, and tap one of the buttons. Unless you wish to share your presence with the response team or are required to check in for workplace safety reasons, you may never need to check in.

Battery Optimization on Android devices turns off apps which are running in the background. This means that someone checked-in would not be able to share their location if the app isn’t on the front screen. Since battery life is negatively affected by keeping SafeZone front and centre (and the fact it stops you using the phone for other things!) we ask you turn off this by: 

• tapping on Settings 
• search for battery optimization
• tap “Apps not optimized” at the top left of the screen and change it to “All apps”
• scroll down to SafeZone (apps listed alphabetically) 
• uncheck optimization (turning it off) 
• confirm your choice with any pop-up message.

SafeZone works in regions that your organization’s response team has defined, where they can respond to your request.

Typically, in a university, this is any campus area, but it may also cover paths to nearby transport or accommodation. To see where your organization’s current SafeZone regions are, tap “Regions” in the SafeZone App Menu or tap on the map icon at the top right of the screen. 

Check with the safety and security team at your organization whether SafeZone is available.

SafeZone will operate at any location, however if you raise a call or alert when you are outside one of the defined SafeZone areas, your app will offer you a single-tap call to local emergency services (Australia 000) and provide your GPS coordinates which you can pass on to call handlers.

If you are an existing user, download and install SafeZone, then tap the icon to start the app. Sign in with your registered email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, request an automated password reset from the Sign In screen. You can then tap on the menu icon and your email address and update the phone number on your profile (if it has changed).

It’s critical to keep your contact details up to date so that in an emergency, the Security team can identify and contact you. If you are using a tablet and you have a separate feature phone that doesn’t have SafeZone, add that phone number to your profile. To edit your profile, tap on the menu icon at the top-left of the screen, SafeZone FAQ SafeZone FAQ [WHS-195] | Updated 21/3/2024 | Page 6 of 6 then tap your email address and update the phone number on the profile page

If you feel uncomfortable activating the Emergency button, then use the Help button instead. This function puts you through to Security via a phone call and they can then talk to you and help you.

SafeZone will operate at any location, however if you raise a call or alert when you are outside one of the defined SafeZone areas, your app will offer you a single-tap call to local emergency services (e.g. 000) and provide your GPS coordinates which you can pass on to call handlers.

A Call and an Alert are basically the same thing. When you activate one of the three SafeZone buttons (Help, First Aid or Emergency), you are initiating a “Call” process, where either you call Security or Security calls you. 

You are also “Alerting” all active members of the Security team to your need, your location, and your identity – so that they can respond to your requirement quickly and effectively. 

Watch the video on raising alerts through the SafeZone App.

SafeZone only shares your phone’s location when you check in or request assistance. 

You allow your location to be seen by pressing the Emergency button, Help or First Aid Call buttons. As part of your End User Licence, you agree to use your location information by CDU Security personnel to expedite their response to your raised Alert. Your phone’s location will be tracked by SafeZone until the Alert is cancelled, whether by you or by the Security team.

SafeZone has a schedule of external audits to ensure compliance under ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Accreditation – Information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection. 

ISO 27001 is an information security standard created by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), which provides a framework and guidelines for establishing, implementing, and managing an information security management system (ISMS). ISO/IEC 27001 is the international standard for information security. ISO 27001's best-practice approach helps organisations manage their information security by addressing people, processes, and technology.

All feedback is welcome! To provide feedback email the SafeZone administration group: security@cdu.edu.au