2007 Campus Technology Innovators: Emergency Notification
TECHNOLOGY AREA: EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION
Innovator: West Virginia University at Parkersburg
A commitment to integrated, campuswide, two-way
paging and broadcast assures the university community
that information will travel quickly to all
Right now, campuses around the nation are grappling with the
need to develop an effective emergency communications and
notification strategy, in order to intelligently manage problems or
events that might require security, medical, or crisis assistance
or intervention. West Virginia University at Parkersburg is
one of them. What is different, however, is the reaction of administrators
at the institution—decidedly not knee-jerk. In fact, some
might even say the reaction has been rudimentary. But in a world
where bells and whistles can sometimes sidestep the obvious,
we applaud this campus's well-considered and thorough effort
to create a baseline technology strategy and fulfill it appropriately,
before moving on to "sexier" stuff.
In developing its comprehensive safety plan, administrators
at Parkersburg (a commuter campus of 4,000 students)
asked themselves how a school, building, or classroom would
be able to alert those both immediately nearby and across the
campus, should a crisis arise. How could they, for instance, warn
individuals in one set of classrooms that a crisis was occurring
in a classroom right next-door? (Such warning capability might
have spared some victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, for
example.) After careful consideration, administrators and technologists
at Parkersburg identified the need for an emergency
paging system with two-way communication in all of the university's
classrooms and key administrative areas. The technology
enhancement was considered a key component in the college's
overall safety and crisis communications strategies.
ADMINISTRATORS AT
West Virginia University
at Parkersburg skipped
the knee-jerk
response
and went for solid,
baseline emergency
communications first.
Benefits. According to project lead and Facilities Director
Dave White, the paging system combines two-way communication
with widespread broadcast capabilities. "If there is an
urgent situation, a paging switch can be activated on the wall
box in the classroom or office. This gives an immediate connection
to the switchboard operator, campus security, and
other key staff," he explains. The location of the situation is also
transmitted and appears on-screen for security personnel.
Through two-way communication via paging phones and overhead
broadcast speakers, the nature of the situation can be
determined and an appropriate response routed immediately.
If needed, a campuswide announcement also can be broadcast
to communicate emergency instructions. The paging system
has been designed to provide two-way communication
between stations in classrooms and certain offices, and broadcast
capability to selective signaling zones (all first-floor classrooms
and all hallways, for instance) or the entire campus
(outside speakers are located at all entrances).
The system, installed by ProComm Technologies, is a Bogen Multicom 2000 Administrative
Communications System, which offers
flexibility, capability for future expansion, and microprocessor
control, and is fully field-programmable for versatility and
dependability. It combines private telephone communication
with a full-featured sound and program distribution system,
including media control. It also provides master clock control
and emergency call features including "911" emergency allcall
for increased security and quick response. (Staff and
enhanced staff stations can make emergency calls that can
activate an emergency announce link if a call is unanswered.)
A single microprocessor card controls overall system functions
with two special menus, protected by a password setting
the operating configuration. The setup menu sets the
system day and time, stores time-signal events, page zone,
and time data. The initialization menu sets the system features.
Parkersburg's setup also includes classroom talkback
speakers, call buttons (Ortronics) and
clocks, a Tripp Lite "smart" un-interruptible
power supply (UPS) system, Belden cables, and Wiremold cable covers.
White says the technology not only enhances the safety of the
campus, it also gives the university a competitive edge in student
recruitment because today, many students and family members
investigate college safety and security reports when
deciding which institution to attend. A pleasant surprise was
how quickly the system was installed, but he adds that an unforeseen
glitch revolved around the room numbering: All rooms on
the system must have an assigned four-digit number, so the campus
classrooms and offices that traditionally had three digits had
to include a zero beforehand. "Also, the call switches are occasionally
mistaken for light switches," he confesses.
Next step: To install the system in the final two buildings,
to complete the entire campus. Additional switches will be
added in key locations where a crisis might occur, says White
(for example, the offices of department chairs, where a volatile
situation with a student or parent could occur).