Grambling Goes with Network Cameras
Grambling State University has installed network cameras from Axis Communications to ensure the safety of its students and property on its north Louisiana campus. The IP video technology enables the university to use a centralized recording center in its Information Technology Center’s main production/server room. In addition to Axis network cameras, CameraWATCH Technologies, a contractor, also installed a video management system from Genetec. Grambling’s IT department first set up a network to provide coverage for selected areas and then implemented 220 Axis network cameras to monitor residence halls, the newly constructed assembly center, the laboratory high school and property and receiving areas. In the near term, Grambling anticipates adding an additional 100 network cameras to monitor new residence halls and academic buildings. Currently, the school as deployed AXIS 216MFD and AXIS 212 PTZ Network Cameras. “We’ve found the network surveillance system to be a tremendous deterrent to campus-wide crime, and in the rare cases when it has happened, we’ve solved more than 50 percent of criminal acts using images from the network cameras,” says Winfred Jones, the university’s associate vice president for information technology.
UTSA Deploys Emergency Notification
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has selected Cooper Notification’s WAVES (Wireless Audio Visual Emergency System) Mass Notification System (MNS) for its outdoor campus emergency notification system. The system enables campus public safety officials to broadcast targeted voice alerts via “Giant Voice” to students, faculty, staff and visitors. Four High-Power Speaker Arrays (HPSAs), commonly known as “Giant Voice,” were installed on the UTSA’s 1604 Campus for exterior voice alerting, providing emergency notification to the 600-acre academic campus. In an emergency, the HPSAs will broadcast a siren alert, followed by a live or recorded voice message tailored to the situation.
Butler Implements Emergency Communications
Butler University in Indianapolis has selected the Instant Alert Plus notification service from Honeywell to quickly provide details and direction to students, faculty and staff during emergencies. The service enables administrators to broadcast voice or text messages to any communication device — phone, cell phone, e-mail, pager or PDA — which will help the university connect with people on and off the 290-acre campus, and improve response times for emergency personnel. It will augment other efforts like sending e-mails and voicemails, posting messages on the university Web site and providing information through the local media.
Bryant Chooses Web-based Notification
Bryant University of Rhode Island has integrated the Campus Manager Web-based emergency notification system from Bradford Networks as a critical element of its new campus-wide mass communications system. The system enables Bryant’s public safety personnel to broadcast to the university’s 4,000 students, faculty and staff in the event of a fire, chemical spill, gas leak, criminal activity or cancellation of classes due to severe weather. The online lives of college students make the university network an extremely effective tool for reaching users across a wide range of physical locations. Bryant’s emergency notification system also includes voicemail and e-mail messages.
Public School District Deploys Crisis Management System
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools has installed the Rapid Responder crisis management system from Prepared Response in the district’s 19 elementary, middle, high school and administration facilities. The system provides campus officials, police, fire and other first responders with critical information that enables them to act quickly in a coordinated manner. Implementation of the system included pre-planning meetings between school officials and first responders, “digital mapping” of the school buildings, and system training for both school staff and responders. Police, fire and other agencies responding to an emergency are able to view more than 300 data points including floor plans, satellite and geospatial information, interior and exterior photos, emergency plans, hazardous materials locations, utility shut-offs and evacuation routes. “The potential help in an emergency available with (the system) is a huge advantage,” says Alan Robertson, facility manager for the school district.
Vegas School Chooses Incident Management System
Valley High School of Las Vegas has chosen the Fast Alert incident management and security system from Incident Alert Systems. The system is a computer-enabled incident warning and management system designed for communication between teachers, staff and first responders during emergency situations. The software makes available a menu of alert options, including lockdown, evacuation, shelter-in-place and all-clear alarms. “The system is a vital component of our comprehensive safety program,” says Ron Montoya, principal of Valley High School. “This installation serves as an evaluation and test sight and will determine the future installation of the system throughout the entire school district.”
