Article first appeared in the Security Technology Executive Magazine, August 2009 issue.
The Evolution of Mass Notification on UNCG Campus
Executive Summary
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina. Students reflect on the presence of the new Talkaphone towers and mass notification system.
Mass Notification
As the Clery Act amendment was signed into law, many colleges and universities across America began the modernization process of their security procedures and protocols. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) was looking for a reliable and effective Mass Notification solution as part of its ongoing security upgrade process.
Adding Talkaphone's Wide-area Emergency Broadcast System, WEBS®, as a prominent layer to their security system, the UNCG has strengthened its ability to send and receive emergency communications by providing a notification method not easily ignored. Security personnel can loudly broadcast information through open air to address the campus at-large or select targeted clusters of WEBS® enabled devices to address specific areas on an as-needed basis.
Sixteen highly visible WEBS® towers came as an expansion to the existing network of seventy-eight standard Talkaphone Emergency Phone towers, all of which are topped with million candle-power blue light strobes and strategically placed throughout the campus.
Like most universities, we want to be able to notify people in a timely manner and that includes people not in buildings or unable to receive the other methods of notification.
Jamie Herring, Police Chief
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Talkaphone Solutions
The added flexibility of the Talkaphone's VoIP system allows security to extend its footprint to all corners of the campus. UNCG's Police Chief Jamie Herring and Captain Paul Lester explain, "Like most universities, we want to be able to notify people in a timely manner and that includes people not in buildings or unable to receive the other methods of notification."
Students and faculty members at the UNCG appreciate the effort, recognizing that the University has always taken their safety seriously. Stacy, a student at the UNCG for almost six years, reflects on Talkaphone's comforting presence, "My first year on the campus I actually lived in the residence hall, and I even noticed the call boxes there. There were several in the area which I was glad to see."
For Stacy, like for many other students residing on the campus, the installation of WEBS® at the UNCG represents the university's continuing commitment to community safety and offers practical solutions to real dilemmas.
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