January 11, 2008

GSW adopts multi-modal communication service, tests outdoor notification siren

AMERICUS--Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently announced that it has selected the multi-modal communication service Connect-ED^® from The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI) to deliver time-sensitive notifications to students, faculty and staff within minutes.

Thursday, Jan. 10, from approximately 4-5 p.m., GSW tested a newly installed outdoor notification system. The system includes two 45 foot towers located on the north and south ends of University grounds with sirens that can broadcast emergency voice announcements to the campus. Prior to testing, GSW officials contacted all local law enforcement agencies. While the sirens can be heard throughout the campus, they can also be heard in residential areas within close proximity to the University.

The sirens can deliver different tones for each type of emergency (i.e. weather, school closure or other threats). In the event of an emergency, Public Service Announcements will be broadcast on local radio stations and the local cable access channel, as well.

“Georgia Southwestern State University is very excited and is pleased to offer these services in order to keep all of our students, faculty and staff safe and enhance preparation for emergencies,” said Arthur B. Clark, director of environmental health and safety, risk management. “As part of our comprehensive security plan, we have added the Connect-ED service because of its successful track record. Its multi-modal capabilities will allow us to keep students, faculty and staff informed whether they are in buildings, sitting in front of their computers or on their way to class.”

Both Connect-ED and the outdoor notification system can be used simultaneously, but they can only be activated manually. Consequently, GSW safety and security officials are in the process of implementing a protocol for their use.           

The Connect-ED system has already been implemented by several other colleges and universities in the University System of Georgia.  Georgia Southwestern has been researching systems of this sort over the last few years. Following the tornado that hit Americus March 1 and the Virginia Tech incident in April, the inquiry turned into action.

Connect-ED enables campus leaders to schedule, send and track personalized voice messages to up to six phone numbers per person and immediately sends messages by four different modes of communication:

o       Voice messages to home, work and cell phones

o       Text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices

o       Written messages to e-mail accounts

o       Messages to TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired

Contact information included in the Connect-ED service must be submitted by each individual through University student and personnel databases and will only be used for campus emergency notifications. It will not be made available to any other service.

For more information regarding the outdoor notification system, call (229) 931-2032. For the Connect-ED system, please go to www.ntigroup.com.

*NTI does not sell, lease, share, or rent personally identifiable information (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc) to any companies or persons outside of NTI or NTI service providers.

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- GSW -