KU Medical Center Installs New Campus Emergency Alert System
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The University of Kansas Medical Center has installed a new system that notifies students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus in the case of an emergency.
The primary communication tools in the new system are wall-mounted “beacons,” which function as a way for the KU Medical Center Police Department to communicate with the campus in real time. The units are located in every classroom and floor in university buildings. If activated, the beacons display flashing red lights and sound sirens, and directions are given on the units’ text boards.
The system will be used in the event of severe weather that requires immediate action, situations that affect public safety, or environmental dangers to the campus.
“The safety of everyone on our campus is, of course, our highest priority,” said Ed Phillips, vice chancellor for administration. “This notification system ensures quick and clear communication in an emergency and is one way we’re helping to keep those on our campus safe.”
KU Medical Center contracted with Alertus Technologies, LLC, in Washington, D.C., to implement the modules.
“At academic medical centers, the capability to notify everyone reliably with zoned alerts is indispensable to ensuring the safety of staff, students, patients and visitors,” said Jason Volk, co-founder and CEO of Alertus Technologies. “We are proud to have assisted KU Medical Center in becoming the first large academic medical center to deploy hundreds of Alertus Notification Beacons across its full campus footprint.”
In the event of an emergency, the communication to campus from the KUMC Police Department is threefold: the Alertus Notification Beacons are activated; an e-mail is sent to university students, faculty and staff; and a text message is sent to the cell phones of students, faculty and staff who have opted in to the text messaging alert service.
Following successful testing of the emergency notification system, it is now active.
The University of Kansas Medical Center prepares students for leadership roles in today’s dynamic health care environment in Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health. KU Medical Center offers more than 2,900 students an innovative curriculum and patient-centered clinical training in partnership with many institutions, including The University of Kansas Hospital. KU Medical Center also is recognized asa leader in biomedical research within the city, state and region.
Alertus Technologies is the leading provider of wireless radio and network based integrated audible visual building notification for all-hazards alerting. The Alertus suite of facility notification products include wall-mounted emergency alert beacons with integrated sirens, strobes, and a message display. The company’s project experience stretches across many markets and spans the globe, from universities to military bases to foreign governments. Alertus Technologies has headquarters in the Washington, DC area.
Alertus Technologies press release
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