GE Security, a business of GE Enterprise Solutions, announces that its EST3-Sixty Mass Notification/Emergency Communications (MNEC) system has been deployed at Bradley University.
The world’s first MNEC system to be listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for meeting its UL 2572 Mass Notification Standard, EST3-Sixty charts new territory through the integration of multiple forms of communications including paging systems, fire alarms, electronic signage, e-mail notifications and other forms of communication.
When Joanne Glasser joined Bradley University as President in 2007, one of her first priorities was to make the 85-acre campus a safer environment for the 7,000 students, faculty and staff who are on campus each day. “Our intention is to help make Bradley a safer community in which to live, learn, work and play,” Glasser said. “To provide such a living and learning environment, we all must be prepared to respond to any emergency.”
With GE Security’s EST3 Life Safety platform active throughout campus, EST3-Sixty was able to integrate with the existing fire alarm network and the FireWorks Command and Control Interface to create a stable emergency communications backbone. Working with Thompson Electronics (TEC), the project’s integrator and a GE Security Strategic Partner, Bradley University chose EST3-Sixty with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) because of its flexibility. VOIP allows each building to send out individual alerts in addition to being part of the larger Bradley system. To date, some 19 buildings are served by the EST3-Sixty system. Emergency communications audio speakers are strategically positioned on the rooftops so emergency announcements can be heard throughout the campus.
“Campuses are complex and multi-faceted environments, but fortunately new mass notification solutions are making it possible for universities to coordinate the proper response while keeping students, faculty and staff informed about potential threats,” Glasser said. “With this system, we have the ability to reach the various groups and locations in the university community to inform them about potential dangers and how to respond.”
EST3-Sixty is a part of the University’s foreWarn emergency notification system that also includes text messages, a telephone hotline, e-mail alerts, voice mails and announcements on the school’s Web site.
“Our collaboration with Bradley University is an extension of the work we are doing with educational and corporate campuses across the country to integrate emergency communications for safer, more productive working environments,” said Ted Milburn, product marketing manager – Americas, Life Safety and Communications, GE Security. “No matter how large or dispersed, the EST3-Sixty system helps universities and corporations to effectively manage a diverse range of crises including natural disasters, workplace accidents, health hazards and terrorist violence.”
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GE Security December 2009 press release.
