As deadlines approach to comply with federal laws on emergency notification, Cooper Notification, a platform of Cooper Industries, Ltd., (NYSE:CBE) announced today that Millersville University, located in Millersville, Pa. with approximately 8,000 students, launched its integrated and multi-layered Mass Notification System (MNS) in order to accelerate and simplify the university’s notification process.

“At Millersville, we put together a security team to assess our emergency notification needs,” said Millersville University’s Chief of Police Wayne Silcox. “Our internal team, including Information Technology, Environmental Health and Safety, and the University Police Department, understood that we needed a multi-tiered notification system to get to where we are now – our goal of preparedness excellence.”

Added Patrick Weidinger, Director, Safety & Environment Health, Millersville University, “Reliance on just one form of notification will invariably not reach enough stake holders to achieve a ‘critical mass’ notification. It’s best to use a combination of technologies.  However, in an emergency, activating multiple communications systems can slow you down, not allowing you to focus on the actual emergency.  We needed a system that allows you to use one simple-to-use interface to launch our different notification channels.”

Instead of utilizing separate systems to notify the entire campus or segments of the campus community, Millersville University chose Cooper Notification’s integrated mass notification system solution. The University, which already utilizes Cooper Notification’s WAVES for broadcasting messages over wide outdoor areas, switched their campus text message and emergency email alert system provider to Cooper Notification’s U.S. patented Roam Secure Alert Network(tm) (RSAN(tm)).University officials can now activate their email, text messaging and outdoor “Giant Voice” speakers from one user-interface.

“Our MU Alert, powered by RSAN, allows more users and better administration tools,” said Weidinger.  “The new RSAN system uses priority communication lines, minimizing the chance for dropped or delayed text messages and emails reaching users.” Just in time for the fall semester, Millersville University launched their web-based RSAN systems, MU Alert, to the campus community.Students can sign up for MU Alert for free here. Parents, alumni and friends of the university can also sign up for RSAN at no charge by visiting the web site.

Last week, Millersville University conducted an Emergency Response Active Shooter drill at the Dilworth Building. The drill utilized the RSAN system, University Telecommunications, the Millersville Borough Police, and staff from Environmental Health and Safety. “RSAN proved its worth many times over by providing a timely warning and updates as appropriate during the drill,” said Chief Silcox.  “Use of the Dilworth User Group allowed the system to be utilized without sending out messages to the entire campus community.”

For outdoor notification, Cooper Notification installed three WAVES High Power Speaker Arrays (HPSAs) and an Integrated Speaker Unit last summer on the Millersville University campus for exterior voice alerting, providing emergency notification to the 250-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. The intrusive system sends out the emergency messages in real time and has the capability of alerting the entire campus or individual areas depending on the scope of the emergency.

“We are pleased Millersville University has taken this important step in strengthening and improving emergency notification capabilities for their campus community with an integrated and interoperable solution,”said Robert Johnson, Vice President System Sales, Cooper Notification.“And we are proud to partner with The Protection Bureau on this important life safety project.”  The Protection Bureau, located in Exton, PA and one of the largest security system integrators in the Mid-Atlantic Region, is one of Cooper Notification’s MNS Channel Partners.

“The campus team, now about three years old, never felt we had to re-invent the wheel when we found ourselves working with such experienced professionals as Cooper Notification and The Protection Bureau,” added Chief Silcox. “Support of the team effort has been consistent from the president of Millersville and her cabinet through to our faculty, staff, and students.”

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Cooper Notification August 2009 press release.

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