[June 17, 2011] College installs campus-wide warning system [Jackson County Floridan, Marianna, Fla.] Tweet (Jackson County Floridan (Marianna, FL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 17--Chipola College recently installed two public address speakers on campus which can sound a siren or issue a message in the event of an impending tornado or other emergency. The system also sends messages to every computer screen on campus. Users of those computers will be required to respond. The computer connection is an important element, according to Dennis Everett, Chipola's associate vice president for information systems. "Requiring a response from the computers might help us in a situation where an emergency is developing and we're trying to figure out where the trouble is," Everett said. "If we're not getting a response, we'll know that we need to go check in that area." Everett said the audio signal can be heard across the entire campus, as well as beyond the college a short distance -- as far as Kelson to the south, north past River Forest Road, and a few blocks east and west of campus. The $57,000 system was purchased with a federal domestic security grant. One of the speakers, which are mounted on hurricane-strength concrete poles, is located outside the literature language building off College Street. The other is near the center for the performing arts. The system features various siren types, from a "whoop" to a more traditional air raid-type siren. Everett does a silent check of the system every week, adding it will be tested with full sound at least once after the fall school session begins so that new staff and students will be able to hear it. Everett said the system will not be used to broadcast routine events, because he fears using it regularly would tend to make everyone complacent and lead them to tune it out. In the event of a true emergency, he said, students and staff may not pay close enough attention if they're used to hearing it all the time. Everett is asking for more funding to improve other communications, as well. He wants $288,000 so he can put Internet-connected speakers in each of the classrooms and hallways, so that the notifications can be more easily heard inside buildings. He also wants to buy a component that would allow students to receive messages on their computers or other personal devices, if they wished. ___ To see more of the Jackson County Floridan or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jcfloridan.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Jackson County Floridan, Marianna, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]