How to Protect Your Campus During Large Events with Mass Notification
By Kara Stamets, Content Marketing Specialist at Alertus Technologies
Colleges and universities host indoor and outdoor events each year that draw crowds of students, staff, families, and visitors. Large events – from sports games and concerts to student gatherings – require a strong security presence, and outfitting your campus with an effective mass notification system (MNS) can help provide critical, life-saving information in an emergency.
Below are examples of indoor, outdoor, and mobile notification methods that add value to your MNS, particularly during campus events that are held outdoors or in crowded, noisy environments.
IP Speakers
Whether you’re trying to reach crowds indoors, in gymnasiums, hallways, and cafeterias, or outdoors, in football stadiums and soccer fields, it is essential to have IP speakers and PA systems that broadcast clear, consistent messages across broad areas. Alertus’ IP Text-to-Speech Interface utilizes text-to-speech (TTS) technology that is embedded in a compact PCB module to fit inside most existing fire alarm audio control panels, public address systems, outdoor giant voice speaker systems, or standalone indoor/outdoor speaker enclosures.
During outdoor sporting events, it is essential to reach everyone, from visitors in the stands to athletes playing on the field, staff working on the sidelines, and employees working and managing the event. Outdoor voice notification, like Alertus’ High Power Speaker Array (HPSA), offers key mass notification features for large, outdoor environments where a giant voice is needed to make announcements concerning severe weather, evacuation details, active shooter alerts, or providing general information. The HPSA sends instant, clear voice messages using audible siren tones and industry-leading intelligible TTS technology.
For events held off-campus or in areas without stationary HPSAs, Alertus’ Mobile HPSA (MHPSA) provides the flexibility of functioning on a mobile trailer. Ideal for crowd control, sports fields, and festivals held on campus, the MHPSA provides clear voice messaging and can be transported with a standard trailer hitch to your desired location and set up by one person within 15 minutes.
Mobile Apps
While a giant voice system can alert an entire area with audio, some emergencies require other methods for sounding the alarm, such as calling for help for an injured athlete or responding to a health emergency in the crowd. In some cases, the sports game may need to be canceled or postponed, so mobile notification effectively distributes a mobile push message in seconds.
Alertus’ Mobile App Suite enhances mobile notification between authorized dispatchers and end users, and includes the Alertus Activator App and the Alertus Recipient App. Authorized users can activate and send alerts to the community using the Activator App. At the same time, the Recipient App allows users to receive notifications to their cell phones and send geo-tagged incident reports to emergency personnel. So if an employee were to notice a hazard in the stands, such as an unstable bleacher, they can report it to emergency management personnel in one click.
LED Marquee
The Alertus LED Marquee effectively displays critical and general announcements in loud and wide areas. The signage is synced with the Alert Beacon® and displays instant, custom text based on the situation. An LED Marquee can be utilized in high-capacity areas such as dining halls, auditoriums, or libraries to deliver easy-to-read, actionable information to all occupants.
Enhance your campus’ MNS with products fit for large-scale events to ensure the safety of your community members and visitors. Learn more about Alertus’ campus solutions here.