Amarillo College is working to put a new emergency intercom system in all campus classrooms.
Along with the system are new locks that will allow classrooms to be locked from the inside.
The system’s main focus is in the case of a shooting incident.
“The average shooting happens in seven minutes or less,” said Rusty Cornelius, director of the emergency management department. “When a shooting happens, you have about 10 seconds before it hits your class.”
The original idea for the system was to use phones in classrooms.
Two main problems with the phones were that if you have to make a call, you have to wait for someone to answer the phone, and it would cost more money having to pay for the line usage.
Lee Colaw, dean of informational systems and technology, thought of the idea for the new system by using a similar intercom system used in the Amarillo public school system, updated with Internet protocols.
The system will have four buttons to go along with the intercom. The buttons will reach the AC police department, facilities management, the help desk and the AskAC phone bank.
“Knowing that you have the availability of reaching the AC police if there is an incident is reassuring,” said Jesse Holguin, a general studies major.
Cornelius said the intercom also will allow emergency broadcasts to be put out to all classrooms.
The new locks will be thumb-activated. A lock will be deactivated only when the door is either opened from the inside of the classroom or if a key is used on the outside.
“Knowing that AC is trying to keep us from being hurt in the event of a shooting makes me feel very safe when I am in class,” said Jenna Herd, a speech therapy major. “I think that it is a good idea.”
The progress is based on architecture and funding.
“You can’t redesign old architecture,” Cornelius said. “It can only be redone.”
It has to be verified that there is enough space in the walls for all the wiring and system hardware before the system can be installed. For that reason, it is being placed in classrooms as the remodeling of buildings is being done.
The system is being placed in the allied health building and is scheduled to be in every classroom within five years, but a search for grants is ongoing.
Cornelius said if AC were able to find a grant for the system, it would be put in as soon as possible, but the emergency management office needs feedback from students and faculty to know what the glitches are.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” said Cornelius, who wants students to know every exit, fire exit and where the tornado safety areas are. “When emergency situations come up, you don’t have time to ask questions. You should always be prepared.”
Amarillo College is working to put a new emergency intercom system in all campus classrooms.
Along with the system are new locks that will allow classrooms to be locked from the inside.
The system’s main focus is in the case of a shooting incident.
“The average shooting happens in seven minutes or less,” said Rusty Cornelius, director of the emergency management department. “When a shooting happens, you have about 10 seconds before it hits your class.”
The original idea for the system was to use phones in classrooms.
Two main problems with the phones were that if you have to make a call, you have to wait for someone to answer the phone, and it would cost more money having to pay for the line usage.
Lee Colaw, dean of informational systems and technology, thought of the idea for the new system by using a similar intercom system used in the Amarillo public school system, updated with Internet protocols.
The system will have four buttons to go along with the intercom. The buttons will reach the AC police department, facilities management, the help desk and the AskAC phone bank.
“Knowing that you have the availability of reaching the AC police if there is an incident is reassuring,” said Jesse Holguin, a general studies major." />
Along with the system are new locks that will allow classrooms to be locked from the inside.
The system’s main focus is in the case of a shooting incident.
“The average shooting happens in seven minutes or less,” said Rusty Cornelius, director of the emergency management department. “When a shooting happens, you have about 10 seconds before it hits your class.”
The original idea for the system was to use phones in classrooms.
Two main problems with the phones were that if you have to make a call, you have to wait for someone to answer the phone, and it would cost more money having to pay for the line usage.
Lee Colaw, dean of informational systems and technology, thought of the idea for the new system by using a similar intercom system used in the Amarillo public school system, updated with Internet protocols.
The system will have four buttons to go along with the intercom. The buttons will reach the AC police department, facilities management, the help desk and the AskAC phone bank.
“Knowing that you have the availability of reaching the AC police if there is an incident is reassuring,” said Jesse Holguin, a general studies major." />
New emergency equipment being installed
Published: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Updated: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Be the first to comment on this article!