Text Message Security Program Works

FERRUM, VIRGINIA--26 FEB 2008:
From Katherine Porter, photography editor at Ferrum College (VA) newspaper The Iron Blade:

"Students awoke to the sound of sirens and cell phone’s going off this morning after a young, Caucasian, male was spotted with a handgun located on him.

E2campus, a mass notification system that can alert students of important information via text message, sent out its first text message to individuals signed up for the service at 7:54 a.m. saying, “Possible shooter on campus. Stay indoors. More details to come.”

“I woke up to a loud siren. Then I looked out my window and saw a bunch of cops with large guns. There were cops everywhere; on top of buildings, on the sidewalk, just everywhere. When I found out what was happening all I could think of was Virginia Tech, I couldn’t believe this was happening here,” stated Orlando Romero, a junior majoring in Political Science at the college."

"Bradley Goode, a freshman who is a resident of Bassett Hall, explained that she is glad she signed up for the E2Campus service. “Without it I would not have known what was going on. When my roommate and I heard there was a possible shooter in our dorm, we locked our door and sat on the floor. We were both really scared, but impressed with the way that Ferrum has handled the situation. No one has been hurt.” "

After recent high-profile tragedies at schools across our country, campuses are finally using technology to their advantage. First tested at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, E2Campus alerts students of dangerous situations via text message, E-mail, and Palm Pilot (among other mediums). This mass notification system allows school and law enforcement authorities to get word out to students more quickly--helping to save lives.

To learn more about how to bring E2Campus to your school, visit their website. If your school currently uses this system, drop us a line and let us know your opinion.