FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Contact: Robert Preston, Jr.,
912.260.4276
robert.preston@sgc.edu
SGC to test new emergency alarm system
As a part of South Georgia College’s ongoing efforts to make
the campus community as safe as possible, the college has installed a
state-of-the-art outdoor warning alert system.
The
alert, which is manufactured by Federal Signal Safety and Security Systems,
sits atop a 40-foot pole on the south end of the campus. According to
Director of Facilities Administration, Campus Safety/Environmental Jim
Folds, the unit could be used to inform students of approaching bad weather,
a terrorist/hostage situation or any other incident which might put the
campus community at risk.
“The purpose of the system is to provide emergency notification in the event
of an impending incident,” said Folds. The alert system includes alarms for
a tornado warning, severe weather warning, campus alert (such as an
unidentified intruder or a terrorist/hostage situation), shelter in place
alert or an all-clear alert. The system also allows for important
announcements to be broadcast to the campus.
The alert works via Public Safety’s hand-held radios. SGC has recently
instituted a new digital capable radio system that operates on a repeater
unit that greatly increases range and capability.
In addition to benefitting the SGC community, anyone within a half-mile –
and one mile if downwind – would also hear the alert and be informed of any
impending situation. “This certainly benefits South Georgia College, but it
also benefits the entire community,” says Folds.
SGC plans to test the alert on Friday, April 17. Citizens in the immediate
area should not be alarmed when the system sounds off. In fact, some
residents close to SGC may have already heard the alarm. On Monday, April
13, the college sounded the alarm to alert the campus of a tornado that had
been sighted near Coffee County. The alarm broadcast the news of the tornado
watch, then gave an “all clear” message a few minutes later when campus
authorities learned that the college was not in danger.
The alert system is funded with a grant from the Board of Regents that
emphasizes college safety. Georgia Southwestern State University installed
the first system in response to the tornadoes that devastated Americus in
the spring of 2007. Gordon College and Clayton State are also putting up
similar systems.
“This system is designed to enhance emergency communications. With this
system, we will be able to alert the students, staff and faculty – and a
good portion of the city – of any approaching bad weather or public safety
threat on campus. This system has the potential to reduce the risk of injury
should a disaster of any kind affect South Georgia College. Its presence
automatically makes the campus a safer place,” says Folds.
“Our students are the lifeline of this institution, and as such, we want
them to be as safe as possible. As important as this new alert system is, it
is but one component of South Georgia College’s comprehensive emergency
preparedness plan. We take student safety very seriously and we will
continue to look into new methods that help ensure that our students attend
classes in the very safest environment possible,” says SGC President Dr.
Virginia Carson.
Photo: SGC’s new
emergency alarm system sits atop a 40-foot pole on the south end of the
campus. In the event of any emergency, including severe weather, the alarm
will sound, notifying the campus and the immediate area of the emergency.
Friday morning, SGC will test the alarm.
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About South Georgia College
South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu)
was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System
of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives
students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close
collaboration with faculty.
