BOSTON, March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- William & Mary (W&M) in Williamsburg, Virginia has a campus-wide mass notification system to provide instant warnings to students, faculty, staff, and visitors in an emergency situation.
This alerting system consists of ATI Systems’ high-powered outdoor speaker units that can be activated in seconds when an emergency occurs. W&M Office of Public Safety simply chooses a dropdown menu on the ATI computer located in the W&M Communications Center, makes a selection from the list of pre-recorded alerts, and hits the button. The whole process takes a few seconds.
The emergency alert is then broadcast over the campus via the outdoor high-powered speakers. Instructions are given to shelter in place and the campus goes into a pre-planned series of actions for the lockdown (barricade doors, keep away from windows, etc.).
On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, the university performed a test of the mass alert system, which is mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia to be run several times a year. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors were instructed as to the procedures to follow during an emergency.
The pre-recorded alert was broadcast outdoors over the campus through the large ATI Public Address Speakers mounted on utility poles (The ATI system also features a microphone for live messages, if needed.) The test took several minutes to perform, and the ATI Systems speaker solution performed flawlessly.
The test was presided over by William & Mary Risk Manager Kristen Fagan, Emergency Manager Justin Weston, Chief of Police Don Butler and Senior Applications Administrator (IT) Jake Smith. These personnel have been with W&M for many years, and they run the mass notification testing several times a year.
William & Mary and ATI Systems look forward to continuing their partnership.
About William & Mary
William & Mary was chartered in 1693 and is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in the country. It brings together the global opportunities of a teaching, learning and cutting-edge research university with the personal education of a liberal arts and sciences institution.
About ATI Systems
Acoustic Technology, Inc. (ATI Systems) is a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of reliable emergency warning and notification systems for the campus, community, industrial and military markets. ATI has been developing innovative wireless systems that provide intelligible voice and visual warning. ATI’s systems are based on simple and compact hardware design, user-friendly software and the latest communication methods, including Radio Frequency, IP and Satellite Technology. ATI Systems’ Mass Notification Systems easily integrate with other warning systems, such as IPAWS and National Weather Service as well as with digital alert systems to provide more complete alerting solutions. ATI is an ISO 9001 certified company.
For more information about ATI, visit http://www.atisystems.com or email pandresen@atisystem.com
