KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen | Baylor Installs New Warning System

Baylor Installs New Warning System

by Marisol Escobar

WACO - Whether a student is walking to class or in their dorm room they will be warned of an emergency thanks to a new loudspeaker system. 

The campus-wide system will be low-tech compared to other systems already in place.

Students won't have to be on a computer or cell phone to receive the message.  Baylor University is installing a new system for the safety of faculty and students as they move about the campus.

The seven loudspeaker systems were installed both on and off campus Friday. The locations include one at Floyd Casey Stadium and one at Hart-Paterson Track and Field Complex.

The entire campus will be able to hear the sound of the emergency warning.  It is capable of projecting sound at 3,000 feet away.  The system is able to broadcast safety sirens, as well as live or recorded voice messages.

It works in conjunction with the Connect-ED.  A program that allows campus leaders to schedule, send and track personalized voice messages to up to six phone numbers per person, and immediately sends messages via four different modes of communication:

• Voice messages to home, work and cell phone
• Text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices
• Written messages to e-mail accounts
• Messages to TTY/TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired

Baylor says the new system is a way to keep people informed and safe after tragic incidents like the brutal massacre at Virginia Tech.

The system can also be used for severe weather such as hail or tornadoes.