The Cupertino Courier

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District officials moving quickly on alert plan

By Cody Kraatz

Two Foothill-De Anza Community College District officials said they had already started talking about updating the colleges' emergency alert systems the week before 32 people were killed in a shooting attack at Virginia Tech.

Chief Ron Levine of the district police department and Fred Sherman, vice chancellor and chief technology officer, were motivated to find a new way to keep students, faculty and staff safe and in the loop during an emergency on campus, but faced a challenge because there was no sense of urgency.

After the April 16 shootings, priorities have shifted.

"I think that with that happening ... it's really pushed to the forefront that we need to address this. It has to be a priority now because of Virginia Tech. Some of the funds will be there where they haven't been in the past," said Levine.

While still very preliminary, the plans the district has discussed in its first meeting include using telephone lines, cell phone text messages, e-mail and possibly wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol technology to broadcast emergency alerts and instructions.

"It's probably going to be [multiple] systems, because there isn't any one system that will handle what we need," said Levine, who has tried in the past to develop a new emergency alert system.

"We're awfully glad that didn't happen here because I'd like to be a little more prepared. You can never be, in these situations, prepared enough," said Sherman.

With the final system unknown, it is difficult to estimate how much it might cost. District officials held their first planning meeting on April 23 and another was scheduled for May 7.

There is no money budgeted for this, but Sherman and Levine said they are confident the district will be helpful and they will find the necessary money.

"It's really in the conceptual stage at this point," said Sherman, who joined the district in September.

"With technology, just about anything is possible. It's a matter of, 'Does it become the best fit for the situation?' "

Whatever the district installs needs to be flexible. A fire might call for an evacuation, but a shooter on campus might warrant a lockdown. A ringing bell system like most school fire alarms would be ineffective with important messages.

Sherman talked with a company that offers a telephone, e-mail and text message alert service for about $2 or $3 per student per year, which Sherman said could be negotiated lower. Since De Anza had 21,500 students and Foothill had 16,000 in the winter quarter of 2007, that would cost between $75,000 and $113,000. Levine found a different company that would charge about $1,500 per year to keep 500 staff phone numbers in an alert system.

"Virtually everybody has a cell phone," said Levine, adding that if enough phones ring, beep or vibrate in a classroom someone would be sure to read the alert. Faculty and students could sign up their numbers on a voluntary basis, and senior staff members have district-issued cell phones that would be on the list.

Sherman said these services look reliable.

"There is no point in trying to reinvent the wheel," he said.

These services may be the fastest solution because they require no hardware or installation and there are numerous companies the district can hire.

The district also needs a far-reaching system to contact people in outdoor areas. Levine said it could potentially use wireless and VoIP technology in boxes around campus equipped with antennae and speakers.

For more information about De Anza's existing emergency preparedness, go to www.deanza.edu/emergency.