Keene State is looking to shift its focus away from the physical emergency blue light system in favor of using a new app; however, the lights are not being taken out.
Director of Campus Safety and Compliance Chris Buckley said the blue light system on campus is being scaled back largely due to a lack of usage in recent years.
“In my upcoming five years [that] I’ve been here with Keene State, there has only been one legit emergency usage out of these blue lights,” Buckley said. “So, the overall usage has been very minimal. In addition, the blue light emergency posts are becoming aged. These were the ways of communication in the past, when cell phones were not created yet.”
Buckley said the emergency blue light posts are connected to their own landline. When something erupts that landline, there are no longer resources to fix this specific kind of outdated device. The new app is meant to supplement and strengthen the precise ability of emergency safety on campus.
The app is called AppArmor and will let campus community members make emergency calls from anywhere. The app can track your exact location, to ensure that anyone on campus is getting the urgent care they need. AppArmor will be made available to the KSC community in the spring semester and will be available for both Android and Apple devices, according to Buckley.
When asked about concerns regarding if a campus community members’ phone was not with them or without power, Assistant Dean of Students Kat Dougherty mentioned the campus’ robust camera system.
“Many buildings throughout campus are monitored especially at night, such as residence halls, that can be good sources of help if an emergency did happen when a student was without a phone.”
Additionally, there are CCTV cameras posted throughout campus, Dougherty said. Cameras can also be found on top of many emergency blue light posts, so that when any activity is occurring it is being captured in real time and being watched, according to Dougherty.
Katie Aguilar can be contacted at
kaguilar@kscequinox.com
