Just released, the guide walks campus security through immediate response and lockdown
HARBOR CITY, Calif., Oct. 4, 2010 — Last week, University of Texas sophomore Colton Tooley put on a ski mask and walked through the college campus armed with an AK-47. Almost as soon as he began shooting, security had responded. This once shy and quiet student, who reportedly displayed no warning signs of being either depressed or violent, ran into the school library and fatally shot himself, as every building went into full lockdown status and emergency response personnel rolled in. The hours that followed were filled with the terror of parents wondering if their children were safe.
As the nation reels in the wake of another campus shooting, Discount Two-Way Radio Corporation, the leading supplier of commercial two-way radio systems and megaphones/bullhorns, advises the public to remember that this most recent event is another in a long line of campus disasters involving troubled students and guns, from Northern Illinois University to Virginia Tech to Columbine – all of which resulted in fatalities. These tragedies brought to the forefront the need for security and emergency response in a location where the U.S. has tended to take safety for granted: schools.
Says emergency planning expert Ben Burns, CEO of Discount Two-Way Radio, “One reason fatalities continue to rise is delayed emergency response. In 1966, the University of Texas was the site of one of the most deadly school shootings the country has known: 32 injured and 16 dead. Perhaps because its security team knows firsthand that shootings can indeed happen, it places high priority on emergency planning, and no one else, thankfully, was hurt in this most recent violent event.“
Because designing an emergency plan can be daunting, particularly for large campuses, Discount Two-Way Radio is reaching out to school administrators with its Emergency Planning Guide – free of charge. This comprehensive guide removes the randomness from security planning. “The guide was written to prevent these types of tragedies. Its 50 pages just might save a student’s life,” says Burns.
The Emergency Planning Guide covers every aspect of a thorough response plan, including:
- Drill schedules for every emergency, including lockdowns
- ”Phone tree” contact list for responders
- Forms to assist responders on turning off utilities
- Instructions on setting up a communication system with two-way radio response and “base” for orderly dispatch of information
- Overview of areas requiring patrol and first aid centers
- Evacuation plan including routes, maps, transportation/destination points, and student release
Discount Two-Way Radio works closely with schools and universities across the country, providing expert advice in safety and disaster planning, along with implementation of complete security and emergency response communications solutions, including an affordable system that allows two-way radios (walkie-talkies) to be transmitted over any existing public address system so that students can be instantly alerted and/or evacuated.
For a free copy of the Emergency Planning Guide, please call (800) 895-5122 or visit http://www.dtwr.com/news/sepg4.
Press Contact:
Ben Burns
ben@dtwr.com
310-224-5100
http://www.dtwr.com
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