WARSAW — Warsaw Community Schools will soon be launching a new safety initiative that will greatly improve communication and safety alerts throughout the district. Through the use of Alertus, a unified emergency mass notification and crisis communication system, WCS will be able to better communicate with staff, students, parents and emergency personnel in the case of a safety crisis within one of the district’s buildings.

The Alertus Emergency Mass Notification System is a powerful and flexible solution that seamlessly integrates with and sends potentially life-saving alerts across an organization’s existing infrastructure and technology. Should a threat be identified, WCS safety responders are able to send alerts instantly and directly to classroom desktop computers, school PA systems, staff VoIP phones, digital signage, mobile devices, fire panels and more.

“WCS is blessed to have an incredible technology infrastructure to support learning. Alertus brings all of our existing systems together to help us quickly communicate specific instructions during a crisis to ensure that everyone has the information they need to keep students safe. These systems also ensure rapid, direct communication with first responders throughout our community so that they are empowered to respond quickly with accurate information,” said WCS Chief Technology Officer Brad Hagg.

After extensive research on the best alert system for the WCS district, Alertus was selected for its ability to easily integrate with existing district safety measures and electronic devices. The safety system has been used in numerous colleges as well as for corporations such as Starbucks, Microsoft, Disney and ESPN.

“It is critically important that accurate, detailed information is communicated in a quick manner to law enforcement, first responders, students, staff, and parents during an emergency,” said Chief Academic Officer Dr. David Robertson. “Over the last several months, the safety team at WCS has investigated various technology options that are designed to ensure that information is communicated quickly and accurately during an emergency. We are excited because we believe that Alertus is the best fit for Warsaw Community Schools when it comes to mass notification and communication. We are thrilled that Alertus will help reduce response times for first responders and will provide staff a reliable way to communicate during an emergency.”

Through the use of this safety system, WCS will be able to reduce response times to potential crises through integration of district digital and safety devices. Alerts and warnings are able to be sent directly to classrooms and mobile devices providing district personnel and students the maximum amount of time possible to respond to a potential threat.

“A safe and secure environment is Warsaw Community Schools number one priority,” said WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert. “We are continually working with our local authorities, parents, students and staff to provide new technology and methods in our efforts. Decreasing response time with our local authorities is a collaborative effort. Our local safety team has reviewed multiple options and we are pleased to announce the addition of the Alertus product that integrates with our current systems.”

Implementation of Alertus will begin in January. For more information on the system, visit the Alertus website at https://www.alertus.com/.