Pensacola State College, Florida

Case Studies
Pensacola State College

THE LARGEST AND OLDEST COLLEGE IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE FINDS A NEW USE FOR REGROUP’S SUITE OF MASS NOTIFICATION OFFERINGS TO KEEP ITS COMMUNITY INFORMED AND SAFE FROM HARM — BOTH FROM EXPECTED NATURAL RISKS AND UNEXPECTED VIOLENT THREATS

Pensacola State College is a public, nationally ranked, comprehensive community college and the oldest and largest college in the Florida Panhandle. At its founding in 1948, it educated 136 students.

CONTACTING THOSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF IN AN INSTANT IS NO SIMPLE TASK, WHICH IS WHY PENSACOLA WORKS WITH REGROUP MASS NOTIFICATION.

Pensacola has been a valued, longtime member of the Regroup family. The university system was recently inspired to begin using some new features — namely, the AlertManager mobile app with its unique, two-step configurable Panic Button. It found immediate benefits from this service addition and continues to find critical, public-safety and informative value from Regroup’s other mass notification tools.

Lockdown Alert

THE CALL THAT NO CAMPUS POLICE CHIEF WANTS TO RECEIVE: A POTENTIAL SCHOOL SHOOTER MIGHT BE HEADED FOR CAMPUS.

REGROUP’S ALERTMANAGER APP WAS A NEW SENDING METHOD THAT PENSACOLA OPTED TO USE. IT WAS QUICKLY BROUGHT INTO SERVICE.

At the end of October, the Pensacola State College Santa Rosa campus was put on an emergency lockdown, keeping its students, faculty and staff safe from harm. The Chief of Police for the college system said Regroup made the lockdown — and avoidance of a potential tragedy — seamless and fast.

“We were informed from another law enforcement agency that an individual was likely armed and coming to campus after threatening one of the people on our campus,” says Sean Fagan, the Chief of Police for the Pensacola State College system. “It was a credible threat. I was actually able to pull over in my car upon hearing about it, and able to send emergency notifications to everyone on campus from my parked vehicle.”

ALERTMANAGER ENABLED THE CHIEF TO SEND AN ALERT IN LESS THAN A MINUTE — FROM HIS PHONE, MILES AWAY FROM HIS OFFICE AND THE CAMPUS.. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, AND THE SUSPECT IN THE INCIDENT WAS ARRESTED.

“We have six campuses, and tens of thousands of people who will be affected by anything from emergency situations to weather events,” says Sean Fagan, the chief of police for the Pensacola State College System. “This is the fastest way to get the word out to people when there is an emergency.”

Common Weather Threats and Regular Communications

PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE HAS CAMPUSES IN MILTON, PENSACOLA AND WARRINGTON AS WELL AS CENTERS IN CENTURY AND SOUTH SANTA ROSA COUNTY IN FLORIDA.

Hurricanes and extreme weather events are not uncommon, and it is important for officials to have an easy way to evacuate buildings — one, some or all — and to inform the tens of thousands of its community members of impending storms.

THE COLLEGE HAS USED REGROUP FOR YEARS TO DO JUST THAT: WITH AN INTUITIVE AND TWO-STEP SYSTEM, AUTHORITIES CAN QUICKLY TELL EVERYONE — ON ANY DEVICE — TO STAY SAFE IN A CRISIS.

While hurricanes in Florida are not unusual, campuses all over the world can benefit from such easy communication methods. Pre-populated templates make it extremely easy to reach everyone, with the touch of just two buttons. Regroup’s Automated Severe Weather Alerts provide alerts from FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), NOAA and the National Weather System (NWS), ShakeAlert early earthquake warnings, and more.

REPORT CARDS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS? CHECK. ENROLLMENT FOR HEALTHCARE BENEFITS FOR STAFF OPEN? CHECK. MASS NOTIFICATIONS CAN HELP CAMPUSES TAKE CARE OF IT ALL.

“I really appreciate Regroup’s customer service,” says Sean Fagan, Pensacola State College chief of police. “Everyone there is extremely nice and supportive.”

Uncommon Shutdown Emergencies

ICE STORM IN FLORIDA: WHAT?

Yes, unexpected events are bound to happen.

“Last winter we had an ice storm and the president closed down the campus,” Fagan says. “It was a really bad storm, and not common for this area, so to keep everyone safe we wanted to make sure people weren’t on the roads.”

While mass shootings, or extreme weather events like hurricanes may dominate the headlines and the public’s imagination, icy roads, blizzards, hailstorms and even monsoon-season rain can cause chaos and a public safety risk.

HAVING AN EASY TOOL LIKE REGROUP MASS NOTIFICATION IS A GREAT AND SIMPLE WAY TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. WITH REGROUP’S ALERTME MOBILE APP, RECIPIENTS CAN EVEN BE GEOTARGETED, SO YOU CAN GET TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AT THE RIGHT TIME.

A transit strike, a tornado, flash floods: These are all events that could be extremely uncommon, but still require a compassionate and immediate approach. Keep everyone safe, and keep them informed.

The Best-In-Class Service for Students, Parents, Staff, Faculty and Emergency Services

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SOLUTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Enhance crisis communications and mitigate risks of active shooters, severe weather, and other critical events that endanger your community. With Regroup, you can send alerts to thousands of students, faculty, and staff in seconds.

Automate Critical Notifications: Send rapid, two-tap alerts from Regroup’s mobile app to cell phones, landlines, campus security, 911, email, social media, and more.
TipSafe Anonymous Reporting: Empower students and faculty to safely report suspicious behaviour, potential threats, and other safety concerns from their smartphone.
Reach Your Entire Campus: Integrate Regroup with panic buttons, desktop alerts, Help Point towers, fire and PA systems, digital signage, outdoor sirens, and more.
Alert Specific Locations: Our GeoFence technology allows you to alert a specific location, and even notify people outside of the area to stay away.
Easy Opt-In, Free Mobile Apps: Regroup’s free AlertMe Mobile App makes it easy for students and faculty to opt-in for notifications and receive them wherever they go.
Critical Two-Way Communications: Witnesses and first responders can send important information and updates from the scene to improve response time to the emergency.

Regroup for Day-to-Day Campus Notifications

Regroup allows your various departments to create unlimited groups and admins in order to communicate daily information better than ever before. Our seamless integrations and easy-to-use platform make Regroup a tool that you’ll use every day.

Weather Closures & Delays: Automatically provide advance warning of severe weather closures or delays with National Weather Service notifications.
Student & Faculty Updates: Quickly and easily notify students about tuition balances, registration updates, and more while keeping faculty informed too.
Event Reminders: Send reminders of social, academic, and athletic events to relevant groups to increase community engagement.