March 19, 2007—Honeywell has received a contract from Ware County School District, which serves almost 6,500 students in Georgia, to implement Honeywell Instant Alert for schools.
The Web-based notification service will allow the district to quickly reach parents with emergency or school news. In addition, Honeywell will install its Digital Video Manager (DVM), a video management and surveillance system that will increase visibility into activities at the county’s schools.
The announcement states that Ware County faces unique communication challenges because of its location in Georgia, a state that is vulnerable to severe tropical storms forming in both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. An hour from the coast, the district is often used as a receiving ground for evacuees during a hurricane warning—an agreement the district maintains with the Georgia Emergency Management Association.
Instant Alert, used by nearly 21,000 schools nationwide, gives Ware County the ability to reach thousands of persons within minutes and to notify the community of a potential shutdown when a hurricane strikes and evacuees need a place to stay.
To use the service, which broadcasts messages to phones, cell phones, pagers, e-mail or PDAs, a representative from the district initiates an alert via the Internet or phone. Once it is finished, the message is instantly broadcast to all relevant contact points.
As part of the contract, Honeywell also will install a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system and cameras at the district’s two middle schools, as well as upgrade existing cameras at the high school. Powered by DVM and Honeywell Enterprise Building Integrator (EBI), the CCTV system allows school personnel to view, record, playback and store security video clips, giving the district a better line of sight into activities in and around its buildings.
Along with managing the surveillance system, EBI will allow the district to monitor and control heating, ventilation and air conditioning components in the buildings from a single point. This will help streamline operations and reduce energy costs.
For more information visit the Honeywell Web site.
