OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, June 18, 2009 · 4 SIREN connects staff and students Continued from page 1 send out alerts and announcements to students, staff and the public through various communication avenues. The school's automated phone system, that includes screen displays and is located in every classroom and office on the campuses, becomes a central information source. But the system also allows administration to send the same text and/or voice messages and information to staff and student desk top computers, lap tops, cellular phones, PDAs and emails. Digital signs located on the campuses, public address systems, classroom projector screens and the school's website also become part of the emergency information system in a crisis. Work is currently underway to install an outdoor public address system at the campuses. The school has 15,000 full-time students and 35,000 part-time students at its three campuses. Sheridan College President Rob Turner Administrators asked: "What is it can we do to keep people informed and people safe," Turner said. "SIREN is our answer to that question." The system integration that uses much of the college's existing information technology has been years in the making, according to school administrators. Information and its dissemination are key to crisis management, Turner said. Messaging can be funnelled to a specific audience at an individual campus or widespread. Halton Regional Police Staff Sgt. Don Cousens said the information system should help emergency services personnel be better prepared during the crucial first moments of response to an incident. "It just enhances our ability early on in the incident to make informed decisions," Cousens said. Further work on the system includes automated control of classrooms. For example, SIREN could be used to remotely turning down classroom lights or close window shades in some emergency situations. The system might also be able to pinpoint the location of campus 911 calls. Technology staff are exploring the possibility of direct messaging to the parents of children in the school's three day care centres in the event of an emergency. SIREN is now ready for implementation over the summer and a test run when students return for classes in the fall.