Case Study: Florida State University achieves rapid, campus-wide emergency notification with Alertus Technologies

Notifying A Campus Within Minutes of An Emergency

Florida State University faced the urgent challenge of notifying students and staff across a large, decentralized campus during emergencies—an issue made stark by an active shooter incident in November 2014. To improve indoor notification without replacing costly fire-alarm systems, FSU adopted Alertus Technologies’ Alertus Desktop Notification and the Alert Beacon in June 2013 as part of a hybrid mass-notification strategy.

Alertus Technologies’ solution combines pop-up desktop alerts (deployed to about 1,400 machines) with wall-mounted Alert Beacons that flash, sound a siren, and display LED messages, providing a cost-effective complement to existing sirens and text alerts. Despite IT integration challenges, the system delivered alerts within about two-and-a-half minutes during the 2014 shooting—simultaneously lighting up computer screens, sirens, and texts—which university officials say likely reduced casualties and improved campus safety.

Florida State University

David Bujak

Director of emergency management