Western Kentucky University Activates Emergency Communication System

I'm sure we all cringed last Wednesday when we heard that gunshots may have been fired at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The campus was in lockdown for several hours on October 23, 2008, because police were alerted shots had been fired on the campus, and that gunmen were seen in a building on a satellite campus.

School officials immediately activated the campus emergency warning system to tell students and employees to remain indoors. Thankfully, an “all clear” signal was issued about two hours later after police searched the campus and found no threats.

While police didn't find any evidence that a shooting had occurred, V.P. for Student Affairs Howard Bailey, said that campus officials didn’t regret activating the campus emergency warning system by sending a series of text and e-mail messages and using a loudspeaker to broadcast alerts.

In a news conference the next day, University President Gary Ransdell said he was very pleased that the emergency communication system worked and that officials responded quickly: “The situation provided a real test of Western’s crisis communication system, and it prevailed.”

Mr. Ransdell even sent an e-mail message to parents praising the campuses response.

When time is of the essence and safety is the priority, the emergency communications system that the campus implemented worked efficiently and effectively. And while we hope we never have to use CME to respond to an incident as serious as this, we know that it can help fulfill the need of school officials to respond proactively and do everything they could to do to keep their campus safe.