Do Emergency Text Messaging Systems Put Students in More Danger?
Authors John Bambenek and Agnieszka Klus, writing in EDUCAUSE Quarterly, say that "The rush to use text messaging as an emergency notification system fails to consider the weaknesses and potential hazards of this solution." They examine the circumstances around a number of real-life emergency situations and conclude: "The question remains, can text messaging systems protect a campus population? Or do they put people at more risk? Any emergency communication system must be reliable, with controlled access and fast delivery. Not only does text messaging fall short in all three areas, recent campus shooting incidents demonstrate that these systems would not have helped during the emergencies, only supporting supplemental crowd control afterwards. . . . We can only conclude that the use of text messaging tools is woefully insufficient and dangerous for use in emergencies.
Labels: communications, crisis, disaster, emergency, SMS, text messaging
posted by Terry Calhoun at
11:08 AM
2 Comments:
I disagree that you throw all text messaging applications into a broad statement. Appications that use short codes are provisioned and audited by the carriers and some have agreements with the carriers to priortize delivery of messages. Some applications have two-way capabilities, so first responders, staff etc. can obtain real-time information in critical situations. Most using SMTP applications do not. Neither of these can be said That can not be said for the largest majority of Alert/Notification systems in use today.
RBowen
Text messaging, if properly used by a college or university can be a critical tool in mitigating any hazardous situation. Unlike loudspeaker/siren systems which are often not heard through closed doors or windows during cold weather, text notification systems can go to pagers, text devices and cell phones which are almost always in the possession of students regardless of whether they are in a classroom, lab or in their dorm.
Another advantage of text messaging is that it does not necessarily "warn" potential problem makers that the campus is aware of their presence. This element of suprise allows students to avoid hazardous intruders instead of blindly rushing in to them.
The best way to ensure a text messaging system serves emergency notification purposes is for the institution not to use it for non-emergency notifications, i.e., overdue fees, rally announcements, etc. The students should be confident that when they get a notification from their school that is TRULY an emergency situation.
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