University taps CallFire to implement emergency notification system
By SSN Staff
Updated Mon January 28, 2013
SANTA MONICA, Calif.—South Carolina Wesleyan University, based in Central, S.C., has partnered with CallFire to bring an Emergency SMS Notification system to its campus, according to a company statement.
CallFire, a provider of cloud telephony solutions, will install the system to safeguard SWU's campus in the event of a crisis. SWU approached CallFire to meet the requirements of an addition to the federal Clery Act, which was inspired by the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting incident and mandates that universities send notifications to their students and staff regarding emergencies.
For the system, CallFire developed a unique keyword solution in which SWU students and staff were given the option to opt-in, and were then prompted to send a keyword text to a short code.
“The system is versatile, non-intrusive and cost effective,” said Dinesh Ravishanker, CEO, CallFire, in the statement. “And because it's strictly opt-in, participants take these text messages seriously. The system is moving vital information, and the two-way exchange delivers both updates and peace of mind.”
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