Refuge Alerter Campus Wide
The University of Warwick is a leading provider of higher education in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1965, the University now has over 23,000 students enrolled.
The Challenge
The University of Warwick has a vast campus, consisting of over 125 buildings. The University expressed concern for physically disabled people’s safety when in buildings at the University, specifically in the event of an emergency. During an evacuation, physically disabled people will use refuge areas, as normal passenger lifts should not be used, and due to their level of disability, they can not use emergency staircases unaided.
Over such a large campus it is vitally important all refuge areas are sufficiently monitored and that two-way voice communication is available from all locations and at all times.
This meant a system was needed that would allow both existing and new building refuge areas to communicate back to the same central location, without compromising the safety of members of staff or students in the event of an emergency.
The Solution
The solution for Warwick University, was to roll out our Wireless Refuge Alerter system to ensure full site coverage of the system. Using our radio-based system meant that Warwick could roll out a single system throughout all their buildings, bringing all refuge points back to a monitored central location.
This not only gave a cost-effective solution due to no requirement on retrofitting cabling over large areas but also meant disruption during installation was kept to a minimum and the installation time was significantly quicker than that of a hard-wired system.
The Result
Refuge Alerter is a radio-based two-way voice communication system, enabling communication from refuge areas to a central base station and/or Portable Refuge Communicators. Our innovative wireless solution allows building personnel to aid physically disabled people in the event of an evacuation without putting themselves in danger.
Using Refuge Alerter’s Portable Refuge Communicator, communication can continue with refuge areas at all times, even from outside of the building. People waiting in refuge areas can be reassured that someone is on the way, and other refuge calls can be answered even when a response elsewhere on the campus is already in progress. Bringing all of the University’s refuge areas back to a central location enables efficient and effective management should an emergency situation occur.
