What Ifs Answered

A new emergency broadcast system has been installed on campus. There are three parts to the system including speakers, email, and text to guarantee the safety of all students and faculty.

In the event of an emergency, speakers placed around campus will broadcast a prerecorded message, followed by an email and text message to be sent to all students with details on the emergency, what to do, and where to go. This will ensure that no matter where students are they can get to safety immediately.

“There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ in a situation like a train accident and chemical threat or a tornado,” said David Gendron, the director of safety and security. “We would most likely tell people to shelter in place and to stay where they are. If an evacuation were necessary, the police department has buses on stand by to take everyone to another school nearby.”

Speakers are located on the outside of buildings all around campus. There are also speakers located on the lower fields, in case an emergency occurs during sports practice.

An emergency could include anything from natural disasters to accidents that occur on Route 5 & 10. When such an accident happens, the police will immediately contact Deerfield to let us know of the hazard. From there, security office will alert the campus within minutes.

“Finding the right piece of equipment took a while,” said Mr. Gendron. “We didn’t want to implement something that we would spend a large amount of money on, and it wouldn’t work.”

Mr. Gendron said the system is only in its first phase. He added, “We want to set up speakers in all of the classroom and even in some dorms.”

The emergency broadcast system will assure the community of safety in the event of a crisis.