Gulf Coast State College Installs First Help Alert® System in a Higher Education Institution

BROOKFIELD, Wis., Sept. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RF Technologies^®, a leading provider of wireless safety and security solutions, has installed its Help Alert^® Staff Duress Solution at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) in Panama City, Fla., to help keep staff and students safe.

The GCSC Panama City campus is home to approximately 8,000 students and 400 staff members, and was looking for a long-term solution that could provide both fixed and mobile panic buttons to alert security teams and responders in case of an emergency.

Help Alert was chosen because its pendants meet the need for fixed panic alarms in classrooms, and mobile alarms for security and administrative personnel. With Help Alert, 175 GCSC classrooms and offices in multiple buildings have an added security measure in place.

If a Help Alert button is pressed, a silent, wireless alert is sent to the Florida State University Police, who can view alerts on police car laptops or on an Apple^® iPad^®. Software shows the location of the panic alarm, even if a mobile pendant is on the move, so security teams know where to respond and can implement security measures. Alerts are also immediately sent to department heads, college administration and a county emergency operations center (EOC).

"The safety of our students, employees and guests at Gulf Coast State College always comes first, and we have made significant improvements to our technology over the years to help alert people when necessary," said Dr. Jim Kerley, GCSC president. "The recent installation of RF Technologies' panic buttons in all classrooms and public areas is a welcome addition to our multi-layered approach to crisis communications. We are thrilled to work with RF Technologies and to be on the ground floor as we implement this new system for the first time in an institution of higher education."

Help Alert is used across the education, hospitality and healthcare markets. Pendants, either worn or fixed, provide a proactive, cost-effective solution to protect staff, students and guests.

The solution is powered by PinPoint^® real-time locating systems (RTLS) technology to provide location accuracy within an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, which means no wires, power cables, or new construction work is needed for installation. Free mobile apps are available in the Apple^®App Store^SM to track alerts from an iPhone^® or iPad^®.

About Gulf Coast State College
Gulf Coast State College is Northwest Florida's leader in higher education, offering bachelor's degrees, more than 100 associate degree transfer tracks and 43 workforce certificates. With four campuses across three counties, Gulf Coast offers quality education and training that gives students the foundation and knowledge for rewarding careers and advancement in desirable fields. Offering some of the lowest tuition in the state and flexible scheduling, including online classes, GCSC is dedicated to serve all students through open access, opportunity and hope.

About RF Technologies
RF Technologies is a leading provider of safety and security solutions for the healthcare, hospitality, and education markets, leveraging radio frequency identification (RFID) and PinPoint^® real-time locating system (RTLS) technologies. The RF Technologies brand family includes Code Alert^®, Help Alert^®, Safe Place^®, Sensatec^® and ExacTrack^®. With more than 10,000 installations, it was the first in the industry to offer remote monitoring, RF consulting, 24/7 technical support by internal staff specialists, and a nationwide service team. Learn more at www.rft.com.

SOURCE RF Technologies