Although Ohio University's blue light emergency phones are named for their most visible feature, many of the phones' lights are illuminated only after dark and some don't have lights at all.
After Student Senate found several deficiencies in an inspection of the phones and lights last Spring Quarter, the university offices responsible for the system conducted another analysis to examine inconsistencies.
One of the things we talked about in our analysis was how important it is that the phones be consistent in their appearance and their operation
said David Hopka, assistant vice president for Safety and Risk Management.
Before the Student Senate report, there was not a systematic inspection process for the 85 phones, Hopka said.
The Office of Information Technology, which maintains the phones, now performs monthly phone inspections. Since the inspections began, OIT has replaced 26 phones and made 17 minor repairs, said Sean O'Malley, IT communications manager. - he said. As budgets tighten, This could become problematic which is why I would like to see a central source of funding for this equipment.
When the older phones fail, OIT replaces them with Code Blue technology, which is more modern and reliable, O'Malley said. It costs $3,900 to $5,000 to replace a wall mounted phone and from $3,900 to $5,000 for a freestanding light. -
he said.
In addition to differences in phone technology, the lighting system is not standardized. Some of the blue lights are lit 24 hours, some have darkness sensors and 13 phones don't have lights, O'Malley said.OIT would like all the lights to be on at all times for consistency, he said. We haven't gotten there yet.
The President's Office recently approved an advisory council on campus safety that will study the inconsistencies in the blue light phone system, including budget centralization, Hopka said.
The council will weigh standardization strategies, such as replacing all old phones with the Code Blue technology at once, or proceeding on a case-by-case basis, he said.
It would cost an estimated $81,000 for a one-time replacement of all the outdated phones and their housings. To change the light configuration to include a 24-hour light and a second flashing light activated by emergency calls, it would cost about $230,000, Hopka said.
Some of these phones are reaching the end of their useful life
he said. We need to have a good
viable solution. G? How many of these are enough
where do they need to be G? require some systematic analysis.
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Meghan McNamara
