With the start of the new semester at Elizabethtown College came the next technological advancement toward a safer campus, a new security application called the LiveSafe mobile application. The LiveSafe app has been available to colleges and universities for their students and faculty since 2013; as of Aug. 20, Etown has employed this technology in order to improve safety for everyone on campus. Students, staff members and faculty now have quick and easy access to Campus Security, wherever they may go on campus.
Now that Etown is using the LiveSafe app, students and staff can download it for free on Google Play or the App Store with Android or Apple devices. By signing up with a college email, people on campus gain more control over their safety and that of others around them through a number of features that the app possesses.
The first of these is the Emergency Options feature, which can be used to call for help if a dangerous situation occurs. In addition to the ability to call the emergency number 911, LiveSafe Emergency Options offers easy contact to Campus Security. Response time during an emergency is even faster with location tracking, which must first be enabled through the app.
LiveSafe allows users to report tips regarding potential threats or safety issues to Campus Security through a variety of methods. If there is a disturbance, an assault, a drug or alcohol incident or any other issue that may compromise the safety of an individual on campus, the LiveSafe app gives users the ability to send information to Campus Security by video, photo, text or audio.
A safety map is also available through the app. With this feature, residents on campus can see both safe areas and locations where incidents have occurred.
Also available for viewing in the app are important safety procedures and other health resources. With the notification feature, Campus Security can even send emergency alerts to users of the app.
In addition, the LiveSafe app has a GoSafe feature, which includes SafeWalk and Safety Escort. With Safety Escort, the user can submit a request to be walked to their destination if they are uncomfortable walking alone. Likewise, SafeWalk allows people to request that their contacts escort them virtually. The person can chat with their escort while the being followed on a location map to decrease the risk of danger.
The features included in the LiveSafe app have benefited institutions and communities across the United States, and are expected to do the same service for Etown in the coming years.
“The biggest thing is that it’s one more tool in the toolbox,” Assistant Director of Campus Security Dale Boyer said. In other words, Etown takes significant measures to keep everyone on campus as safe as possible but improvements can always be made to the process. The app is one such improvement which blends technology and manpower to empower the community and the Security team as a whole. The LiveSafe app is meant to allow people on campus to be more proactive than ever in working to ensure their own safety by making it easier to communicate with safety officials. As a result, users of the app are better equipped to protect themselves, their friends and others.
Boyer also notes that students today are more “technologically savvy,” and that an app such as LiveSafe would be something with which the students are comfortable. Therefore, students who use the LiveSafe app will be able to effectively utilize its user-friendly features, allowing the app to do its job to protect the people on campus.
Etown has brought the LiveSafe app to campus this academic year in hopes that it will help maintain a safe environment. With more control over the safety of the campus, students have more freedom and more responsibility to take action in the event of an emergency.
Information sessions for the LiveSafe app are being held during first several weeks of the fall semester. Specifics such as times, dates and locations will be displayed in Campus News. Students and faculty may call (717) 361-1111 in case of emergency, whether or not they have a device that is compatible with the LiveSafe app.