Kaylee Loofbourrow, UT:10 News Reporter
February 21, 2019
TOLEDO, Ohio – The blue emergency poles are being phased out at the University of Toledo due to the high cost of maintenance and replacement.
The poles were installed on campus in the early ‘90s to help faculty, students, and staff stay safe.
When the pole’s button is pushed, the location is sent to dispatch and campus police is notified immediately, even if no one responds, UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said.
However because of how old the poles are, repairs are becoming limited because parts are not being made anymore.
The poles are also operated through copper wire whereas the newer ones are all on fiber, Newton said.
“You would have to buy new product completely and run fiber to that location, so it’s a pretty costly endeavor,” he said. “It would probably be a million dollars or more to replace and upgrade all the phones that we have on campus.”
There are 52 blue emergency devices on Main campus, according to the UT Facilities Map; however, after a two-hour search for the devices, 14 could not be located.
The poles are routinely checked but it is not known whether a pole works until someone ultimately uses it, Newton said.
Many poles do not function properly due to the cold and poor weather conditions the poles are exposed to on a daily basis.
The university wants to phase out the old technology and replace it with the new technology available on a person’s phone, but not everyone agrees the buttons are obsolete.
Last semester, Grace Johnson, a second-year biology student, did not have any other way to call for help besides the blue pole.
It was five a.m. and no one else was on campus when I was locked out of my car and my cell phone was locked inside my car, Johnson said.
“I tried to get into my car and it didn’t work, tried a bunch of different options and the only thing I could resort to was the blue pole,” she said. “I pressed the emergency button and they sent a police officer to help me get into my car.”
As the emergency poles continue to disappear from campus, UT has been pushing the mobile app Rave Guardian since 2015.
This app puts the emergency device in a person’s phone and has added features including a campus directory, a personal profile, and a hot button to UT police.
But there are issues with only having access to a mobile app.
Phones can die and not work properly, so I would prefer the blue pole, but if you have a reliable phone, use the app, Mohamed Ahmad, second-year information technology student.
We spoke to several people on campus and most said they would prefer to have access to both blue poles and the app regardless of cost.
However, the university is pushing the Rave Guardian app in multiple campus events and currently, there are no plans to save the blue emergency poles.
February 21, 2019
TOLEDO, Ohio – The blue emergency poles are being phased out at the University of Toledo due to the high cost of maintenance and replacement.
The poles were installed on campus in the early ‘90s to help faculty, students, and staff stay safe.
When the pole’s button is pushed, the location is sent to dispatch and campus police is notified immediately, even if no one responds, UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said.
However because of how old the poles are, repairs are becoming limited because parts are not being made anymore.
The poles are also operated through copper wire whereas the newer ones are all on fiber, Newton said.
“You would have to buy new product completely and run fiber to that location, so it’s a pretty costly endeavor,” he said. “It would probably be a million dollars or more to replace and upgrade all the phones that we have on campus.”
There are 52 blue emergency devices on Main campus, according to the UT Facilities Map; however, after a two-hour search for the devices, 14 could not be located.
The poles are routinely checked but it is not known whether a pole works until someone ultimately uses it, Newton said.
Many poles do not function properly due to the cold and poor weather conditions the poles are exposed to on a daily basis.
The university wants to phase out the old technology and replace it with the new technology available on a person’s phone, but not everyone agrees the buttons are obsolete.
Last semester, Grace Johnson, a second-year biology student, did not have any other way to call for help besides the blue pole.
It was five a.m. and no one else was on campus when I was locked out of my car and my cell phone was locked inside my car, Johnson said.
“I tried to get into my car and it didn’t work, tried a bunch of different options and the only thing I could resort to was the blue pole,” she said. “I pressed the emergency button and they sent a police officer to help me get into my car.”
As the emergency poles continue to disappear from campus, UT has been pushing the mobile app Rave Guardian since 2015.
This app puts the emergency device in a person’s phone and has added features including a campus directory, a personal profile, and a hot button to UT police.
But there are issues with only having access to a mobile app.
Phones can die and not work properly, so I would prefer the blue pole, but if you have a reliable phone, use the app, Mohamed Ahmad, second-year information technology student.
We spoke to several people on campus and most said they would prefer to have access to both blue poles and the app regardless of cost.
However, the university is pushing the Rave Guardian app in multiple campus events and currently, there are no plans to save the blue emergency poles.
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