The Department of Public Safety has partnered with Alertus, a vendor with a platform used nationwide as an emergency notification system. The system was introduced this semester and will be rolled out over the course of this academic year.
The new system was created to simplify the emergency notification system for the department and students.
“Public Safety aimed to find an emergency notification platform that could consolidate all our emergency communication methods under one umbrella, ensuring quick and efficient information dissemination to everyone,” said Robert Fitzer, associate vice president of Public Safety.
The Alertus system debuts in a new active threat information video, demonstrating the app’s simple layout. The training video was put together by the department, filmed at both Fordham University Rose Hill and Lincoln Center and features students and faculty as actors.
“The platform now includes a ‘Life Safety’ feature that acts as a mobile panic button, making it more robust than our previous app. Additionally, it allows individuals in danger to send us a photo of the situation when possible, which is a new improvement,” said Fitzer. “When the sender alerts us, their photo is also sent, allowing Public Safety to identify the individual needing assistance more quickly.”
Fordham IT and the Alertus staff have been working together on the app’s rollout. However, several students feel the rollout has not been effective.
“I would love to learn about the new system. However, there’s not been extensive information given out, and therefore this hinders the accessibility of it to students,” said Cadence Wahl, FCRH ’26.
Some students weren’t even aware of the new system.
“How are students supposed to utilize this new system if they don’t know about it?” said Lilah Spedding, FCRH ’27.
The department conducted research on several mass notification systems with the goal of finding the most reliable and cost-effective system.
“The cost was comparable to our previous texting app, which was decommissioned last year,” said Fitzer.
Public Safety debuted its first app in 2014, titled “Fordham Safety Application.” The app allowed students to type a message, select a pre-written message, such as “I am being followed,” or press a blue button if they needed urgent assistance. The app sent the alerts to an iPad in the public safety office and included the sender’s location.
The Alterus app allows students to contact Public Safety in a variety of new ways and sends the student’s message to more than one device in the public safety office.
In 2017, Public Safety was recognized as one of the 10 best security departments at the National Campus Safety Summit, and the Fordham Safety Application was specifically noted as impressive in the citation.
These kinds of apps have become more common in recent years, with Columbia University debuting the “Lion Safe App” and New York University’s “Safe NYU App.” These apps have been created as texting becomes a more preferred form of communication among students. Being able to text for assistance rather than call can make students comfortable; it also helps in situations where calling can be dangerous.
Public Safety aims to create a simple and effective way for students to call for help while still providing all necessary services. Their previous app had begun to fall behind as technology improved.
“The ability to activate all our communication methods with a single push of a button has simplified the process in emergencies where time is crucial,” said Fitzer.
