Penn State expands use of DLAN to include football and large campus events
Penn State University Emergency Operations Center (EOC) recently expanded its use of DLAN to include all home football games and other large on campus events. The system is used to monitor activities throughout the games so that the EOC could quickly scale up operations in the event of an emergency. DLAN keeps all stakeholders informed and includes all the tools necessary to move from event monitoring to emergency activation.
Penn State’s EOC makes for an interesting case study because its operations go beyond just campus safety. The EOC is used a by the Center Region Council of Governments to track and manage events and incidents across the commonwealth campuses and the surrounding communities. For this type of operation, information sharing and coordination is key and DLAN provides them with all the tools they need to be successful.
The EOC handles mainly weather-related events that are severe enough to require extra assets and coordinated monitoring and response. Recently Penn State expanded the use of the software to include large events such as home football games. This gives them more opportunities to utilize and learn the software, as well as adds an extra level of safety to events. DLAN includes tools for pre-planning, event monitoring, and emergency operations so all the information Penn State needs is in one common location that can be accessed by all stakeholders during an activation.
Brian Bittner, the Emergency Management Director for Penn State’s EOC, notes that one of the main advantages of the system is how easy it is to notify non-EOC stakeholders of emerging events. DLAN’s security functions allow them to give just the access needed to keep stakeholders informed, while keeping sensitive data secure. This has allowed the EOC to quickly and easily communicate with government officials and other emergency personnel. Bittner notes that overall Penn State has found the software very intuitive and easy to work with.
Bittner also pointed out that the level of personalized support the EOC receives from BCG staff has been very helpful as they expand their use of the system. BCG always works closely with customers to ensure that our systems work both technically and operationally. BCG has worked with Penn State to tailor the solution to meet its specific needs and to continually find innovative ways to work DLAN into their daily operations.
About Penn State
Penn State’s mission has broadened to include teaching, research, and public services in a variety of disciplines. Penn State is administratively centered at the University Park campus in State College, PA. There are 24 locations across the Commonwealth, including The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA, and two separately accredited law schools, one in Carlisle, PA, and the other at University Park. The University serves approximately 100,000 students, with 18,000 faculty and staff. Penn State Emergency Operations Center is used by the multi-agency coordinating group to track and manage incidents/events across the commonwealth campuses and the surrounding communities.
