Bow Valley College’s CampusAlert smartphone app has been downloaded more than 4,000 times since it was launched last year.
“According to AppArmor, our College has reached this level in just one year — faster than most post-secondary institutions with similar student/staff ratios in North America,” said Rob Williams, Manager, Security and Emergency Services.
CampusAlert is an app to notify subscribers of an imminent or occurring emergency at the College. It also has numerous safety features to help employees and students — and CampusAlert’s benefits are not limited to being on campus.
Williams said he was recently approached by a College employee who shared a story of how CampusAlert helped to keep his daughter safe, even though she is not a student at Bow Valley College.
After having downloaded the free app on the advice of her dad, a College employee, the 20-year-old called her father late one night from a pub downtown. She was about to take a taxi ride home and wanted someone to monitor her route back to the northwest to ensure she got home safely.
So, she asked her dad to observe her trip through the Friend Walk feature on CampusAlert. This tool allows someone to follow the other on Google Maps and tracks each block in real-time as they travel, including the direction.
While the woman arrived home safely that night, Friend Walk would have alerted her dad right away if the vehicle had suddenly changed direction.
Williams said the story is an excellent example of one of the important safety features found on the CampusAlert app.
“I encourage everyone to have their family members sign up to our safety app,” he said.
You can download Bow Valley College CampusAlert through the App Store or Google Play. Once you have downloaded the app to your device, select "Allow Notifications."
