Katie Ward, Staff Writer

Their false alarm had a purpose.

The emergency blue light system was recently put to the test by Appalachian State University students interested in testing and maintaining campus safety.

Members of the Student Government Association’s Student Affairs Committee measured the reaction time of the University Police during an emergency situation.

Determining whether the blue lights actually worked also served as a driving force for the experiment, said committee head Stacy Bem.

The groups chose to perform the test on the blue light on the trail behind Eggers Residence Hall, Bem said.

Committee representatives activated the phone and announced an emergency to the answering officer, Bem said.

After receiving the call, with no details or location given, the police reached the scene within five minutes.

“They came from State Farm in all directions, with back-up,” Bem said.  “It looked like a real police scene.”

Though the officers were slightly disgruntled when they discovered it was a false alarm, they responded in a polite, understanding manner, said Bem.

“We were really impressed with the officers, and we want to give them recognition for their response,” Bem said.

“We do not want them to feel as if they answered the call for nothing,” she said.

The officers who arrived at the scene were unaware that the call was only a drill and
responded as they would in a true emergency situation.

Director of Public Safety and University Police Captain Roy Tugman was informed by Bem that the event would occur.

“This was a true test because the officers did not know that it was not a real emergency,” Tugman said.

“The test was a good indicator of how effective the blue lights could be (in a true emergency),” he said.

The campus presently maintains 45 call boxes throughout campus, including those in the residence halls.

Few calls, whether prank, emergency or otherwise, come in from the boxes, Tugman said.

However, they continue to serve as an effective crime deterrent, in Tugman’s opinion.
 

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