By Eric Louie
Contra Costa Times
LIVERMORE, Calif. — The addition of wireless Internet in Livermore schools is not simply a more convenient way to surf the Web.
The new technology also comes with on-campus cameras that can be viewed through computers, including laptops, connected to the network. That and other information also can now be more easily shared with emergency responders, creating a response network that can benefit the entire city.
"I can tell you, it's very cutting edge," George Lowry, communications coordinator for the local 16-county region of the state Office of Emergency Services, said of the Livermore Information Network Collaborative. "Livermore's definitely out in front on this."
The collaborative builds on the wireless Internet connections installed in Livermore schools over the past year, district facilities director Floyd Wilson said. Those connections currently are at Granada High, Sunset Elementary and Mendenhall Middle schools, with Livermore High expected to start in a week. The goal is to have the wireless network installed at all the district's schools by March.
The district also has been installing campus security cameras connected to the wireless network. There currently are cameras at Granada High, Livermore High, Sunset Elementary and the district's temporary offices at the former Arroyo Mocho Elementary.
Pat Lanthier, a consultant with Rivera/Lanthier and Associates working with the district, said such a network makes sense for schools, which are considered places of refuge under the state's emergency plan. Schools are centrally located, have fields that can hold tents or other housing accommodations and have cooking and other facilities.
Additionally, besides channels for teachers and students, the wireless network features a channel that allows local police officers and firefighters at the schools to view the information coming in. They also can retrieve other information, such as floor plans of buildings where problems are occurring, available immediately.
All those pieces came together Thursday morning during an emergency drill — mainly involving workers at the district offices headquarters — based on an earthquake scenario. Those workers were charged with collecting drill information about injuries and facility damage at individual schools.
Just after the "earthquake" happened, workers filed into Arroyo Mocho Elementary's multipurpose room, setting up communication lines. Using the new system, within a half hour, a dry-erase board showed the status of all 19 school sites to be accounted for. Messages also could be written and shared; one involved showing schools where emergency responders were sending evacuees from the community at large.
In the back of the room, a laptop showed live scenes from various campuses. At a Granada High School field, physical education students (oblivious to the drill) could be seen doing sit-ups. But the system was working.
All the while, information was being recorded as part of a countywide emergency drill, said Greg Park, information technology coordinator for the Livermore Police Department. The process of information sharing and chain of command during an emergency is still being developed, he said. But having emergency responders tapped into this new network will make communication faster when the heat is on -- for real.
Before the technology was installed, Livermore officers would have to get information relayed from their officials, who themselves were getting relayed information from other agencies. Now, responders to the school can find out immediately what is going on.
Wilson said that buying the wireless equipment cost the district about $1 million. Ongoing wireless service, he said, costs about the same as traditional Internet. There was no added cost to include police and fire, and other agencies could sign up, too. The district may be able to get grants, such as for homeland security, to recoup some of the set-up and ongoing costs.
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