01273 320650
Home › Resources › Case Studies
DMS at the University of Sussex

The customer

Nestled into the rolling hills of the South Downs, surrounded by the boundaries of the National Park, the Falmer Campus of the University of Sussex cuts an impressive figure. With around 15,000 students a year; it is one of the top 20 universities in the UK.

Architect Sir Basil Spence drew inspiration from the surrounding countryside, and many of the buildings have listed status. The campus has undergone much redevelopment over the last 20 years, including a recent major refurbishment of the iconic Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts.

Download Case Study PDF

Sector

Education

Customer requirements

Emergency notifications for staff and students
Product provided
Digital Messaging Service (DMS)
"We’re proud to be working in partnership with our local University. We’re glad to provide a vital service for those with a hearing impairment, and also to make the jobs of those involved with estates management, fire safety and evacuation that little bit easier"
Pete Davies
Business Development Manager at Fireco

THE PROBLEM

Problematic Pagers

The university undertook a review of fire protection measures to support Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) for people with disabilities, including methods of notifying the deaf or hearing impaired when a fire alarm was activated. The existing pager system had been in use for a number of years, but, as with most systems of this type, there were issues with handsets going missing and needing to be replaced.

It became clear to the university that the time had come to look at a new alarm notification system for its hearing-impaired students, staff and visitors. The University of Sussex had previously worked with Fireco and was keen to see what it could do.

Students walking down a pathway, edged by a grass field, outside of a university building.
The exterior of a building at The University of Sussex

the solution

Easy day-to-day running

Fireco completed an installation of the Digital Messaging Service (DMS) in the academic and social buildings across the campus. When a fire alarm is activated, DMS notifies users via a text message on their mobile phone.

The University of Sussex is well known for its innovation and forward thinking, so DMS fits in well with this ethos. DMS is significantly more cost effective than pagers in regards to equipment and operational costs; individuals can use their own phones, which is a real advantage. It’s also much easier to operate on a day-to-day basis with very little required from student services and the estates teams. Operating a campus-wide pager system had been a very involved process.

Find out more about Digital Messaging Service (DMS) here
The DMS unit

DMS is a mass notification system that can send emergency text, email, Whatsapp or a voice message to an unlimited amount of users who are subscribed to the service. This could be used for pre-alarm notifications and evacuation alerts.

Other case studies

Each Peach Nursery

Each Peach Nursery

Safety and freedom of movement at Each Peach Childcare

Tolworth School

Tolworth School

Creating a safe and empowering environment at Tolworth School

Swiss Gardens Primary School

Swiss Gardens Primary School

Primary school improves ventilation with Dorgard SmartSound

Want Fireco updates direct to your inbox?

Join our mailing list so you’re the first to know about live webinars & events, as well as product updates & news from Fireco

You can find out more about how we process your information by reading our Privacy Policy.

Pin It on Pinterest