By Chris Shott
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When asked to illuminate his job description, Jim Purcell says he is a “jack-of-all trades.”

And those who live and work at Linden Ponds can feel safe and secure about that.

Purcell is the new Security Coordinator at Linden Ponds, having been promoted to that position in February. In that capacity, he is responsible for training security officers and others in the finer points of disaster response management; implementing training programs for community members ensuring proper maintenance and functionality of life safety and emergency systems; overseeing the campus’s new dispatch center; and developing effective systems to communicate vital information to the entire Linden Ponds community.

In short, Purcell is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of everyone at Linden Ponds, a job he overtly relishes.

“It’s a very busy job,” Purcell says. “I enjoy working in public safety. Every day around here is different.”

Swift Reach system
Purcell recently supervised installation of the Linden Ponds Swift Reach system, an emergency activation telephone system which will ultimately ensure that everyone who lives and works on campus is notified of a crisis situation in “two minutes or less” and is cognizant of essential information.

Pre-recorded telephone messages will alert community members of emergency conditions and advise them how to properly react.

(Incidentally, the lack of a similar system on the campus of Virginia Tech was widely blamed for the university’s failure to minimize the damage from a tragic shooting spree there in April which claimed more than 30 lives).

Another pet project Purcell recently directed was completion of a dispatch center in the Oakleaf Clubhouse, which enables the Security Department to monitor campus activities efficiently.