The Swedish Defence University's digital alarm and command and control system

To increase security for staff and students and to be able to act quickly in the event of unexpected events, the Swedish Defence University uses a digital alarm system. The system is based on a mobile app called Cosafe for employees and Coalert for students. All employees must have the app on their mobile phone and students are encouraged to download Coalert.

The alarm and command and control system Cosafe is a mobile application that can trigger alarms in the form of a powerful sound signal and can also be used for crisis management and crisis communication. Coalert is a simpler version with one-way communication. Cosafe, which has the possibility of two-way communication, provides the opportunity to communicate in the event of an incident and lead response to the incident.

Part of the crisis management organisation

The two apps are central functions in the Swedish Defence University's alarm and command and control system for safety and security and are integrated into the university's security and crisis management organisation.

Cosafe and Coalert are intended for safety and security related events only and may not be used in any other context. The apps also do not replace other communication systems. All staff and students have the opportunity to trigger an alarm both Cosafe and Coalert. The app for students, Coalert, does not support two-way communication

The alarm can be segmented into different target groups and thus enables information to quickly reach the right people. In the event of an alarm, the person raising the alarm can, if the situation allows, write a message to all students and staff and tell them what has happened. This may mean, for example, that more people can get to safety or take other measures to protect themselves and others. Employees who are safe can continue to communicate their observations to others, including the crisis management organization, and potentially contribute to additional safety measures to deal with the incident.

GPS function

The app is supported by GPS function. It is important that this is turned on when installing the app. GPS positioning is only used if you raise the alarm or respond to the "I'm OK" function, in order to effectively notify employees of where the threat occurs and quickly get help from the security guards.

GPS positioning is otherwise turned off and nothing is collected in the system or updated during an ongoing alarm.

Features of Cosafe

Document

The document function will contain documents that each employee is recommended to read through and are linked to the various alarms. The documents are quality assured by MSB, the Swedish Police and the Center for Violent Extremism (CVE) guidance "Violent acts with major consequences in school".

Alarm

The tool will be equipped with predefined alarms. These alarms can be started by all employees and can be sent to everyone at SEDU depending on the type of alarm an employee starts. The predefined alarms are:

The alarm can be started by all employees and sent to all employees/students. The alarm is there to quickly alert everyone to an ongoing threat or attack.

The alarm should be used in the event of ongoing lethal violence or threats (PDV), which is when one or more perpetrators attack a place or building with the aim of randomly killing and injuring as many people as possible.

Alarms that can be sent to everyone or only to FHS's security organization including security guards, who make an initial assessment of an incident that has occurred. Staff who perceive suspicious behaviour or objects can alert the SEDU security organisation, which will carry out an initial assessment. The alarm should be used, for example, when:

Suspicious object, such as a bag that should be examined immediately or a suspected dangerous shipment.
Suspicious behavior.
A person who behaves suspiciously in the vicinity of or within the protected site, thefts or other offences and offences
Property, e.g. power outages/power outages/IT incidents

Alarms for training and training.

The alarm will be used in training and exercises of the SEDU's security organisation and crisis management organisation. Every quarter, the alarm will be tested against all staff and students. Special information is sent out before the exercise alarm.

Installation wizard

Note that you must enter an activation code in order to activate the service on your mobile phone.

This is how you get started with CoAlert:

The CoAlert app is free to download and you do the following to get started, you will receive an activation code by email (email will be sent January 2024):

Download the CoAlert app from the App Store or Google Play
Allow important warnings and notifications (in mobile settings)
Enter the code you find under activation code, below, and connect. (If you miss an email with activation code you can contact IT-service(helpdesk@fhs.se)

You are now connected to your group and can receive alarms and important messages from the Swedish Defence University!

Learn more

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) has films and a course that gives you additional knowledge about security.

MSB's films on safety in public spaces:

https://www.msb.se/sv/amnesomraden/krisberedskap--civilt-forsvar/forebyggande-arbete-mot-attentat-och-terrordad/filmer /

MSB web course terror preparedness

https://webbutbildning.msb.se/utb/terrorberedskap-internt /