Case Study

Case Study: From Reaction to Prevention

How UTC’s Emergency Management Team Uses VOLT AI to Proactively Safeguard Campus Operations
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The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (1)

Key Benefits

Proactive Risk Mitigation

VOLT AI gives UTC’s Emergency Management team real-time visibility into threats ranging from environmental hazards to behavioral anomalies before they escalate.

Campus-Wide Situational Awareness

From ADA-accessible elevators to an off-campus observatory, the system flags incidents in real time and contextualizes them for fast, informed action.

Cross-Functional Value

The system supports public safety, environmental health, disability services, risk management, and student wellbeing, demonstrating measurable ROI for multiple campus stakeholders.

Meet Brett Fuchs, Director of Emergency Management at UTC

Brett Fuchs brings over a decade of experience in higher education emergency management and behavioral threat assessment. As UTC’s Director of Emergency Management, he oversees emergency planning, threat assessment, communications, and serves as the Public Information Officer. His work supports the university's mission of maintaining safety across a growing urban campus with a population of more than 12,000 students.

The Emergency Management Challenge

As a “mini-city,” UTC’s footprint spans academic, residential, and auxiliary buildings, along with off-campus observatories, parking decks, and a power plant that runs 24/7. The diversity of use cases, populations, and risks meant traditional surveillance and reactive monitoring systems were no longer sufficient.

Some challenges included:

  • Unmonitored cameras and no alert system for high-risk areas
  • Delayed incident awareness due to reporting lags or inaccessible footage
  • Gaps in coverage for ADA compliance, off-hours occupancy, and lone-worker safety
  • No integrated way to manage risks in critical infrastructure like power plants or data centers
“We needed a tool that could support proactive emergency management, not just after-the-fact video review. We were dealing with everything from falls and fires to loitering and suicide risk. This wasn’t just a policing issue, it was an institutional risk issue.”

Brett Fuchs

Director of Emergency Management, UTC

VOLT AI Implementation

Working with the public safety team, Fuchs led a deployment strategy focused on multi-departmental value. Cameras were prioritized in areas with high risk, frequent foot traffic, and operational blind spots. VOLT’s integration with existing camera infrastructure allowed for immediate impact—no major hardware replacements required.

The system now actively monitors for:

  • Loitering in sensitive or restricted areas
  • Slips, trips, and falls, including those affecting insurance liability
  • Vehicles entering pedestrian zones or restricted pathways
  • Anomalous activity near high-value assets or isolated buildings
  • Zero-occupancy violations in secure locations after hours
“People assume emergency management starts when an event occurs. But our work is really about preventing escalation in the first place.”

Brett Fuchs

Director of Emergency Management, UTC

Real-Time Detection: Public Safety Meets Prevention

Here’s how UTC’s Emergency Management team is using VOLT in real-world scenarios:

ADA Accessibility Checks

A camera at the only ADA-compliant entrance to the library is configured to alert if someone loiters for a determined period of time, flagging possible elevator failure or an individual in need of assistance.

Suicide Prevention

VOLT monitors top levels of garages and pedestrian pathways for individuals climbing railings or loitering—giving responders critical lead time. “If someone’s up there, we want to know before a bystander calls it in,” Fuchs said.

Trip and Fall Detection

VOLT has flagged multiple incidents involving staff and visitors. The alerts preserved crucial footage that would have otherwise been overwritten, supporting both insurance reviews and EHS investigations.

Child Safety at Events

With many public events hosted on campus, VOLT’s ability to track individuals backward through time is critical for locating missing children or understanding incident origins.

Restricted Area Monitoring

Whether it’s the storage of a mobile health clinic or an off-campus observatory used by elderly and youth groups, VOLT helps Fuchs’s team monitor activity and verify access in remote or unstaffed spaces.

Critical Infrastructure Protection

VOLT is being configured to monitor UTC’s power plant, where 24/7 lone workers are vulnerable. The system will alert if no person is detected during scheduled check-ins, ensuring immediate awareness if a staff member is incapacitated.

Driving Organizational Change

By showcasing cross-functional value—from student affairs to environmental safety—Fuchs is helping reshape how UTC approaches risk.

  • EHS & Insurance: Faster claim verification and incident documentation
  • Facilities & Planning: Smarter camera placement and coverage evaluations
  • Mental Health & Student Support: Tools for behavioral risk detection and response
  • Access Control & IT: Supporting physical security redesigns with proactive oversight
“Emergency management is about prevention, foresight, and protecting people before the moment of crisis. VOLT gives us that edge—on every part of campus.”

Brett Fuchs

Director of Emergency Management, UTC

Conclusion

For Fuchs, VOLT isn’t just about emergency response—it’s about institutional resiliency.

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