The Nixle system is an emergency alert system that sends text messages, calls, and web updates to people who subscribe, according to their website.

It keeps people informed on relevant information, as it is delivered as fast as possible.

Nixle is based in San Francisco, which was created in June 2008, and was first tested in Chula Vista, California later that winter. After testing out Nixle for 45 days, Chula Vista became the first city to adopt the system.

To subscribe to Nixle, the person interested sends a text to the number provided on their website. Once they have done that, they have officially subscribed.

Most students on campus, when asked about the Nixle system, had no clue what it is, or how it works. Nam Duong, student, said he’d “never even heard of it.”

Yesterday, there was an explosion at the Exxon Mobile refinery on Crenshaw Boulevard in Torrance, just a few miles from the El Camino campus. In an event like this, students may want to be informed.

In addition to the explosion, there was a recent shooting on campus, and a Nixle alert was sent out. The problem is, not many students are Nixle subscribers, and did not find out about the shooting until hours later.

In the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake, a gas leak, or other things of that nature; students and faculty would receive an alert with instructions on what to do, if they were subscribed to Nixle.

The question is whether students would subscribe to the system, even if they were aware of it. Are people concerned enough to take time out of their day to sign up for Nixle?

A few students seemed to welcome the idea of receiving these alerts. After informing him of the steps it would take to subscribe, student Steven Ullfig said, “if all it takes is a text, then it sounds like a good idea.”