PennComm Emergency Communications Center

PennComm is the heart of Public Safety. Our highly trained dispatchers provide critical communications for a vast array of situations and conditions. The team provides emergency communications and response between all members of the Penn and University City communities and police, fire and medical emergency responders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

AR-1 & Philadelphia Fire Department

PennComm dispatchers directly connect to our partners in the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) for response from our on-campus AR-1 (LINK) unit and PFD medics and firefighters in medical, fire, and other emergency situations.

Virtual Patrol

PennComm operators, like the police officers assigned to various sectors for active walking, bike, and vehicle patrol, are trained to view the Penn Patrol Zone using the CCTV cameras through virtual patrol on a 24/7 basis for the purposes of crime prevention and abatement.

Calls for Service and City Integration

Over 106,000 calls for service are processed directly by the PennComm Center annually, including calls for Walking Escort services. The dispatching center utilizes a state-of-the-art Computer Aided Dispatching (CAD) System to record all requests for service from the Penn Community, and is responsible for monitoring all alarms throughout campus, including burglar alarms, duress alarms and fire alarm systems. The Dispatchers can also see the City of Philadelphia’s 911 calls and respond quickly to any calls within the Penn Patrol Zone.