THE DEC. 13 SNOWSTORM that left scores of Providence schoolchildren stranded for hours on buses drove home the message that the Ocean State needs a communication system that will get the right information to the right people at the right time. It would be terrific if it were also the right price.

That system already exists. It’s called IPICS, which stands for Internet Protocol Interoperability and Collaboration System. Developed by Cisco Systems and implemented on the Bryant University campus, IPICS has the ability to share simultaneously — with the push of one button — firsthand information from the source directly to the groups of people who need it, no matter where they are or what they use to communicate, be it regular phone, cell phone, computer or hand-held radio. Think of it as a virtual conference call in which everyone gets all the information they need to respond quickly to emergencies and make quick group decisions.

IPICS grew out of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center tragedy, when police and fire battalions, each talking on independent frequencies, were unable to share critical information with one another.

At Bryant, we use IPICS day to day to enable direct radio communication among campus public safety, campus management and residential life departments. But after the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech, we realized that IPICS had the potential to connect campus public safety officials to one another and to off-campus safety officials during a crisis.

Working closely with innovative individuals like Deputy Chief C. Wayne Brown of the Smithfield Fire Department and Chief Matthew Pearson of the Harmony Fire Department, Bryant extended IPICS to a number of public safety agencies, first in Smithfield, then to the neighboring communities of North Smithfield, Cumberland, Glocester, Foster, Woonsocket and nearby Connecticut’s Quinebaug Valley Regional Dispatch Center. We’ve also connected with the state’s E-911 and the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Red Cross, and are in the process of connecting to the state’s Emergency Management Agency as well as adding a community in nearby Massachusetts. Very soon, IPICS, with the assistance of OSHEAN and RINET, will tie Brown University, Providence College and Roger Williams University to their communities’ network of emergency responders.

To date, the IPICS network expansion has cost less than $10,000, and already it has proven its value. Recently, an auto accident occurred on the Rhode Island/Connecticut border. A motorist placed a 911 call, which was relayed to the Quinebaug Valley Regional Dispatch Center. With the click of the IPICS button, the dispatcher was able to get additional details and immediately alert the various Rhode Island public safety officials responsible for the area where the accident occurred.

In the wake of the storm, some in Rhode Island say the solution to the communication problem rests in the purchase of a multimillion-dollar system of police radios, in legislation to require costly bus communications, and in contracts with an assortment of consultants. Bryant University believes that IPICS offers a proven and more cost-effective model. We stand ready to help the state’s cities and towns implement it.

Ronald K. Machtley is president of Bryant University. Arthur Gloster II is Bryant’s vice president for Information Services.