School districts looking to install or upgrade a mass notification system need to be aware that not all systems are designed nor operate the same across the board.
The Education Market security experts at Sonitrol Great Lakes say schools should examine these six key components when choosing a campus-wide communication system:
Clarity of notifications: A combination of high-quality audio and video notifications delivered across the entire system ensures effective communication. Optimizing sound quality is key to overcoming acoustical challenges. In loud areas, video notifications can support audio message delivery.
Ease of integration: An audio system that offers easy integration with third-party control systems can enable a more comprehensive and intuitive system across an entire campus. It’s important to ensure audio technologies can communicate across a diverse set of technology components.
Emergency alerts: In an emergency, audio technology can be automated to sync with the fire alarm system or other alerts. For example, various National Weather Service alert-driven visual and audible campus notifications can be delivered based specifically on a weather event’s location and severity, allowing schools to issue shelter-in-place or other emergency instructions promptly.
Schedules and routines: Recurring bells, tones, and audio distribution schedules to all zones or even select paging zones can streamline day-to-day communication operations.
Zoning: Zoning ensures that messages are delivered to the appropriate spaces within a campus. For example, the system could be configured to treat elementary, middle, and high schools as their own zones. All zones can be selected to ensure critical information is delivered to everyone in emergency situations.
Streamlined communication: In an emergency, school districts require an effective, integrated emergency notification solution that can streamline communication across an entire school district. An active emergency at one school campus can result in an immediate emergency procedure across all campuses within the school district.
Sonitrol Education Market specialists stand ready to advise school officials on the most appropriate security upgrade requirements. Contact us to learn more about our specialized school security solutions and inquire about a no-obligation security assessment.
Source: Campus Safety Magazine