When designing, building, and maintaining an emergency mass notification system for school campuses, no one technology should be relied upon independently from an entire integrated system.
Using only one technology puts individuals in danger and creates risks that can be diminished with a fully integrated system.
This blog discusses the most essential elements of a fully integrated campus notification system.
For example, cell phone alert technology has become popular in recent years, However, it’s only completely effective with an integrated mass notification system. For students, faculty and staff who don’t have their phones turned on or have them stashed in a difficult to reach place, they will likely never receive the warnings.
Fortunately, there is a variety of alert technologies available, and schools should use more than one to ensure individuals are effectively and sufficiently warned about an impending threat. These technologies blanket an area and can alert people inside multiple campus buildings, as well as outdoor spaces.
In addition, these technologies can alert individuals about a variety of threats, including weather-related events like tornadoes and floods, as well as active shooters and more.
These technologies include:
Outdoor warning and voice sirens. While some view outdoor warning sirens as archaic, the technology has advanced in recent years to allow numerous customizable voice and tone alerts warning of the many different threats facing campuses. Furthermore, sirens are incredibly effective as they can be often heard indiscriminately over a wide area. With the right control system, emergency managers can also sound these tones and messages indoors through existing speakers.
Desktop alerts. Technology allows emergency messages to deploy pop-up messages in network devices, including computers and other technologies connected to a campus network. Emergency managers can push messages to these devices, warning anyone using a laptop, tablet or other devices. Emergency managers can also integrate smart boards and digital signage into their notifications, alerting those in classrooms or other areas of campus.
Mobile alerts. While it’s not recommended to use only mobile alerts, they can be very effective in reaching a population of students, staff and faculty who have access to their phones. In addition, technology allows two-way communication between mobile devices and emergency services, allowing users to provide information that can quickly put emergency alerts into place and mitigate the impact of active shooters or other threats.
Intuitive control platforms. Messages are only effective if they quickly reach the intended audience. Advanced control platforms allow emergency professionals to customize their alerts to automatically sound based on weather notifications. Furthermore, emergency personnel can quickly activate alerts based on credible information, targeting only those in an affected area. These alerts can be activated through a variety of platforms, including remotely by cell phone.
When integrated, these technologies create an effective emergency management platform that allows campuses to quickly and easily alert individuals of any impending threat, keeping students, staff and faculty out of harm’s way.
Source: Campus Safety Magazine