Top 5 Reasons Teachers Should Have Mobile Panic Alarms
Communities, parents, teachers, and administrators are all actively considering the challenge: How do we safely protect our students and staff?
Administrations are considering how well they are currently prepared to respond to strangers on campus, weapons in school, arguments, verbal threats, and bullying. Several districts are proposing adding fixed panic buttons so front desk staff can signal a distress call.
However, a mobile panic alarm solution allows staff members to immediately and discreetly call for security assistance, regardless of where they are on campus. A mobile panic alarm can make a big difference in an emergency situation when a fixed panic button may be out of reach. As soon as a teacher presses his/her personal, mobile pendant, the staff member’s name, photo, and real-time location is shared with appropriate security responders, all via Wi-Fi technology.
What are the top five reasons to consider a mobile panic alarm solution?
1. Increase the Number of Responders: Some schools leverage the principal or vice-principal as their primary onsite security responder. Even schools with school resource officers (SROs) can’t monitor an entire campus at once. With a mobile panic alarm, every single staff member is now the eyes and ears of the responders and a key member of the school security team.
2. Address Incidents Prior to Escalation: Violent situations often occur after suspicious or unusual behavior. However, we’ve all been taught to never dial 9-1-1 unless we’re sure there’s an emergency. Mobile panic buttons can be pressed the moment a staff member sees a security threat. So responders can arrive quickly before a situation escalates.
3. Complement Video Systems: Video surveillance systems are excellent tools, but with teachers wearing panic buttons, coverage can now go beyond the areas typically captured in a video, including classrooms, offices, restrooms, and locker rooms. If a school integrates video and mobile panic alarm solutions, video monitors can focus on an alarming pendant’s location to identify the threat and coordinate a response.
4. Enable District-level Visibility: A panic alarm system enables district-level personnel to see when alarms occur, when they’re acknowledged, and when they’re cleared. Alarms may even be escalated at the district level, indicating the incident requires a 9-1-1 response.
5. Deter Violent Behavior: With panic buttons, a school’s staff becomes aligned to security which can itself help deter violence. There is an expectation and responsibility for teachers and staff to be more aware of the school’s environment: to be on the lookout for potential security situations and threats around them.
The current state of school security is inadequate. A mobile panic alarm system, such as RFT’s HELP ALERT® Wireless Panic Alert System, is part of an overall message that every teacher and staff member can make regarding school safety: violence in our schools is never okay.
