In response to the unfortunate incidents involving school shootings, more states are taking steps to legislate safety measures. Texas, New Jersey, Florida, and New York have all enacted laws that call for schools to install panic button alarm systems to quickly summon help in emergency situations. However, as Campus Safety Magazine points out, these well-intentioned measures will only work if the infrastructure is in place to support them.
When a quick and discreet response is critical, an alarm system must be as foolproof as possible. A wireless system designed to improve campus security must be able to withstand interference and overcome transmission obstacles. A reliable system should include multiple paths from the alarm device to the receiver to guarantee that a call always goes through. A school panic alarm system must also be free from slow connection speeds and routing issues that can interfere with cellular connection.
“Normal business telephone, email or cell phone apps designed for routine communication are not adequate for critical communication during an emergency event,” stated Partner Alliance for Safer School spokesperson Guy Grace, “Unless they are specially configured for this purpose in a code-compliant manner.”
The National Fire Protection Association describes an “emergency communications system” as “a system for the protection of life by indicating the existence of an emergency situation and communicating information necessary to facilitate an appropriate response and action.”
Campus Safety Magazine noted that a unified communications system that incorporates a panic alarm system should be a cost efficient way to work with existing wireless capabilities. “School safety officials will find that once the wireless infrastructure is in place, they’ll easily be able to scale or adjust their emergency notification systems,” says Craig Dever, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Inovonics. “And each time new functionality or devices are added, the district can realize even greater economic benefits.” Inovonics specializes in wireless technology with life saving applications.
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