Violent crimes are at the forefront of today’s society. With this in mind, many people feel unsafe doing the same mundane tasks of several years ago. An Emergency Alert system can help give people peace of mind just in case a critical situation may arise.

What is an Emergency Alert System?

Emergency Alert systems come in many different varieties. Our system consists of a desktop button app with the option of hardware panic buttons.

Not all emergencies are created equal. Our emergency alert system has two options when activated, low and high. A low alert can just alert people within the office that assistance is needed. For example, a low alert could be raised when an unruly customer is in the lobby. A high alert is directly connected to 911. This would be used during a shooting, for example. The direct connections to emergency services dramatically decrease the response time in case of emergency.

Who Can Benefit from an Emergency Alert System?

Office receptionists are a prime candidate for an emergency alert system. Specifically, they are the face of the office and they see people come and go. Receptionists are also generally isolated from the rest of the office. Furthermore, receptionists are also in charge of basic office security. That is, the receptionists are often the ones that sign in guests and other non-employees into the office. Receptionists essentially have the power to turn people away from the office at any given time.

Additionally, schools can also benefit from an emergency alert system. Many teachers and school administrators are on edge after recently publicized school shootings. Often times, many in schools are not even aware a shooting is going on until it is too late.

In short, emergency alert systems can be beneficial to just about everyone in a customer-facing position, anyone who works at a location without full-time security or just anyone who works alone. In case an interaction turns sour, workers need a way to get in contact with emergency services right away.

What are the Benefits of an Emergency Alert System?

Modern emergency alert systems send out distress signals in case of emergency. That is to say, they effectively cut out the middleman and signal colleagues or emergency services during the first sign of trouble. Emergency alert systems effectively shorten response time and can reduce or eliminate victimization altogether. Compare this to a security system that would alert someone with the alarm company, who would then alert emergency workers, only after first checking that the alarm was not raised in error. This process could potentially cause valuable time being lost in the dispatch of emergency services.

Another benefit of an emergency alert system is that they are discreet. Our emergency alert system can be easily silenced on the desktop. Our hardware buttons also do not make noise and do not light up to indicate that an alert has been raised. Other than trained personnel, no one knows that an alert has been activated.

How do you Prevent Emergencies Before they Start?

Communication is key in preventing emergencies. One way to prevent a disaster is to enact a visitor policy for the workplace. Do all guests have to sign in at the front door? What areas can non-employees access? Do visitors have to be escorted at all times? These and other similar questions are the kinds of questions that should be asked when sanctioning a visitor policy. Those who invest in an emergency alert system never hope to actually use it one day, but having a visitor policy helps everyone, employees, and visitors alike, be one step ahead.

Moving Forward with a Visitor Policy

Again, communication is key when starting a visitor policy in the workplace. Actually having a policy written down versus actually having a policy in practice are two completely different situations. Do certain people have direct access to the emergency alert system? What happens when an employee breaks the rules? That is to say, how will the policy be in play moving forward?

What Happens When an Emergency Occurs?

What happens when a receptionist or other employee has to contact someone right away in case of emergency? This is where the emergency alert system comes in. For example, if an office receptionist needs to signal that a disgruntled customer is causing problems, the receptionist can discreetly press a button to alert their colleagues of the impending issue. Likewise, there are also emergency alert system buttons that have a direct link to 911. If there is an emergency with an active shooter, for example, this kind of alert would come into play. As stated earlier, our emergency alert system can dramatically cut down on the response time in an emergency.

Tips for Using an Emergency Alert System

In many cases, simply having a panic button is not enough for an emergency alert system to reach its fullest potential. This is where surveillance camera would have numerous benefits. For example, a camera could help responders off-site to assess the situation and take proper precautions before responding to the duress signal. In a situation of many unknowns, the knowledge gained from a surveillance camera can potentially cut down on dispatch time.

Finally, an emergency alert system is nothing without proper training on how to use it. Those who have access to the system need to know when it is appropriate to raise an alert. Those who use the system also need to know what happens when an alert is actually raised and to handle the situation in the interim. An emergency alert system does no good if no one knows how to use it!

Conclusion

In closing, emergency alert systems are not industry specific by any means. Emergency alert systems can be used in just about every industry – everything from schools, churches, gas stations, everything. Businesses that are physically isolated are also good candidates for emergency alert systems. According to OSHA, nearly 2 million American workers reported being a victim of workplace violence each year. No one is immune to workplace violence; an emergency alert system will help decrease the odds of becoming a victim.

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