Having a technology driven Panic button system in your School is a great addition to your incident response plan, which is important for School Safety. Since 2013 there have been over 160 violent crimes in schools, colleges, and universities across the United States. In a two-year period, 53% of school shootings took place at K-12 schools and 49% on college/university campuses.
Why are Traditional Panic Buttons a Mistake?
With traditional panic buttons, the incident has usually already occurred because of the delayed notification of several minutes. Not only is there a delayed notification, but the panic alarm also fails to give any information to responders about what was happening. Moreover, many of the panic button systems for school safety purposes are activated accidentally. No one ever knows what button the initial alert originated. The traditional panic button system for school safety is still acknowledged to by responders with high priority. However, the delayed notification time on the panic buttons that work has proven to be ineffective for a rapid response.
What is the Main Reason to Have Panic Buttons for School Safety?
The idea behind having panic button systems for school safety is to lower the time between the onset of an incident and when responders are on the scene. The goal is to notify responders rapidly. This allows for quick de-escalate any crisis, which lowers the opportunity of victimization. The large time delay of the traditional panic buttons is the reason why they are rapidly becoming discounted and ruled ineffective by responders.
Does Technology Offer Solutions for Panic Button Systems for School Safety?
Yes! Technology has caught up and revolutionized the way people respond to situations. The increase in global in domestic terrorism creates a clear and imminent need to have panic buttons for school safety. People believe mobile apps are the cure all for these types of situations. However, an app is not solely the best option. Think about if there was an emergency. Would you have time to find your phone, open it, and locate the app to raise a panic? Phone app panic buttons focus more on individuals rather than buildings and people inside.
The key for an effective panic button for schools is to lower the notification time to responders and to integrate internal and external notification. Combining internal and external notification means that it notifies everyone within the school while alerting responders at the same time. Internal and external notification should be merged into the push of a button.
How Much Should I Budget for Panic Buttons for School Safety?
They key to find a technology-driven school safety panic button system that offers free system updates to ensure you do not get stuck with an outdated program. Technology is always changing just like your school. Look for a scalable system that meets your exact needs and the cost will always offset. Surprisingly, the technology-driven school safety panic buttons are usually priced three to one less than the traditional panic buttons while offering several other innovative features that can easily be molded to your particular needs.
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