When emergencies happen in a school, the safety of the students is the number one concern for teachers and administrators. Emergencies typically include fire alarms, weather warnings, and unfortunately, school lockdowns.
No matter what kind of emergency it is, clear communication is extremely important. That is why emergency alert systems that use visual alerts are more effective than your typical audio alerts seen in schools. Fred from American Time is here to tell you why visual alerts are better when it comes to emergency communication — and in regular school routines too.
Many existing emergency alert systems can only be deployed in an all call mode, which means that everyone in the school gets the same message at the same time. In the case of an intruder or lockdown, sometimes you don’t want everyone hearing the same message — especially a trespasser. Visual communications let you give detailed information to specific parts of the building.
It’s challenging to hear and remember audio messages that are blasted across the entire school. Providing a visual alert allows students to see the alert while they are following the school’s emergency procedures. That way, they don’t have to memorize every step of an evacuation plan, and the most current information can always be displayed. Teachers feel less stress, and the risk of miscommunication is reduced.
Keep in mind visual alerts also work great for routine messages as well. Visual alerts can communicate a range of messages, from letting specific teachers know that a student is needed in the principal’s office to notifying a sports team that their bus is out front or sharing the school lunch menu.
Visual alerts are the product of the future. Stay one step ahead of the game and make sure you have the right alert system as part of your school emergency preparedness plan or for everyday.