Remember the school fire drills when you were a kid? Typically, school officials were strategically located throughout the building, barking out evacuation orders as students and teachers streamed out of classrooms.
Things have changed quite a bit in a short period of time, as the latest advancements in communication technology mean more people are receiving more specific critical messages more quickly...and school fire drills as we remember them may never be the same.
Integrated Messages for Fire Alarms
Let's start with fire alarms, the most common type of alert given to schools. Thanks to advancements in tech integrations, specific messages can be conveyed to different groups of people, based on their location at the school.
For example, the students and faculty in Building A will hear the fire alarm and then be given exact evacuation instructions via display messaging. Audio instructions can be added to emphasize the directions. Meanwhile, the alarm in Building B is the same, but the messages are different, as exit locations differ based on the size of the school.
When the alarm sounds to alert everyone to a fire situation, the integrated system also notifies emergency personnel, and can also send out text and e-mail messages to school administrators.
Integrated Messages for Weather Warnings
Integrated technology can also play a critical role during weather warnings. These systems can be programmed to receive messages from the National Weather Service, and then alert everyone in the school immediately.
In the event of a destructive storm like a tornado, warnings will be delivered with audible and visual displays. After the initial instructional warning, secondary messages can be tailored to let specific areas of the school know exactly where to take shelter.
Integrated Messages During Lockdown Situations
As uncomfortable as it is, active shooter lockdown situations must be planned for in schools across America. And once again, integrated communications can play a critical role in keeping kids and teachers safe in this type of crisis.
The same combination of communication integrations are at work here, with display and audio messages providing lockdown instructions. These systems also send immediate alerts to off-site authorities and emergency personnel, which can improve response time.
It's important to note that these communication systems can be used to send messages to specific classrooms or grades, based on the situation. Also, once the scenarios mentioned above subside, this integrated technology can let students and teachers know their next steps to re-enter the building or return to a specific area. Schools of the future will be better and safer thanks to integrated communication systems.
