There is a new technology out now that has the ability to give the students, teachers, and other staff in a school better security and more efficient help in any possible dangerous situations. This new alert button for schools makes it so that some or all of the people in a school have access to personal or open wall panic buttons that instantly sound an alarm in emergency situations.
The personal buttons would be small with the option of being worn around peoples’ necks. Each button would have wireless transmitters that give the exact location of the emergency situation to law enforcement and first responders once the button is pushed.
This button makes the entire process of alerting the main office and the 911 emergency helpline much easier, faster, and more efficient since everyone gets the alert immediately at the same time. Typically, the button would be connected to the emergency line during all school hours.
The personal alert buttons would most likely be for specific staff members at a school such as the principal or security guards, but ideally, there would be bright red buttons inside of plastic cases all over the school walls.
The procedure involved with these buttons would remind you of the fire alarm buttons that have been at schools for years. The alert buttons would also have the word “push” on them and anyone in the school would have access to hit these buttons in an emergency. When that button is hit, the school’s security company and 911 are alerted immediately.
How Alert Buttons Help Schools
These new alert buttons are so beneficial for everyone in a school, especially the staff. Law enforcement and other first responders can receive the location the button was pushed at, a 3D map of the school, and live video of what’s happening. This button is very useful for intruders and incidents where someone has brought a gun or other weapon to a school.
Along with these life-threatening situations, the alert system can also display police activity and updates about bad weather conditions. If there was a severe emergency that required a school to be on lockdown, the alert system could send out emails to parents and make posts with information and updates on social media.
The Future of School Alarm Buttons
It is very important for teachers, staff, and even older students in a school to be able to communicate and reach help in a timely manner during any type of emergency situation. Some privacy and civil organizations are concerned about student and staff surveillance and how this may cause unnecessary problems. There are also some concerns about false alarms and all the trouble they would cause for school officials, the community, and the first response team. There are other serious concerns involved with making sure the alert button is not used inappropriately by anyone.
Some think it is best to keep the same non-technical system of securely locking school gates and ensuring the ID policies are enforced. However, anything that can be done to lessen the amount of time it takes from when a threatening situation happens to when law enforcement and other first responders arrive is a huge help to the safety of everyone in the school.
As long as the schools that use this alert system can create the right rules and regulations with special informative training classes for the staff and students, it seems everything should work out fine. With no misuse or bad intentions, the school alert button can be an amazing benefit that may save many lives.
