Posted by Zach Bauman on May 16, 2023
Like fire drills and tornado drills, lockdown and intruder drills have become commonplace in our schools.
Because these drills and the emergency plans they're designed to test and reinforce are responsible for keeping students safe, it's important to be sure that your protocols are efficient and effective.
With American Time's EverAlert system, you can be confident that you're providing your students and staff with the tools and information they need to be safe.
How? We're glad you asked...
WHEN SECONDS COUNT
In an intruder situation, you need to lock down immediately. With the push of a single button, you can initiate the lockdown alarm over the EverAlert displays across your entire building or campus and then get to safety.
The EverAlert Integrator ties lockdown buttons, fire panels and other infrastructure in to the power of the EverAlert system. This means that as soon as those systems are activated, the proper alarm will be automatically issued over your EverAlert displays without any additional input required.
ATTENTION-GRABBING
There's no missing an alarm or a drill on the EverAlert system. With highly visible color prompts and user-configurable audio alerts, EverAlert displays are eye- and ear-catching in an emergency; even visitors and people unfamiliar with the system will know where to look for information.
BE CONSISTENT
Whether your school uses The "I Love U Guys" Foundation's Standard Response Protocol, ALICE Training or some other emergency response system, it's important to be consistent in reinforcing the steps and actions of your plan.
Not only can you customize the language of your alerts -- you can also match the on-screen alert color to the specific colors used in your emergency plan.
CLEAR, CONCISE DIRECTIONS
Traditional strobes and sirens are an unmistakable alert, but the light or the sound is where the information ends.
With EverAlert, you can provide customized instructions on how students and other people in your building should respond to that alert.
It's critical for everyone to be on the same page, and other systems just can't get that job done as well as EverAlert.
Whether it's simply reinforcing the language used in your emergency protocol, like Standard Response Protocol's "Locks, Lights, Out of Sight" instructions, or providing explicit information on a soft lockdown for a medical emergency, you'll know that everyone on your campus will have visible instructions on how to respond.
KEEP CALM
Drills and alerts are stressful; a reassuring, familiar voice can help.
EverAlert can do that, with no need to try to safely get to the phone or intercom system and then provide the right words in the heat of the moment.
Since EverAlert alarm audio is customizable, many schools have had their principal or another well-known staff member record verbal prompts for their alert audio tones with calm instructions on how staff and students should respond.
STAY UPDATED
In the event of a longer emergency such as a shelter-in-place order, the EverAlert system provides the power to issue site-wide updates on the situation. By simply sending an instant message to your displays, the alarm instruction text can be updated to issue up-to-the-moment information -- either to specific displays or across your entire facility.
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