Every second matters when communicating an emergency to students, staff, and visitors. However, one of the most common tools schools use to spread information is a public address system, which unfortunately doesn’t always reach everyone.
Audio messages go unheard in noisy gymnasiums, crowded cafeterias, and music-filled band rooms, putting everyone in these areas at risk. Fortunately, alternative technology exists to deliver safety information to everyone, regardless of noise levels.
Primex Notify™ InfoBoard™ Displays are communication-boosting tools that supplement audio announcements with visual mass notification messaging. These bright, easy-to-see LED boards integrate into existing PA systems for schoolwide coverage in safety communication.
What Causes Audio Emergency Alerts to Fail in Schools?
Despite being the backbone of widespread in-school communication for decades, PA systems all share one fundamental limitation. Any message’s successful delivery depends on the intended audience’s ability to hear what’s being said, and there are plenty of areas within schools where audio announcements are tough to hear.
A typical gym class has bouncing balls, screeching whistles, and squeaking sneakers. Cafeterias are filled with students chatting over one another while eating lunch. Music rooms have instruments emanating, drums vibrating, and voices singing. All these factors drive up decibel levels, making audio announcements difficult to hear and potentially putting individuals in these spaces at risk.
Additionally, sound travels differently through various building materials and spaces. A PA speaker that’s effective in hallways might not be as helpful when broadcasting across open gymnasiums or larger spaces, again putting individuals at risk during an emergency.
The danger of these communication-gap areas is exacerbated by the nature of audio messages and the lack of accessibility for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals. Without a supplemental communication style, not everyone receives the intended audio message, which could lead to serious consequences in an emergency.
How Visual Alerts Address Audio Notification Limitations
Adding a visual layer to your school’s emergency communication plan helps eliminate communication gaps in audio-announcement-only schools. Visual messages on InfoBoard Displays cut through ambient noise instantly to safely deliver emergency alerts wherever you install an LED message board.
From hallways and classrooms to cafeterias and gymnasiums, school leadership can choose to display a preset message of LOCKDOWN, WEATHER, EVACUATE, LOCKOUT, or ALL CLEAR at the press of a button. These messages reach everyone in the line of sight regardless of any environmental sounds.
Staff can also change the colors of each message, so teachers can instruct certain students who may not be able to read that messages are color-coded to mean different things. For example, a message in red could signal to evacuate or a message in green could signify that all is clear.
In addition to creating a way to communicate to deaf or hard-of-hearing students, the InfoBoard Displays create redundancy and a double-confirmation system. By having both audio and visual alerts, students who miss the audio announcement can rely on the visual alert and vice versa. Staff can also teach students that a visual message is a confirmation of an audio announcement, and not an accidental alert or something to signify a safety drill.
Why Compatibility, Flexibility, and Districtwide Alert Management is Essential
The best technology often fits seamlessly with other systems, and Primex Notify is no exception, as InfoBoard Displays integrate with existing PA infrastructures and life-safety systems. When a staff member triggers an emergency switch, visual messages can appear automatically on InfoBoard Displays across your facility, creating a multifaceted safety communication platform.
Additionally, through the cloud-based OneVue® Software platform, users can type customized messages to instill school spirit, congratulate special achievements, or notify students of schedule changes. When InfoBoard Displays aren’t showing a message, they can exhibit the same synchronized time and date as your Primex Sync™ Analog and Digital clocks, further keeping everyone informed and on time.
The OneVue Software platform also makes for simple districtwide alert and time management. Administration can log into the platform on any device with a web browser, including mobile phones and tablets, to view low-battery levels and clock synchronization statuses, and to send or schedule InfoBoard messages. If an emergency message is triggered, the software platform automatically logs the precise time and duration until an ALL CLEAR message is posted.
Multifaceted Safety Communication Technology for Your School
By adding visual messages to your emergency communication plan, you strengthen both safety and inclusion at your school. Dual-channel alert delivery helps ensure all individuals on your campus receive alerts, while a centralized management platform simplifies staff usage. The easy-to-integrate nature of InfoBoard Displays, plus their ability to show synchronized time and date, make Primex Notify an easy choice when determining how to expand your school’s safety communication. To get started, get in touch with us today.
