Protecting your teachers and students requires preparation. Does your emergency notification system work when you need it? Here are 3 simple ways to test your school PA system for emergency preparedness in a non-threatening way.
The Department of Homeland Security recommends an emergency notification system to “alert various parties of an emergency.” Source: DHS Active Shooter Booklet
Before you start any active shooter or school emergency preparedness program, always check with your school administrators to ensure you are following the protocols and procedures already in place.
We recommend testing your PA system / emergency notification system on a regular basis in a non-threatening way.
- Schedule the fight song to play every Friday for school dismissal. Reserve testing the Lockdown announcements for when the school is not occupied by students. If someone reports they didn’t hear the fight song, check out our troubleshooting guide:
- Schedule time for your School Safety Committee to test each and every call/panic button.
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- Don’t have a School Safety Committee? Identify who you need to work with in your school and/or school district.
- Too many call buttons to test? Divide the school into 4 sectors and test 1 sector per week. All buttons will get tested every month.
Here’s a quick tutorial on how to setup your call button:
- If you find a button or a speaker isn’t working, contact your school’s IT department and work toward a plan to fix the issue.
After the tragic Parkland school shooting, we worked with schools including Pembroke Pines to configure their PA system to also serve as their emergency notification system.
Wahsega is here to help. Our local Solutions Advisors are available as a resource to you.