By Paul Shain
From the October 2022 Issue
Sharing critical information is a challenge for any facility, but the ability to send simultaneous messages for building occupants to see or hear immediately can be difficult to achieve. The size of the facility, ambient noise, outdated infrastructure, and other obstacles can all delay the time it takes for people to receive information. When that information impacts their safety, organizations are unnecessarily putting building occupants at risk.
In the past, organizations solved this problem by implementing multiple solutions that addressed each problem as it was identified. This could result in a system that checks all the boxes, but didn’t actually solve the main problem. The problem: Getting information out to everyone as quickly as possible so they can get out of harm’s way. With multiple disconnected tools in place, it takes more time to activate messages, there’s a higher chance information is misinterpreted, and a greater risk that one of the tools doesn’t work as intended, meaning someone misses details that impact their well-being.
Turning To A Single Interface
Many facilities are turning to mass notification solutions to leverage existing communication tools and tie every component together in a single interface. This can help simplify the alerting process and improve the speed and reach of emergency messages. Robust mass notification systems will offer integrations with devices already in place that can be connected and configured to activate when a notification is sent out. This can include desk phones, IP speakers, overhead paging, desktop computers, digital signage, and even sirens and lighting, which can transmit text, audio, and visual cues related to an emergency.