Even if you are confident that your campus lockdown procedures are strict enough for incidents such as active shooters, that doesn’t mean you should stop practicing them.
Even if you are confident that your campus lockdown procedures are strict enough for incidents such as active shooters, that doesn’t mean you should stop practicing them. Here are some more tips on how to protect your schools and everyone on the campus.
Record Messages
Create a set of pre-recorded messages that announce a lockdown drill. Then, create a set of messages that announce an actual lockdown of your school. That way, the messages can be communicated more clearly and allows anyone responsible for sending out the message to find a place to hide.
Reinforce Doors
When it comes to campus lockdown procedures, reinforcing doors should be common sense. Doors should be lockable from the inside. When inspecting the condition of the locks, determine whether or not they need to be replaced or upgraded to a different style of lock. Make an extra copy of keys for all doors, but make sure that the master key for the school is kept secure. This prevents an intruder from gaining access to every door on campus.
Reduce Visibility
Although you want your school to be a warm and welcoming place, you should also keep in mind that you need to protect your students, faculty, and staff. Glazing windows can help since it makes it more difficult to see inside. Adding blinds and shades to all windows is another possibility, but you must make sure that they are kept in good condition and aren’t damaged.
Use Automation
Automation can be hugely beneficial for your school, particularly when it comes to initiating campus lockdown procedures. One major advantage of implementing automated features is that a call can be sent to the authorities without the need for anyone worrying about it. However, it is still advisable to have a staff member contact first responders to ensure that a distress signal was sent and received.
Use Mass Notification
Mass notification systems are immensely helpful in public locations with many people inside, such as airports, train stations, and shopping malls. They are just as useful in a school setting. Sending a message out through the intercom is one solution, but you should also prepare text and email alerts, along with phone calls that go out to the school community alerting them to the situation.
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