We spend incredible amounts of time interacting with the world through our phones. Many of us assume that wireless connectivity is always reliable and easy to use in any situation.
But every day, the news reminds us that the world is fraught with danger–such as active shooter situations, natural disasters, or mass casualty events–that change the role of these devices in our lives from a luxury into a lifeline.
If we find ourselves in a threatening situation, are mobile safety apps and security software our best line of defense?
During an emergency, integrated technologies that are more reliable and user-friendly than wireless are essential to ensuring that victims of emergencies can quickly and easily notify dispatch. For something as serious as saving lives, dedicated hardware that is readily accessible and easy to operate can make a major difference.
The U.S. government and fire safety professionals do not permit apps to activate fire alarms within a building. Similarly, you should not rely solely on an app to keep people safe in a life-threatening situation.
Severe Threats Warrant an Equally Strong Response
Put yourself in this situation: You are an employee, or a guest, at an organization’s large headquarters. Maybe you haven’t received training on how to use the organization’s security app. Perhaps you don’t have your cell phone on you, or cell reception is poor. Successfully activating a mobile security app in an emergency assumes that your cell phone is both on hand and connected to a network.
If an emergency occurs, how would you report it? Further, how would you know if the event had already been reported, or if dispatch received the alert? If you didn’t witness the emergency, you would not be aware danger was present without a signal such as a PA announcement, siren, or strobe alarm.
Mobile apps require users–in the middle of an emergency–to complete tasks such as unlocking their phone, scrolling through menus, selecting and opening options, entering specific details, and then validating their request for an emergency response.
Studies show that fine motor skills and cognitive functioning are highly impaired when people are in extremely stressful situations. In such a state, actions like accessing an app, entering a passcode into a phone, or dialing 911 and reciting a location’s address can feel impossible.
With SOS Technologies, tactile button stations provide the ability to trigger alerts while receiving visual confirmation of their activation. This hardware is located in convenient locations, such as in hallways and near office doors, or can be worn as a pendant that’s connected to local infrastructure. By pressing an SOS Technologies alert button, dispatch immediately knows your location’s address, the type of emergency, and where in the facility the emergency is taking place.
Additionally, incorporating SOS Technologies button stations into your active shooter response plan enhances the best outcome of survivability.
Fewer False Alarms
The more people who have access to a mobile security app, the greater the likelihood of accidental activation, which reaches not only users at the location but also users absent from the location who have no idea whether the alarm is false.
SOS Technologies puts precautions in place to prevent false alarms. When our system is initiated, alerts are distributed to police dispatch and local stakeholders. Additionally, unique-sounding sirens and strobe lights are initiated throughout the building. The SmartSOS™ platform alerts the right people instantly and initiates a rapid emergency response.
Don’t Rely on Unreliable Internet or Cellular Signals
Often, security apps are fully dependent on Wi-Fi or a cellular signal for connectivity, leaving reliability in question. Users cannot be confident their message was relayed to and received by dispatch. If a dispatch center then needs to contact the location and verify the threat before alerting law enforcement, this adds significant time to the emergency response process. (Also, redundant emergency response requests may be sent during the lapse, creating confusion.)
SOS Technologies uses hard-wired broadband connections to quickly communicate threats to approved personnel. This information is sent directly to an SOS Technologies-integrated terminal at the first responder dispatch.
Times are Changing, and Laws are Changing
Emergency alert and security systems are quickly becoming mandatory for many geographies and facilities.
While some organizations embrace mobile security apps as an effective solution, laws going into effect may render app-only solutions inadequate while favoring dedicated, hardware-based solutions like our SmartSOS™ platform. Facilities that invest in low-budget, less-effective mobile app solutions may eventually be forced to re-invest in more robust systems that comply with legal requirements.
SOS Technologies offers what we believe is the best solution in the industry today. Our reliable, redundant, and complete coverage–which, by communicating directly with dispatch, provides the fastest notification to law enforcement–is unmatched in its effectiveness and ease of use. We seek to raise the bar for emergency prevention, monitoring, and response excellence and provide the most effective tools for integrating technologies to establish a robust security platform.
Interested in learning more? Reach out to our team to schedule a presentation and explore how we integrate revolutionary, best-in-class technologies to produce a solution unmatched in its effectiveness.