When it comes to the safety of students, nearly everyone can agree that taking extra precautions is worth the effort. However, there’s always two sides to every solution. For example, fencing off campuses and controlling one point of entry limits access by unauthorized persons, but it can cause traffic and delays. Emergency communications equipment often brings up similar questions… which CASE is happy to answer.
Q. Why do I need equipment like CASE Blue Light Phones and e-Phones when so many students and faculty have cell phones?
A. One of the most important benefits that CASE’s emergency communications offers is precise GPS location. In these days of concerns about digital privacy, many cell-phone users have opted to turn off their locations, and cell-phone triangulation based on signal provides a location range, not a precise spot. This equates to important minutes lost when attempting to respond to an emergency.
Q. Our campus already has an existing system that is outdated or no longer functioning properly. Can’t I just get rid of it?
A. Poorly functioning equipment is definitely a frustration, and it reflects poorly on your school. But so does simply removing an extra layer of safety for students. Many of our educational clients tell us that students continue to request Blue Light Towers and e-Phones in places where they themselves have identified a lack of safety.
Still, complete system overhauls can be expensive. CASE understands that, which is why we created our CASE Retrofit Kit, which allows non-functioning components from other equipment to be replaced without tearing out and re-installing the exterior housing. Since outdated equipment usually fails because of issues related to land-line power and phone, CASE Retrofit Kits allow for fully wireless conversion to 4G-enabled communications and solar power with a 10-day back-up battery. For some equipment, the cellular conversion from 3G to 4G is to blame for the outage, and CASE has a specific small upgrade solution for just that purpose.
You can also add the option of CASEAlert, the self-monitoring maintenance program that self-checks and reports the status of equipment, with specific issues identified, so outages never go unnoticed.
Q. We’ve found most of our emergency communications equipment gets used for non-emergency issues. Why keep it?
A. Today’s emergency communications equipment has a lot more flexibility in how it’s used. It used to be that call boxes contacted 911 and that was it (or maybe a direct line to Police and/or Fire). With CASE, you have a choice how each and every Blue Light Tower or e-Phone is used – including different networks for different locations.
So, you may decide some units are dedicated to emergency response such as (but not limited to campus police). Then, other units can be devoted to safe-ride programs, wayfinding, or another purpose. Add a faceplate camera, and CASE Blue Light Towers and E-Phones become excellent solutions for after-hours building entry to dorms, laboratories, or offices. CASE can even custom paint and label each unit for its purpose, and our easy-to-use dashboard lets you view each unit or set of units to monitor usage.
Q. I really need emergency communications equipment that delivers more value. How can CASE help?
A. While peace of mind for your students, faculty, and community is important, it’s not the only advantage CASE Blue Light Towers and E-Phones provide. Our optional Mass Notification speaker adds the helpful ability to make important announcements, either campus-wide, or across certain groups of networked units. Transportation outages, hazardous conditions, building or campus evacuations, and many other important messages can now be conveyed from a central command unit, with audible range of up to 1000 feet from any unit.
As well, CASE emergency communications networks can be outfitted with optional strobes that flash independently from a calling unit. This has proven extremely effective in areas like parking lots and garages, as well as an additional alert system for those who may be hearing impaired.
Lastly, CASEAlert actually reduces your maintenance budget as you no longer need personnel to physically check the condition and status of every unit on campus. In these days of reduced manpower, being able to check an entire campus in minutes from a secure online platform is a savings that goes directly to your public safety bottom line.
We appreciate that all levels of education are being asked to ensure high levels of safety without matching high levels of financial support. CASE is here to support your campus with smart, accessible, value-added emergency communications equipment for all your just-in-case scenarios. Get in touch (CONTACT) to learn more about our unique products and services.