Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Is It Possible To Integrate, Segment School Communications?

  • By Fred Bezat
  • 04/01/17

Yes! This is an exciting development in school communication platforms.

Integrators are physically wired to fire panels, lockdown switches, or any electrical “normally open switch” for reliability and fast response. The number of switch inputs that can be monitored depends on your platform configuration.

When integrators detect changes in a switch’s physical status (e.g. a fire alarm is pulled), emergency alerts on the displays of your communications platform are instantly triggered. Detailed instructions can accompany visual displays and automated notifications to authorities may be texted or emailed.

Messages are delivered to displays in either “all-call” or “zoned” deployment. For all-call, a single emergency switch is monitored by one integrator, and a single message is created when the switch’s status changes. Your entire campus receives the same message.

For zoned configuration, multiple integrators are wired to monitor a single switch and the platform triggers different messages when the switch’s status changes. Integrators are assigned to groups of displays, allowing messages to be tailored for particular groups (zones) even if the alerts are triggered by the same alarm. For example, during a fire, all alerts might display “Fire emergency!” but the instructions may be “Exit Door A” for one zone and “Exit Door B” for another.

For routine messaging, communications platforms can deliver tailored daily messages.

Zoned messaging delivers more relevant communications, especially in emergencies. Schools are rightfully giving more thought to granular evacuation protocols, and clear and instant communications are at their core.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Fred Bezat is product manager at American Time, a manufacturer of integrated, custom timekeeping and notification systems. Contact him at [email protected] or 877/666-1208.

Featured

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Minnesota District Completes $49.7M Addition, Renovation Project

    St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $49.7-million addition and remodeling project at two district schools, according to a news release.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.