Filling the Gap in Emergency Response

Even PDAs and cell phones leave an emergency response-security void when absent or ignored. Wireless PA systems compatible with two-way radios can economically compensate for this weakness.

Eliminating an ‘Achilles Heel’
Carey’s research and the recommendation of Maine Radio, a Scarborough, ME-based reseller of wireless communications systems, led Bates College to a long-range wireless PA speaker system.  The LoudMouth® wireless PA system by Ritron, Inc., a Carmel, IN-based designer and manufacturer of wireless electronic devices, enables personnel to use a portable two-way radio, base station or mobile radio to broadcast “live” voice messages over PA speakers from up to two miles away. 

This is done via a VHF or UHF frequency LoudMouth radio receiver connected to one or more of the included indoor/outdoor horn speakers.

“We’ve eliminated the Achilles heel in our emergency response with an ability to wirelessly broadcast live, long-range messages to PA systems strategically placed across campus,” says Carey.  “By piggybacking on our existing two-way radio operation, our Ritron wireless PA system enhances our emergency response and security without the cost or complexity of wired infrastructure.”

Maine Radio sales representative Dave Hubley, who installed the wireless PA system with campus-wide coverage in a couple of days, says, “The system is good anyplace you need to immediately inform many people about a situation, and there’s no need for trenching or extensive hardwiring.”  Hubley, whose company has also installed a wireless PA system at the University of New England, a non-profit institution with two campuses in Maine, adds that the system’s flexibility is part of its appeal.

Though the system can work with repeaters for greater coverage, Carey finds it has sufficient range for Bates College’s 109-acre campus without one. 

A Homeland Security Test
A recent Homeland Security grant to the city of Lewiston put the wireless PA system to the test in a live, large-scale training exercise involving Bates College, along with city police, fire fighters, and first responders.

In the emergency test scenario, the college was “ground zero” in a hypothetical ammonia-release at the campus hockey rink.  “We had to warn students, faculty and visitors to stay away from the hockey rink, and inform those on campus to shelter in place,” says Carey.

“When we field tested the wireless PA system in the training exercise, it worked exactly as we hoped it would,” says Carey.  “Its unique alert noise, distinct from police, fire, and ambulance sirens, got everyone’s attention.  Then our communications officer delivered a live, loud and clear message to the campus areas where the most people gather.  There they successfully sheltered in place until the situation was resolved.”

What was the benefit of a “live” message?  “The real-time message got an immediate response from those who needed to hear it, and allowed us to issue ‘live’ updates as needed,” says Carey.  “It helped with safety, coordination, and reduced the number of callers who otherwise would’ve flooded the phone lines asking questions.”

“The most basic law enforcement tool of schools and communities is the two-way radio system,” concludes Carey.  “That’s how officers know what’s going on, communicate with each other, and are dispatched.  As a simple, inexpensive add-on to this most basic unit of security, the Ritron wireless PA system makes sense when an immediate emergency response is needed from a large number of people.”

 

Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, California. For more information, visit www.ritron.com.

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