Having a technology-driven panic button system in your school classroom is a great addition to your incident response plan, which is important for school safety. Since 2013 there have been over 160 violent crimes in schools, colleges, and universities across the United States. In a two-year period, 53% of school shootings took place at K-12 schools and 49% on college/university campuses. A holdup button from CRS Notify cuts out the middleman and gets in direct contact with authorities when seconds matter the most.

How Do Holdup Buttons Help in the Classroom?

Many traditional holdup button alerts are directed to the local 911 center for that school. Unfortunately, the phone calls through the old school alerting software can take a couple of minutes. Many phone apps and computer-based alert buttons have to get local first responders or 911 centers on board to start any notification. We built the CRS Notify system to make an E911 call to local first responders and ten automated voice calls to any responders you wish. Responders will receive notifications with the locations name, address, and alert topic when the button is initiated.

Does Installing a Holdup Button Require Hard Wiring?

In some cases, holdup buttons require hard wiring into the phone system. This usually requires a representative from the phone company coming out and running the wires. In the case of CRS Notify, you can have a “plug and play” push holdup button. This means you can plug the holdup button into a spare USB port on any computer and will work with an individual alert or panic system.  The option of “plug and play” is a much better option for time, money, and efficiency.

Does Technology Offer Solutions for Holdup Buttons?

Yes! Technology has caught up and revolutionized the way people respond to situations. The increase in global and domestic terrorism creates a clear and imminent need to have a holdup button for businesses. People believe mobile apps are the cure all for these types of situations. However, an app is not solely the best option. Think about if there was an emergency. Would you have time to find your phone, open it, and locate the app to raise a panic? Phone app holdup buttons focus more on individuals rather than each individual classroom and people inside. The key for effective holdup buttons for the classroom is to lower the notification time to responders and to integrate internal and external notification. Combining internal and external notification means that it notifies everyone within the school while alerting responders at the same time. Internal and external notification should be merged into the push of a button.

How Much Should I Budget for Holdup Buttons for the Classroom?

The key to find a technology-driven classroom holdup button system that offers free system updates to ensure you do not get stuck with an outdated program. Technology is always changing just like your business. Look for a scalable system that meets your exact needs and the cost will always offset. Surprisingly, the technology-driven classroom holdup buttons are usually priced three to one less than the traditional holdup buttons. Moreover, look for a holdup button that offers several other innovative features that can easily be molded to your particular needs.

Still Unsure About a Holdup Button?

Contact us for more information to make the best decision for your holdup button.

info@communityresponsesystems.com or 800-533-7201 M-F 8-5 pm CST