12 Feb The Positive Power of Negative Thinking
The positive power of negative thinking is often overlooked in our society where optimism is valued so highly. Being an optimist is, however, not always optimal. This is especially true in the life safety industry where planning for the worst and hoping for the best is really the most effective way to bring about the best possible outcome in many situations.
Catastrophic emergencies, such as active shooters, are, even in today’s violent and unpredictable world, very rare. It is very unlikely that you or those your love will be involved an active shooter incident on any particular day, week, month, year or lifetime. However, that does not mean that it is not important to plan for one in advance.
The Power of Negative Thinking Can Save Lives:
While any facility could be affected, the most likely targets for violence, such as government offices, schools, hospitals, and other areas where large numbers of people congregate, need to be especially vigilant. Preparedness not only makes crisis responds more effective, it also serves as a deterrent to the crisis ever occurring.
This is the positive power of negative thinking.
One of the most important aspects of any crisis management plan is how to call for help quickly and efficiently. For many facilities, relying on personnel or the public dialing 9-1-1 is not enough. A 9-1-1 call takes time to make. It is answered by a dispatch center that may be many miles away. The dispatch center may be shared by several municipalities and the individual who answers the phone may not be familiar with the location of the emergency. The person making the call is actively involved in an emergency and will not be able to communicate as clearly and quickly as they might be when there is no catastrophic disruption occurring around them.
Having your communication with first responders rely on a 9-1-1 call adds around five minutes to the response time to the incident.
Sometimes first responders are on site and calling 9-1-1 in a very inefficient way to contact them. There may be law enforcement officers that are specifically assigned to protect a facility such as a courthouse or city hall. There may be campus police or contract security officers who are responsible for a campus or group of campuses.
Instant Notification Systems:
The fastest and most sure way to communicate with first responders is over the two-way radios that they already carry to communicate with each other. Some types of panic button systems provide this functionality. These systems are often known as instant notification systems. They transmit a pre-recorded, detailed message over the radio as soon as a panic button is triggered. Where there are officers on site, this is an obvious and welcome way to ensure fast, clear and effective communication happens at the outset of an emergency. Even when there are no officers specifically assigned to a facility, many law enforcement agencies, including the local Sheriff’s Office or Police Department, are willing to allow vulnerable facilities, such as schools, to access their radio network in an emergency.
In emergency situations, every second counts. SecureTech’s WAVE Plus system is the most feature-rich and effective instant notification system on the market. It shaves minutes off of emergency response times and is the fastest way to contact law enforcement and other first responders in an emergency situation. Contact us today by giving us a call or visiting our website to learn more.