To understand why an emergency alert might be used in a school, we first need to understand what constitutes an emergency. When you do a Google search for ‘School emergencies?’ you are presented with a good number of results. Fire risks, criminal activity, severe weather, cyber incidents, loss of power, and the list continues.
Emergency alerts on digital signage should not stand alone and they should be part of a comprehensive school emergency plan. The plan should cover areas such as roles and responsibilities, a list of key contacts and how you would communicate any changes to pupils, students, parents, carers and staff. That communication can include many methods of which digital signage should be one? Other communication tools include audio alerts, email alerts, text to mobile and contact with emergency services.
At TrilbyTV, we understand the need for Emergency alerts. However, they should also include alerts for less serious events such as open days, school breakfast clubs and live performances with an audience.
Our real-time update tool: Announcements
Our focus has always been on sharing and showcasing positive messages. From our years of educational experience, we understand the importance of inspiring young people and making them feel proud of their efforts. It’s also about looking after them from a mental health perspective. They spend their lives online, constantly pressured by social media apps like Instagram and TikTok. So we are very aware when developing our TrilbyTV platform not to add to their anxiety levels. That’s why when it comes to emergency alerts and lockdown procedures, we have our ‘Announcements’ feature. It’s not about creating school-wide panic – It’s simply about making an announcement. With TrilbyTV it’s super simple to do just that. Let’s start with an announcement we are all very familiar with – the fire drill.
Guide to effective digital signage in education
Request free guideI can just about remember my school days and being marched to the biggest playground that would accommodate 1000 plus students. There were no digital signage screens back in my school days, but as the world of technology has progressed, so has the ability to utilise visual alerts almost instantly. There are lots of visual creation applications, such as Canva and Adobe Express, that our customers would be using when making their visual prompts. Our TrilbyTV ‘Title Slides’ are also a quick, easy and slick way to make a Fire Alarm Test slide. There are a number of slide templates to choose from, as well as Textured backgrounds and text options. Within a few seconds, I can create a simple slide ready for use as an announcement, and by marking it as ‘Announcement Content’ it will never be mixed in with other signage content.
To set an Announcement we simply click on the Announcements icon.. Date and time options are available for making the announcement in the future or by pressing ‘Save,’ our Announcement will start to show quickly across all screens. It is super quick and simple to update your whole community with whatever message you are looking to communicate.
And because TrilbyTV is web-based, it’s easy to set your announcement live from a mobile device, tablet, laptop or desktop, wherever you are in or out of school. Such accessibility means that TrilbyTV and digital signage could easily be included in a school emergency plan. You may have heard about something called Martyn’s Law. This has been introduced in response to the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and is named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of the victims. It requires public premises and events to be better prepared for and protected from terrorist attacks. Organisations, including schools, now have a 24-month implementation period to make all necessary preparations to adhere to the new legislation. Schools will need to formulate plans and procedures and again digital signage should be considered as part of the overall communication plan.
If you’re a TrilbyTV customer and want to find out more about Announcements jump onto one of our online monthly Community Drop-In sessions, they are a great opportunity for you to get answers to your TrilbyTV questions, content ideas and any advice you need. If you’re new to TrilbyTV and would like to chat about more ways that digital signage can be used in your school, why not sign up for a demo today to talk with one of our digital signage experts.