Written by: Craig Dever, VP of Sales and Marketing at Inovonics; With quotes/contributions by: Juliana Goldenberg, Managing Partner at SecureTech Systems Inc.

Society has become increasingly violent. We may have heard that one in five victims of a workplace homicide is a government employee; we’ve probably seen articles about violence against hospital staff, with 70% of E.R. nurses and 55% of E.R. doctors reporting that they’ve being physically assaulted; and we’re all aware of the school and workplace shootings that dominate the news.

Consequently, duress alarm systems have become a necessity in nearly every market. At the outset of a violent emergency, it is vital to notify first responders as quickly as possible so that they can respond. “In an emergency, seconds count,” says Juliana Goldenberg, President of SecureTech Systems, Inc. “At the start of a critical incident, the time it takes to communicate with the first responders who are closest to the scene can make all the difference in the world.”

However, conventional duress alarm systems generally notify a call center far removed from the incident when an alarm button is pushed. Dispatchers at the call center then attempt to contact the sender of the alarm, and only afterwards notify first responders. This increases the response time when seconds are critical.

With the WAVE Plus system, as soon as a duress button is pressed, a detailed message with the location of the alarm is immediately transmitted to first responders. The same button press can also initiate emails and messages to stakeholders and other physical security systems. In the case of a school, for instance, a button press could initiate a lockdown, and, at the same time, activate audio and video surveillance systems so that whatever’s happening at the location is immediately transmitted to responders.

Because the WAVE Plus system ties end users and first responders together directly, all stakeholders must agree on the solution. In the words of Juliana Goldenberg, “Law enforcement, usually the sheriff’s office or police department, need to feel comfortable giving the end users access to their radio network. And for their part, end users need to appreciate the significance of this decision and train their personnel accordingly.” The key is getting law enforcement involved as early as possible in the discussion so that they understand the purpose of the system and have buy-in. Once that buy-in is in place, the WAVE Plus critical incident notification system provides the fastest response times possible.

Of course, that response time is only possible with the best wireless infrastructure possible, which is why SecureTech uses Inovonics wireless technology. “SecureTech Systems has always been proud to work with Inovonics,” Goldenberg says. “Inovonics makes the best wireless devices and we proudly use them to make the best instant notification system!”

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