IN THE NEWS WITH ASR

So, your school wants to use an APP-ONLY solution for Life Safety?  What could go wrong?

Cell phone and smartwatch APPS are all the rage.  In fact, they are SO POPULAR that, according to Simform, an average person has 40 APPS installed on his/her phone. However, out of that 40 APPS, 89% of the time is split between 18 APPS.  That means that users are not using, and are unfamiliar with, over 50% of the APPS on their phones.  With Millenials the story deepens:

Millennials usually have more than 67 installed APPS on their phone. However, commonly used APPS remain  at just 25.

That means that they are even MORE unfamiliar with more APPS that they have installed on their phones.  We can only assume that Gen Z APP behavior will show even more APPS installed and less familiarity with those APPS.

So why are we telling you this?  What on earth does APP usage behavior in daily life have to do with an APP as a life safety solution?  What is does is begin to tell a story.

Muscle Memory in An Emergency

Muscle memory is a type of procedural memory. Although the name includes the word ‘muscle’, the memory center actually lies in the brain, not in the muscles. When we repeat an action over and over again, it gets transferred from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. In the beginning, our brain is more actively working to perform the task, but as we practice or repeat it, over time, our brain needs to pay less attention to successfully perform that task.

There are many ways in which muscle memory can be an asset in an emergency situation, and conversely an impediment when muscle memory is absent.  The only way for you to learn how to perform a task with any kind of competency is to physically perform the task. An instructor can talk to you all day long about what you are supposed to do but until your muscles move in practice, they are not learning. 

Now imagine an emergency situation.  An active shooter is in your building.  You recall that your organization has a panic button APP that you need to use immediately to summon help and save your life.  Assuming you have your phone, it's on, and has a good signal.....where is the APP located on your screen?  Would you be able to recognize the icon on an APP that you literally NEVER use?  How many times would you pass by it while frantically searching for it?  In fairness, you are likely to give up quickly and not even use the APP at all.  Instead, you will probably settle for dialing 911 instead because most of us have been mentally conditioned to do just that in a life-threatening emergency.  Now you are trying to communicate effectively all while trying to get to safety while an active attacker is threatening your life.

Having Access to the APP

Another glaring issue with ONLY having an APP as a life-safety solution is simply having access to your phone or having a reliable signal to your phone.  Let's consider schools for a moment.  Most schools have rules and guidelines regarding cell phone usage while on school grounds.  Here is an example of an actual cell phone policy from a Florida school:

• Your child may bring a cell phone to school and wear a smartwatch.
• For safety and security, students are strongly encouraged to secure phones in a purse, book bag, locker, etc. upon arrival on campus.
• It must be turned off and not used at all during the instructional day.
• The phone must be kept completely out of sight.
• They must not be allowed to ring or make any sound on school grounds.
• A student may only use a cell phone on a school bus during a life-threatening emergency.
• If a cell phone is seen or heard on campus, it will be confiscated.
• Consequences will be issued for cell phone violations, including text messaging.
• Parents who need to reach their child (or vice versa) should call the front office.
• Even if it falls out of a pocket accidentally, it will be confiscated.

These policies are very common across most schools in the United States and the policies are all very similar.  During the course of normal school operations, these policies make sense.  However, when a school is utilizing only an APP as a life safety solution, you can clearly see by the policy alone, that students would not be permitted to adequately have access to the solution.  As a side note, most schools apply the same basic guidelines on cell phone usage to employees as well.  This means most adults on campus would not have adequate access (or delayed access) to an APP-only life-safety solution in an actual emergency situation.  Additionally, many corporate businesses also disallow cell phone usage for employees while at work.  Many even require phones to be kept in work lockers or away from the immediate working vicinity.

So if you can't access the life-safety solution and/or if accessing the solution is difficult due to panic and lack of muscle memory, will it actually help?  We are not suggesting that APPS have no place in life safety, what we are saying is that the solution on its face can be wholly insufficient when relied upon solely.

How Can ASR Help and How Do ASR Systems Work?

ASR strongly believes that having dedicated hardware that is readily available and easy to operate is KEY when it comes to life-saving tools.  Our critical incident response technology uses hard-mounted buttons, mobile pendants, and a compliment mobile phone application to DIRECTLY communicate with first responders in the area to significantly decrease response times to an active threat or crisis situation.  In addition, by utilizing dedicated sirens and strobes (combined with optional alerts on mobile devices), the situation is clear to anyone and the response time is going to be incomparably faster and more reliable.

When our system is initiated, alerts go out directly to police dispatch and people only within the building.   Additionally, unique sounding sirens and flashing blue strobes begin.  With the ASR System, people are alerted instantly and response to the situation is rapidly initiated. 

Having dedicated hardware that is readily accessible and easy to operate is KEY when it comes to life-saving tools.   

The U.S. government and Fire Safety professionals DO NOT allow APPS to activate Fire Alarms within a building. So, why would you rely on an APP to alert your personnel of a life-threatening situation (like an active shooter) and be uncertain that law enforcement has been notified and is responding?

Our solution is a straightforward and easily identifiable button on the wall that says POLICE.  Even in a stressful and life-threatening situation, those under attack can easily identify the button, push it, and then proceed with life-saving protocols liking running and hiding from the attacker.  The focus is taken off of the details needed to inform first responders and is transferred into more time to get away from the danger.  With actionable information from the system, first responders know what is happening, where it is happening, and who it is happening to - all with the push of a button.

While apps are generally always a more cost-effective way to implement a panic button system, a decision-maker must consider the system as it would operate in a real-world crisis.  If an organization is truly focused on the system saving lives, the system must have redundancy, ease of use, accessibility, and be able to communicate instantly.  Anything that requires a victim to interact or that is reliant upon devices that may or may not be readily accessible (or properly activated such as location sharing) has a high likelihood of failure and inadequacies at the time that reliability is needed the most.

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ASR Alert Systems is a patented state-of-the-art critical incident response technology specializing in the field of alert notifications to Law Enforcement and First Responders in the event of an active shooter or other crisis. Our critical incident response technology uses hard-mounted buttons, mobile pendants, and an optional mobile phone application to DIRECTLY communicate with first responders in the area to significantly decrease response times to an active threat or crisis situation. We hold the patent on this direct communication.  Our technology can be customized to any industry, building, or event. We deliver customer-specific technology unmatched by anyone.