Sometimes the worst thing imaginable happens. Emergency situations like a campus shooter. An earthquake or fire.
An armed intruder. A bio-hazard. It happens to you, your business or school, to people you care about and are responsible for. You’ll need to react quickly, efficiently and intelligently in order to keep people out of harm’s way. And your digital signage system can be a critical part of your safety and security protocols. Here’s how it can help you execute an effective emergency plan.
Digital signage helps you handle all emergency situations
Your digital signage system can be an excellent tool when it comes to emergency situations, whether it’s a shooting, a fire or an earthquake. Of course, you might have a text alert system already in place for your students and employees. But will everyone have their smartphones switched on, charged and in their pocket? And what about visitors? You won’t have all their contact information. Digital signage leaves nothing up to chance, and Yodeck gives you the speed and flexibility you need to put your safety plans into action immediately.
It helps you reach everyone in emergency situations
How? Because your digital signage screens are a great way of getting life-saving information to everyone within seconds. They’re easy to see and grab people’s attention. You can set up screens anywhere. In classrooms and hallways, corporate lobbies and cafeterias, even bathrooms. Which means your emergency message will be everywhere. Have to reach people who are hard of hearing? Vital information is right there, on screen, ready to be read. What about people with vision problems? That’s not an issue either as you can couple your on-screen text with an audio message.
Digital signage means you manage emergency situations on the go
You can use your Yodeck software on your smartphone or tablet. Second-by-second updates and instructions can be pushed to your screens no matter where you are. This means that even if you’re managing an emergency situation remotely, it’s no problem at all. You can even consult first responders and the police as you create your digital signage content. The best part is that you can use your Yodeck software to do bulk edits on all your screens. Make mass changes at once and get the same emergency information out there to all in a couple of clicks.
It helps you tailor information as emergency situations develop
In some emergency situations, you might need to get different information out to different people. Ongoing developments in different parts of the building or campus means risks vary too. What if a school shooter is active in the English department? You need to give people trapped in that part of the building very specific safety guidelines. And they won’t apply to students at the other end of the campus, who aren’t in danger. Yodeck helps you tailor information to each screen, giving you that life-saving flexibility you need to get everyone out safely. It’s easy to do too, as each screen can play different default content. And that default content can be a simple PDF or Word file with basic instructions telling people to lock classroom doors or stay hidden.
Digital signage in emergency situations
Tragedies like school shootings, gunmen in office buildings and terrorist attacks have become real possibilities in our everyday life now. It’s incomprehensible. But the death toll from such violent attacks is sadly rising and we all need to prepare for the unthinkable.
Digital signage could prove life-saving in emergency situations like these. It already has for students and staff at the University of California San Marcos. To save lives, you need to tell people there’s a shooter on the loose or a possible terrorist attack in progress. Panic is your worst enemy in emergency situations. So use your screens to tell teachers to lock classroom doors and turn off all lights. Students just need to glance at the screen to know they have to stay away from windows and be quiet. Let them know the police are on the way and they’ll get help soon.
Don’t forget it’s vital to have features which let you remotely update screens with up-to-the-minute guidelines. And make sure you can push different info to different screens depending on who needs to see what. Try Yodeck out for free to get an idea of what our software can do for you.
Natural disasters & digital signage
Emergency situations like earthquakes and fires can happen anywhere, anytime. And digital signage is a great way to give people life-saving guidelines right when they need it. You can even play quick safety videos or show image files. Use that content to remind people to hide under desks, protect their airways or stay away from elevators.
Digital signage does much more for you too. Just have standard content for emergency situations ready before disaster strikes. Need to make sure employees tasked with emergency response duties remember what they have to do? Tell them to put on reflective vests and grab their safety kits and flashlights by flashing messages on screen. Once the emergency situation is under control, you can even use your screens to guide evacuations. You can also give directions, tell people which parts of the building are safe and where paramedics are located once they’ve left the building.
Digital signage & safety drills
Don’t wait for emergency situations to strike before putting your digital signage system to good use. Put together a plan of action and integrate digital signage in your fire, earthquake and evacuation drills.
Use your screens to remind people of their closest emergency exit. Tell students to remain calm, line up, and follow faculty and staff. Emergency situations are less scary when people know exactly what to expect and how to react. Αnd that only comes with practice.
Safety campaigns through digital signage
The best way to handle emergency situations is to always put safety first. Use your screens to routinely remind people what to do in emergencies, who to go to for help, who to call if they see something or someone suspicious. Quiet times during the day are a good opportunity for displaying evacuation routes and safety procedures. The more people see this life-saving content, the more prepared they’ll be when faced with emergency situations.
Digital signage & everyday disruptions
Your digital signage system also comes in handy for events that are much less stressful than emergency situations. Perhaps there are train or bus delays because of storms or strikes which can throw off commute times. Did they just predict a blizzard or issue a hurricane warning? Use transportation digital signage for everyday stuff like this and employees, clients and students will be much more prepared. And they’ll be able to plan their day safely, thanks to you.
You’ve got your digital signage screens up and your software running. Make sure you use what’s already at your fingertips to help people feel safe and secure in emergency situations.