Whether you run a hospital or a school, a detainment facility or a manufacturing facility,security is forefront on your mind these days. Random acts of violence, an uptick in the number of people suffering from scary medical issues, and growing concerns over legal liabilities all point to the need for more stringent security measures. When looking at the systems available, cost is a major factor, followed by reliability, usability, and convenience. Will a worker be able to depend on the system when someone is critically injured? Can it be disabled if someone decides to attack our facilities? Will it be easy enough to operate that workers can use it years after their training, even when panicking?
All of these questions should be answered before you settle on a particular alarm system. One of the questions you'll need to answer is whether to go with a hardwired solution or a wireless alarm. As wireless solutions become more commonplace, there are many ways in which wireless security systems, including duress alarms, trump hardwired solutions.
1. Wires Can be Cut by Bad Guys
Perhaps the most obvious reason is that it's not nearly as easy to disable a wireless security system than a hardwired one. Attacks are not only growing in frequency and severity -- attackers are also becoming more sophisticated. While intruders a couple of decades ago were likely not much more than pranksters, the ones today are just as likely to be reasonably trained, well-funded, and highly motivated to launch an attack against a school, public building, or other business or institution. Make it as hard as possible for them by opting for a wireless alarm.
2. Wireless Units are Mobile
Many jobs aren't stationary. Factory workers, maintenance professionals, hospital staff, school faculty, detention center officers, and other positions often call for "making the rounds" or otherwise being all over the facilities during their shifts. This means that security units need to be portable, which limits your choices to wireless units.
3. Wireless Duress Alarms Can be Situated Most Anywhere
It's not always possible to put a hardwired system where it needs to go. Concrete walls and other structural designs and components can prevent you from putting systems where they need to go. A wireless system can go most anywhere, without opening walls or disturbing the environment.
Concrete construction is becoming more commonplace as organizations try to make buildings that last longer, especially in areas where severe weather like hurricanes and tornadoes are frequent occurrences. Older buildings are constrained by the potential for releasing lethal asbestos into the air. Some facilities -- like hospitals and schools -- have to be careful about tearing into walls even when asbestos isn't present. Wireless systems make it totally unnecessary to open walls or otherwise disrupt the structure, and can be installed in areas where concrete walls and other inhibitors make it difficult or impossible to install a hardwired system.
4. Wireless Units Come with More Features Than Ever
Given the many advantages of wireless duress alarms discussed here, it is unsurprising that they are growing in popularity. That means that manufacturers are packing these units with more features than ever before. If you have lone workers in your employ (such as lab workers, prison guards, nurses and hospital staff, maintenance workers, or others who spend lots of time alone in potentially dangerous environments) these alarms are available with features like No Response (which pings the worker periodically and alerts someone if there is no response) and Man Down (which signals someone if the worker falls or lies down for any reason).
Ready to find out how affordable and easy a duress alarm system can be? Contact us today to request a quote.