The danger and occurrence of School Shootings

Schools are places of knowledge that should feel safe for all. In the past few decades, this was unfortunately not always the case. Since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, it is estimated over 292,000 students have experienced school gun violence. The most recent instance was at a Minnesota Education Center, resulting in multiple schools around them to be placed on Lockdown. The shooters were two teenagers of 18 and 19 years of age. Sources cannot indicate the motive behind the shooting that led to one death and one injury. There was no sign or threats prior to the incident, making it further worrying. School shootings are the reality of many young people and schools all around the world.

In those instances, knowing how to properly assess a situation can be a daunting task. Both the nature of the context and the uncertainty associated with it, create worrying scenarios for all.

How can one take precautions?

School shootings are a recurring issue for many parts of the world, it can be difficult for many to know how to take appropriate actions. Constant awareness is essential in cases of potential imminent danger. However, it is not realistic to expect humans to achieve this at all times. There are ways to prioritise this as well as assisting it. Having appropriate evacuation and safety training for both students and staff can aid in two ways. Firstly, ensures they can have as much knowledge as possible in high stress situations to help themselves and others. Secondly, it provides day-to-day peace of mind both inside and outside of schools. Various ways exist to raise awareness in order to complement knowledge and training. This is especially important for situations like the recent Minneapolis events were there were no preindications to indicate incoming danger.

Clear communication is essential for minimised reaction time and lower risks. Having established plans beforehand and the ability to mass communicate during a stressful situation can make a real difference.

Can Hazavoid help?

Over the past couple of years, as shootings were happening more often, certain schools decided to have officers on campus. This was seen as a reliable source of safety and protection. More and more today, establishments are removing those officers for students to feel more comfortable on the daily. This leaves a certain open area for added safety and peace of mind as now awareness falls upon regular staff again. In those situations, solutions like Hazavoid can provide assistance peace of mind. Hazavoid offers fully wireless solutions, adaptable to previous infrastructures for ease of installation and usage. Both the Hazavoid Wireless Alarm System (pictured above) and the Hazavoid Wireless Alert Beacon System come with a backup battery and solar panels. This allows for reliable methods to both inform and alert.

Carrying the remote, anyone noticing dangers can communicate with an entire zone of concern, both indoors and outdoors, at the push of a button. With the option to customise tones, the WiLAS (pictured above) provides flexibility. Appropriate safety protocols can function hand in hand with safety systems. For instance, users can decide to create tones that say something but mean something else entirely, to deceive intruders and protect everyone else involved.