How to Use a Two-Way Radio Policy?

The top priority for school boards and administrators in America’s schools must be ensuring the safety of students and employees.

Police departments and other law enforcement agencies cannot be left to handle the security concerns particular to educational facilities either independently or cooperatively.

School administrators must budget for, design, and implement plans and procedures in partnership with law enforcement to better secure their facilities, personnel, and kids under their charge. Administrators can accomplish this important role with the aid of this guidance.

Step 1: ‘Two-Way Conversation’

• Two-way radios, by definition, allow for “two-way communication.” Radios enable school staff to communicate across departments and campuses swiftly and efficiently, either individually or in groups.
• The devices can also be utilized for campus communication as well as school bus safety, owing to mobile radios and accessories.

Step 2: Invest in two-way radios and chargers for each employee

• Administrators must determine how many employees have access to their facilities and how many of them are employed before ordering the required number of two-way radios and chargers plus 10.
• The extra ten radios should be given out to anyone granted access to the school facility for activities like contract work, parent meetings with staff, law enforcement or security visits/inspections, etc. Staff should be defined as every single adult in regular attendance at the facility.
• Purchase surge protectors that can handle ten more surge protectors in addition to the radio charges.
• Based on the market price, without a contract, of $1800 for radios and $280 for surge protectors, the one-time cost (expenditure) for this equipment for 70 people will be significantly less than $3000.00.

Step 3: Do not overlook training

• The need for training is emphasized in several other parts of the school security checklist, and the same is true for communications.
• Two-way radios in K–12 schools are crucial for enhancing safety, but they must be used properly to be effective. Staff members at schools, especially those who don’t use radios frequently, should receive periodic instruction on how to use them properly so they are prepared to communicate promptly when seconds count.
• Here are two succinct case studies of how K–12 schools used two-way radio services from Chicago Communications to implement solutions to safety and security issues.

Step 4: Assign a number to each radio and label it accordingly

Make a list of all the places in the facility that are currently numbered. This list should contain each numbered classroom, gymnasium, cafeteria, outdoor training area, and so on. If no number is currently assigned to a location, omitting restrooms, corridors, closets, and various storage facilities, assign numbers and prominently place them at the actual location, and then label the relevant radio with that number.

Step 5: Immediate Contact with 9-1-1 Dispatchers is Guaranteed by the Teldio App

• We suggested the district employ an advanced telephone connection program from Teldio, a licensed Motorola app developer, in addition to the two-way radios.
• The app is made to let radio listeners take and make phone calls, including 9-1-1, straight on their MOTOTRBO digital radios.
• “This capability is vital for all of our staff, but especially for those who are outdoors watching playgrounds and sporting events and do not have access to a landline inside the building in an emergency,” adds Tanner.

Step 6: Speak with the appropriate people

• Using email and mobile devices during a lockdown at a school complicates real-time communication with the appropriate parties, which is another drawback.
• Using a mobile phone or sending an email takes too long when a staff person needs to contact multiple other staff members in an emergency. They might broadcast a general notice via the school’s public address system, but security is another factor that needs to be taken into account because the information may be delicate or unique to certain people. If made public, that information might be on a need-to-know basis and could spark panic or confusion.

Step 7: Instruct all employees to report any odd, harmful, or suspicious conduct through radio immediately and simply.

The user is to push the microphone button and, first, call out the radio number, then state their position if they are not where the radio number assumes they are, then state their emergency, and then let go of the microphone button.
Emergency staff members are given three routes for communication.

• The user must stay on channel one when inside the facility because it is the default. Channel 2 is for news of successful evacuations and evacuations without being charged. Channel 3 is for guidance and support during evacuations (by direction of assigned “Hub” user, only.)
• Hit the microphone button.
• Clearly state the radio number.
• If there is a fire, tornado, roof collapse, etc., say the word “Emergency.” Release the microphone button after that.
• A “Hub” person is required to dial 911 as soon as possible and, when speaking with the operator, to identify the school and the two-way radio user who reported the “Emergency” by name and user number.
• Regardless of the response given, the user must push the microphone button once more and, if possible, give a brief description of the emergency.
• Users who are nearby should take urgent action to get their charges out of the building and to their evacuation point in order to safeguard them.
• Users who have evacuated pupils must switch their radios to the predetermined secondary communication channel and, after moving their charges to the designated evacuation site, push the microphone button and say “Clear” without interfering with other broadcasts. The designated “Hub” person will use this channel to give instructions to the crew that has been evacuated, maintaining communication with individuals who may be in danger on the default channel. Users who have been evacuated should stay on this channel and wait for instructions.
• When a first responder (Police) arrives, the “Hub” person in direct touch with the user experiencing the “Emergency” is required to offer the officer a two-way radio (even if the only radio they have is their own) and permit the officer to make contact with the user. If time and the circumstances allow, the “Hub” is to obtain another functional radio before complying with any commands given by the police.
• When they hear “Emergency,” two-way radio users still in the building should turn their radios down and, if feasible, hold them near to their ears so as not to jeopardize their safety or give away their location to potential burglars. Unless there is a chance or need to transfer channels and provide information pertinent to the emergency itself, they are to remain on the default channel that the “emergency” was reported on. They must choose the best course of action based on what they hear and see. Users must communicate with officers in order to verify their whereabouts and state of health when asked. Any user who is not experiencing the emergency owing to its closeness to the disturbance must leave and, after successfully leaving, switch to the second radio frequency channel. Any charge not accounted for while evacuating shall be reported on the secondary channel by radio number first, followed by the phrases “Clear” or “Clear, ready for list” upon arrival at the evacuation location. When the user hears “Confirm,” he or she must explicitly disclose the name of any student who was unable to escape and their last known location within the facility.
• The backup “Hub” radio user should retrieve a copy of the radio roster/facility diagram from the file, mark each radio user who reports “Clear” with a checkmark (or highlight), and make a note of the names and last known locations of any missing students who were reported during the class evacuation.
• After receiving an “Emergency” call from another user, users who are having trouble or confusion should periodically check the secondary channel. If they hear other users talking, they should wait until the radio is quiet, press the microphone button, state the radio number (following the location if it differs from the radio assignment), and then request help or assistance with evacuation.
• If a user reports an “Emergency,” the tertiary backup “Hub” should utilize its radio to alert workers reporting difficulty evacuating to the third designated channel for guidance. If this radio user does not know what the emergency is or where it is at the time a user seeks help, they must urge the user to stay on the default channel and wait for help or instructions.
• Two-way radios for schools tackle the problem by allowing users to set up and utilize certain frequencies (channels) and interact with individuals who are also using that frequency. This is especially beneficial on large school campuses with several buildings, or when employees only need to communicate with year group leaders, school nurses, or caregivers, for example.
• Multiple two-way radio systems and networks could be set up across the school site to provide for segmented and universal communication in larger campuses for a more comprehensive communication plan.
• Communication at schools can be expedited, safety improved, and real-time updates delivered wherever and whenever they are needed by employing two-way radios.

Step 8: Conduct a tornado/fire simulation using the two-way radio policy to make sure that everyone can use the radio properly and is aware of the new procedure.

Insist that each user follows the correct protocol throughout the exercise and that any conflicts should be investigated and resolved right away. In an emergency, emphasize the value of limited radio communication. Give them tips on how to be succinct in their radio conversations and remind them to let go of the microphone button whenever they are finished speaking unless otherwise ordered.

Conclusion

• The mainstay of any successful safety plan is two-way radios in schools, as more districts are learning every day.
• In terms of dependability, longevity, and functionality, radios are superior to cell phones, and regardless of the communication difficulties districts and schools have, there are specialized radio solutions available.