A walkie-talkie is a communication radio that provides two-way communication. It can be incredibly helpful in an emergency or public safety situation at schools. Using two-way radios for school communication offers more value than mobile phones and telephones.
Sure, mobile phones and telephones are advanced technology compared to radios when it comes to communication distance, voice clarity, and convenience. But when you only want to communicate within a school or a limited area around the school, using walkie-talkies has more advantages.
Advantages
Using walkie-talkies at schools has many advantages; some of them are as follows.
1. Reduced Cost
All calls on walkie-talkies are free no matter how long the call is. You don’t have to pay monthly bills and call charges at regular intervals. The only money you have to spend is the cost of buying it. A good quality two-way radio can cost anywhere from 400$ to 600$ and last for 5 to 6 years. Five to six years’ worth of monthly bills and call charges are far more than the cost of buying walkie-talkies for your staff.
Ease of use
Using a walkie-talkie is relatively simple, so simple that even small children can learn to use them without much problem. If an emergency happens in a classroom or somewhere else with no teacher or staff member nearby, students can use a two-way radio to call for help.
Durability
A walkie-talkie is incredibly durable; once you buy one, it can last up to 6 years. They aren’t damaged by falling on the ground or in the water; in short, they will stay with you unless you deliberately destroy them. Being durable reduces the chances of failure in emergency situations when you need them instantly. They are more trustworthy as compared to mobile phones when it comes to reliability.
Management
Managing a school becomes easy when you can instantly communicate with caretakers, teachers, and security staff. If every teacher, staff member, and classroom have a walkie-talkie, then it directly increases the efficiency and security of the school. Any staff member can instantly reach any other staff member no matter where they are on the campus grounds. This is especially useful in schools that cover a large area, as finding a specific person becomes difficult. This is especially the case for caretakers and teachers who rarely stay in their own offices.
In case of an emergency like a fire or a natural disaster, the staff can instantly alert all the students and teachers by broadcasting on classroom walkie-talkies.
Safety
A security staff monitoring all the camera footage can instantly alert relevant personnel in the school in case of a security threat. Modern walkie-talkies can be connected to alarms and can be used to immediately sound the alarm in an emergency.
In an emergency, if everyone is alerted on time, then chances of harm significantly decrease, thus increasing overall school security.
Communication during emergencies
A walkie-talkie doesn’t rely on any extra infrastructure for communication, which means they are much harder to block. Mobile and telephone communication systems are purposefully shut down in some emergencies and public safety situations. Even in such cases, walkie-talkies can work without any problem, making them the ideal choice if you want a reliable communication source for your school.
If you have decided to buy walkie-talkies for your school, but aren’t sure which brand to choose, no problem. NRC Radio in the UK has a great guide about using walkies talkies in schools (nrcradio.co.uk/best-walkie-talkies-for-schools/ ); check it out before you go any further.