PANIC BUTTONS WITHIN CHURCHES HELPS PROTECT SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
How Do Panic Buttons Within Churches Work?
Panic buttons within churches vary in functionality. Most often organizations use their current burglar alarm company to provide them with a hard-wired panic button. These hard-wired panic button alarms are usually inexpensive. It is also easier to create an account since the alarm company is a current vendor. I refer to these type panic buttons as being very traditional.
On the other hand, technology driven panic buttons systems give churches the ability to alert multiple responders with just a push of a button. These updated panic buttons also give notifications that the alert was received by responders. There in no hardwiring involved and setup only takes a few minutes.

What is the Main Reason to Have Panic Buttons Within Churches?
The idea behind having a panic button for a church is to lower the time between the onset of an incident and when responders are on the scene. The goal is to notify responders rapidly. This allows for a quick de-escalation of any crisis, which lowers the opportunity of victimization. The large time delay of the traditional panic buttons is the reason why these buttons are rapidly becoming discounted and ruled ineffective by responders.
There are many benefits tech-driven panic buttons offers that other tools do not. Setting up panic buttons in the common areas of your church increases security. Also, this type of setup allows members and staff to easily access the duress buttons in the event of an emergency. Quick access to these panic buttons cuts response time down to mere seconds rather than several minutes. Responders also have the information provided by the alert system to handle the emergency more efficiently.
Panic buttons within churches are not very expensive to install. Very little effort is needed to set up these programs, so daily office activities are rarely disrupted. Technology-based panic buttons are icons disguised in the tray icons or on the screensaver of your computer workstation. Equally, many panic button providers offer optional hardware devices that can be easily hidden from a criminal during a volatile emergency situation. Which in turn, also provides the peace-of-mind needed to operate a safe worship environment.
Why are Traditional Panic Buttons a Mistake?
Many of the panic buttons within churches are activated accidentally, and no one knows what button the alert originated. The traditional panic buttons within churches are still answered by responders with high priority. However, the delayed notification time on the ones that work proved to be ineffective for a rapid response. Traditional panic buttons average around three minutes to alert only one responder. Also, many panic buttons default and fail to alert the responder. The traditional panic buttons also fail to confirm notification was received. Moreover, they are usually hardwired and use a phone line to alert only one responder.

Does Technology Offer Solutions for Church Panic Buttons?
Yes! Technology has caught up and revolutionized the way people respond to situations. The increase in global and domestic terrorism creates a clear and imminent need to have panic buttons within churches. People believe mobile apps are the cure all for these types of situations. However, an app is not solely the best option. Think about if there was an emergency. Would you have time to find your phone, open it, and locate the app to raise a panic? Phone app panic buttons focus more on individuals rather than buildings and people inside. The key for an effective panic button for churches is to lower the notification time to responders and to integrate internal and external notification. Integrating internal and external notification means that it notifies everyone within the church while alerting responders at the same time. Internal and external notification should be merged into the push of a button.
How Much Should I Budget for Church Panic Buttons?
They key is to find a technology-driven panic button system that offers free system updates to ensure you do not get stuck with an outdated program. Technology is always changing just like your place of worship. Look for a scalable system that meets your exact needs and the cost will always offset. Surprisingly, the technology-driven church panic buttons are usually priced three to one less than the traditional panic buttons while offering several other innovative features that can easily be molded to your particular needs.
