School Terrorist warning Project

[jbarnaby2000]

Isn't there a way to program it to send a canned text message?

Alright may be not mobile phones but what about PDAs?

Some even use the Linux operating system which is open source so I'm sure there's a way to hack it so when a certain key combination a canned text message is sent to all the other phones.

What about walkie talkies?

Some have a morse code function which could be used a an SoS function.

I was thinking that a key fob would send it to a central security\administration area.... And they could bulk send a message to like a text pager or something.... That way a human is still in "The Loop" assessing the situation... but the main thing is a way to tell which fob was activated so there is a way of telling where the trouble area is... I am still thinking on a solution there...

 

[Gayan Soyza]

Do more strict in the gate. Check weapons, Unknown persons, Be vigilant etc…
Call for emergency in a situation like that.Nothing else.

 

[HiTech]

How about allowing some dogs, goats, sheep or the like to roam the hallways? Animals always have a sense for danger. They'll warn the staff of an earthquake, a sudden and deep drop in barometric pressure, a solar eclipse, etc. All that they ask for in trade is some food/water bowls left out for them and a janitor with a scooper and a trash bag. They could also be trained to bark loudly at students lurking about the halls trying to skip class.

 

[Marks256]

walkie talkies are bad ideas. Its too easy to scramble the signal...

 

[markelectro]

Hello
I think I already have a device in mind.I think I will go with the fob and panel.

Like Eric says the difficulty is the strength of the RF. signal so a device like in the link will allow the signal to be carried through the Schools internal wiring-

When the fob is pressed the receiver that will be situated in each room will pick up the signal with no problem it will be then sent via the internal wiring to the receiver that will be situated at the main desk and maybe the headmasters office.

**broken link removed**

I have drawn up just a little drwg. to show how simple this should look.
The next step is to create a working model.Due to my lack of Electronic experience I would be grateful of any advice and tutorials that will aid me make this up.

Thanks and Regards Mark

Ps. sorry about the simple drawing

 

[HiTech]

Who's gonna make sure the batteries are always working? Or if there are signal reception problems? A couple of Schutzhund trained German Sheperds or Rottweilers roaming the halls will assure compliance from everyone.... even from the lazy janitor that tries to sneak in a snooze after hours!

 

[Hero999]

A key fob souds one of the best solutions offered so far as it's fairly easy to get hold of both of the key fobs and the reciever modules; they are also encrypted to so it's pretty hard to fraud.

 

[markelectro]

A key fob souds one of the best solutions offered so far as it's fairly easy to get hold of both of the key fobs and the reciever modules; they are also encrypted to so it's pretty hard to fraud.

I think so too.Could you point me in the right direction to get a model running?
Regards Mark

 

[markelectro]

Who's gonna make sure the batteries are always working? Or if there are signal reception problems? A couple of Schutzhund trained German Sheperds or Rottweilers roaming the halls will assure compliance from everyone.... even from the lazy janitor that tries to sneak in a snooze after hours!

Hitech
Wish it were that simple,I think even the kids would be at danger with this soultion."Mild lazy Janitor" is that Hong Kong Fuey the Janitor you talk about?
Can you help me with the Electronics??

Redards Mark

 

[markelectro]

Who's gonna make sure the batteries are always working? Or if there are signal reception problems?

The batteries in the fobs would last ages and the transmitter via the internal 240v circuit would eliminate this and help signal strength too.

Regards Mark

 

[jpanhalt]

Mark,

I agree the fobs with local receivers or repeators are a good bet. Range is about 50ft, so you probably want a receiver outside each room or pair of rooms. The wiring could be a bit tricky, depending on code. In the US, we have all sorts of regulations governing voltage and whether the space above a ceiling is considered a plenum. Those issues may be simplified by using low voltage (e.g., 24V).

One additional suggestion: if you use fobs with multiple buttons, each button on each fob can have a unique code. The buttons could distinguish the type of risk, e.g., fire, unruley student, medical emergency, intruder, etc. Thus, the response can be tailored to the type of threat.

At some point, the codes will need to be decoded. For that , I refer you to Nigel's tutorials on this site. John

 

[Sig239]

Hello all,
Does the school have a PA system?? If so, then when the Key-Fob is activated, you could make it so that all the audio from the room is simultaniously(SP?) recorded and played in the main office/security area. The teachers can use pre-determined voice signals to indicate the problem, or the audio may even be self-explanatory. This route offers many possibilities, and may be simple to intigrate into an existing PA system.

 

[Leftyretro]

What is the basic problem that is trying to be solved? Why is there a need for an additional technical solution when there should already be a useable process in place already.

If purpose is to have a procedure or process to get all the children to a safe place and then go from there, what is wrong with the normal 'fire drill' procedure we always had when I went to school? This could be initiated by staff or any teacher that thought they had a valid reason. The kids should have gone through enough of these in the past so as not to panic (heck we use to think of them as an extra break!).

Keep it simple

Lefty

 

[jbarnaby2000]

The only thing there is...it might be safer for the students to remain in the classroom...if they leave the building like in a fire drill they may be walking into a bad situation...making it even worse with more students in the hallways... don't you think??

 

[markelectro]

Hello all

Don't forget that the school requested a silent alarm/alert so prearranged procedures can be put into place.This is firstly not to frighten the Five year olds and also lets teachers decide if to evacuate or stay inside.
Eric did come up with a very good solution that is shown in the link-
**broken link removed**

So I would like to work along these lines.What I would requet is guidance of where to start to build a similer setup for myself.I think maybe even simpler than the one shown in the link,perhaps more like the simple drawing I attach.

Regards Mark

 

[psecody]

I like Sig239's idea and I'd like to expand on it maybe. In the classrooms there could be a module mounted where the reciever for the rf is kept, also along with this just have a small simple display where it can be easily seen by the teacher but not necissarily visible to the students, such as on the teachers desk. This way with a multi button rf transmitter (each button being something different like fire, medical, terrorist, blah) the office and all the other teachers can see the type of emergency and where the alert came from.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi mark,
Some good suggestions have been posted, but my concern is that this type of project will be 'dogged' by insurance/compensation complications.

I think that any system that cant prevent harm to even a single child is a worthwhile project.

As a side issue, while trawling the web, as a result of your OP, I came across a report that a school in the USA decided to carry out a false/fake alert to a terrorist attack.
To make it realistic it was on a 'need to know' basis, apparently the kids were terrified and the parents went ballistic.

The school adminstration were severely criticised for such a stupid act.

Good luck with your project.

 

[jbarnaby2000]

Eric,
If you don't mind....where did you find that story?? There are several ways to test a system like this once it is in place, and just to, right off the bat, test it with a semi live scenario might not be the best idea.... I think if they went through a couple of dry runs that were advertiseed probably would have been better.... and then do a surprise, unadvertised one, then everyone would have been more prepared for a mock incident...or a real one for that matter.... Just a thought...

Thx, Jeff

 

[ericgibbs]

Eric,
If you don't mind....where did you find that story?? There are several ways to test a system like this once it is in place, and just to, right off the bat, test it with a semi live scenario might not be the best idea.... I think if they went through a couple of dry runs that were advertiseed probably would have been better.... and then do a surprise, unadvertised one, then everyone would have been more prepared for a mock incident...or a real one for that matter.... Just a thought...

Thx, Jeff

hi Jeff,
I googled for 'school gun attacks' and 'school terrorist attacks'

this article:
**broken link removed**

extract from web:
The newspaper report said the faculty members staged the phony gun attack – repeatedly telling the children it was not a drill – while the kids cried and took shelter under tables.

"A teacher wearing a hooded sweatshirt pulled on a locked door, pretending to be a suspicious subject in the area," the report said. "The students were told to lie on the floor or crawl underneath tables and keep quiet."

"What type of response would the Boy Scouts of America or a church youth group have gotten if their leadership had embarked on such a 'prank?'" said the writer. "I wonder how the parents of those children involved can consider leaving these teachers and administrators in charge of any decision making matters in the future?"

The newspaper quoted 11-year-old Shay Naylor, who told of the children crying as the lights went out, and some were holding hands and shaking.
Regards

 

[jpanhalt]

Emergency training is a complicated subject and needs to balance risk and benefit. That's where the idiots at the school in question went way wrong.

There are clear examples in which the risks during training clearly outweighed the risks of the event, such as spin recovery in aircraft. More people died or were hurt in training than in actual aircraft spins. Thus, the practice in the US was discontinued.

I believe that rehearsal and repetition of intended responses to emergency situations is a better course of action than to try to realistically simulate such events.

On the specific subject of simulated terrorism, one never knows who might be armed or do something like jump through a window when facing a realistic event like Eric references. NB: In the USA, guns are allowed in some schools ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18355953/ ). I would not volunteer to be the actor portraying a terrorist in those schools. Like Archie Bunker said in a popular American sitcom. All you have to do to prevent airline hijacking is to give every passenger a rod (gun) when they get onboard. John