Written by Peter Ollodart, President, Puget Sound Instrument
June 20, 2025
School safety is not just a priority—it’s a mission. At Puget Sound Instrument (PSI), we’ve redefined how school districts approach emergency response with a simple yet robust solution: non-verbal emergency alerts via panic buttons integrated with cutting-edge Motorola and Avigilon technologies.
Instant Alerts, Immediate Action
Imagine this: a teacher witnesses a potential threat near a backdoor propped open by a student. With a single push of a panic button on their MOTOTRBO R7 radio, the school’s emergency system springs into action:
- All school doors automatically lock
- Security cameras begin recording
- Central administration is instantly notified
- If unanswered, the alert auto-escalates to 911
This removes complexity in a moment of crisis—saving valuable seconds that can protect lives.
Diverse Threat Detection
The system doesn’t rely solely on human input. It also detects and responds to events such as:
- Doors left ajar
- Individuals in restricted zones
- Vehicles with flagged license plates
- Unauthorized or known unwanted individuals identified by watchlists
These events trigger alerts using Avigilon cameras and Unity Access control, backed by AI analytics.
Empowering Every Staff Member
Traditional school systems often rely on a couple of radios in the front office. PSI changes that.
- Every staff member has a radio
- Radios are used daily, even on field trips
- Familiarity means faster, more confident response
Even false alarms serve a purpose: they act as real-time drills and reinforce readiness.
Seamless, Fast, and Familiar
With a PSI panic button:
- Response is triggered in 1–2 seconds
- Authorities get the school name, staff member’s name, and time
- A unique sound and visual alert notifies everyone
- Alerts can be sent from a safe room, hallway, or classroom
This is what we call a “non-verbal emergency path.” Simple. Reliable. Effective.
What Powers the System
The safety ecosystem is built on battle-tested Motorola Solutions technologies:
- MOTOTRBO R7 radios with panic button functionality
- SLR repeaters and Linked Capacity Plus for full-campus radio coverage
- Unity Access for intelligent door locking
- Avigilon Unity and AI NVRs for video intelligence
- Orchestrate to tie it all together through automated workflows