Report Highlights School Safety and Transportation K-12 Budget Cuts Responding to District Proposals Radios in Schools Portable and Mobile Options Current Environment Driven by the need to ensure student safety while complying with tight budgets, districts and schools need communications equipment that is easy to operate, reliable and inexpensive. Natural disasters and unfortunate tragedies such as Columbine emphasize two-way radio s incredible role in operational efficiency and school safety. According to international school safety expert Michael Dorn, radio s interoperable communications is a valuable tool and I would say even a necessary one to manage particularly big school crisis events, but it s also very helpful on a day-to-day basis. In addition to safety concerns, the K-12 education market requires solid communication for its transportation sector. Approximately 440,000 yellow school buses transport 24 million school-aged children every day during the week. School bus transportation is considered the largest mass transit program and also the safest mode of transportation for school-aged children. Vehicle identification and knowledge of bus locations makes two-way radios a necessity for K-12 school districts and school transportation providers. Industry Numbers At least 34 states and the District of Columbia have imposed cuts in the K-12 education sector 1 In the 2007-08 school year, 85% of public schools reported that one or more incidents of crime had taken place at school, with an estimated 2.0 million crimes nationwide 1 55 million student trips occur in the U.S. per school day, or roughly 10 billion student trips annually 3 1 Johnson, Nicholas, Phil Oliff, and Erica Williams. An Update on State Budget Cuts - At Least 46 States Have Imposed Cuts That Hurt Vunerable Residents and Cause Job Loss. Washington, D.C., February 9, 2011. 2 Robers, Simone, Jijun Zhang, and Jennifer Truman. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics Clearinghouse, 2010. 3 Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program. Special Safety Concerns of the School Bus Industry. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, 2010. 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 1
F3101D Series IDAS TM conventional and IDAS single-site trunking, this military-grade portable has applicable uses in K-12 education. Market Challenges The current economic recession and the federal budget deficit directly impact K-12 and special education programs across the country. Budgets cut in the education sector leave school districts across the nation with scarce funds and limited technology opportunities. Despite inadequate funding, schools must still provide a safe and streamlined environment to its students, faculty and staff. Communication should be easily accessible on school grounds and compatible with other district institutions and local law enforcement. K-12 school bus fleets also face economic and technological challenges. Vehicle maintenance, fuel costs and communication systems with reliable coverage must be factored into fleets budgets. The annual transportation cost for school-aged children is $520 per regular education child, and $2,400 for each special needs education child. 1 Today there are 455,000 school bus drivers in the United States. 2 School bus drivers have many responsibilities; they must adhere to school policies, follow route schedules and, most importantly, keep passengers safe. In addition, supervising boisterous bus riders and avoiding distracted motorists on the road are just a few challenges that school bus drivers must face on any given day. Having easy-to-use and interoperable radio equipment is necessary for bus drivers to perform their job duties thoroughly. F4021 Series The preferred portable radio for the Dallas Independent School District. Dealer Opportunities Though budget revisions may affect safety and operational measures in schools, the need for reliable and interoperable equipment exists. Dealers should take the opportunity of assisting any school districts with staying connected on campus, on school buses and with law enforcement and emergency agencies. Dealers may find success in the K-12 market by staying on top of industry news as well. When producing RFPs, dealers should clearly identify the right equipment with their clients needs. Our philosophy is to sell a solution, not just a brand of radio, says Harry Maddox of Comtex Communications, a two-way radio dealership from DeSoto, Texas. Recognizing that the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) needed durable and cost-effective radios, accessories and replacement parts the district already owns a repeater and services all 1 Commercial Truck and Bus Safety Synthesis Program, Special Safety Concerns (see Industry Numbers, footnote 3). 2 Ibid. 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 2
its own radios Maddox suggested Icom s F4021 portable radio. DISD initially purchased 350 units, each with a 7.4V, 2,000 mah extended life battery and rapid charging system for its administrators, maintenance personnel and security guards. It measured up to other brands, and ultimately became their first choice. F3001/F4001 Series Simple interface, yet durable in construction. Easy to use and perfect for in-school environments cafeterias and playgrounds. Commercial Cellular Services Wireless Communications Comparison Professional Two-Way Radio Low initial costs for handsets that quickly add up with recurring monthly fees, and each additional handset adds another set of monthly fees Commercial services are only as reliable as their network will allow; poor coverage is often the norm and infrastructure is vulnerable to disruptions such as extended power outages Cell phone functions with advanced features may not be user-intuitive Very cost effective; once the handset is purchased, there are no recurring service or usage fees Two-way networks, especially those used in safety and security, are constructed to be missioncritical with backup power and redundant infrastructure Even with advanced features, radios should be very easy to operate with very little training necessary User Requirements Two-way radios support three basic functions in the K-12 education market: In-school communications Portable radios must be simple to operate and very durable. Unlike phones or the intercom system, faculty with their own equipment can be reached even when not in their classroom or office. Advanced features enable one-to-one or one-to-many communication. Conversations between individuals or groups are private. FR5000 Series Used at Crestview School District. Versatile repeater offering reliable coverage to schools of any size. When the Crestview School District in Ashland, Ohio needed to replace its 25-year-old analog system, choosing Icom for in-school communications was easy. Crestview has an unusual district configuration, said Account Executive Edward Rauck of BearCom Wireless, the largest Icom dealer in the country. All three campuses are located right next to each other: Grades Pre-K-3, Grades 4-8, and Grades 9-12 for a total of 1,300 students. The district has about 160 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 3
employees and required 30 IDAS TM portables with each department having its own talk group. The system is so flexible so each department has their own group too. F5021 Series Offers multiple signaling, advanced scanning and wide frequency coverage. Compatible with the F3021/ F4021 handheld transceiver. Transportation Rugged, mobile units should be easily operated with bright, readable screens and large buttons. Radios ensure student and driver safety by facilitating quick emergency response. In order to communicate route changes to drivers and transmit bus location, radios must also have solid coverage in dense urban environments or sprawling rural areas. In addition to the 30 portables installed for Crestview School District, Rauck implemented a complete IDAS solution with Icom RF Marketing Representative John Williams and Ken Floor, Crestview School Bus Fleet Manager. Floor, who is also a local volunteer firefighter, had previous experience with two-way radios. That really helped with the process and his is a big Icom fan, says Rauck. Floor installed the mobile units and trained its users. We set them up with 18 mobiles for their school buses, Rauck says. Their rural bus routes required a repeater and the IC-FR5000 was the perfect choice. They now have better coverage than with the old system. F3011/F4011 Series Used in Spokane Public Schools. With only three buttons, one volume knob and one 16-position channel knob, this portable requires no special training for campus staff and faculty. Emergency and security operations Safety and security are major concerns for us. Being able to communicate is critical to both the safety and security of our students, says Gailen Luce, Safety Specials for Spokane Public Schools. A wide-area network with mobile/portable units supports a district s security force. Portables enable administrators to keep in constant contact with security and key district personnel, even if they must evacuate the building. Tied in with local law enforcement, administrators and security personnel can report an incident directly to first responders, bypassing the telephone network. The Spokane Public Schools in eastern Washington state comprises 34 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 6 high schools and a skills center. Each middle and high school employs a full-time onsite school resource officer, and elementary schools share safety patrol and recess attendants. Working with Valence Wireless & Communications, Spokane Public Schools installed 300 portables including the Icom F4011, one repeater and remote desk sets, a VHF base station and additional radios for replacement. Though 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 4
the district uses its radios primarily for daily communication, school officials also have the option to communicate with other users district-wide and contact the appropriate public safety agencies during times of emergency. F3161 Series portable F5061 Series mobile K-12 school connectivity with MultiTrunk. Paired with the FR5000 Series repeater. The Icom Solution Icom has a reputation for building radios that are rugged, easy to use and affordable. Whether you need a simple entry level unit or a more full featured radio, Icom offers solutions for single schools such as Spokane School District in Washington, or for districts that want to connect all schools together like Ohio s Crestview School District. A digital system would be best to meet the needs of connecting schools together, although smaller operations may get by with a conventional system. Larger districts, especially ones with several locations, would benefit from MultiTrunk (multi-site trunking). The Icom MultiTrunk system includes the F3161/F4161 Series portable, the F5061/F6061 Series mobile and the FR5000 Series repeater. Portables The F3001/F4001 Series is high performing with few large knobs and buttons allowing easy handling. A built-in BTL amplifier allows clear communication, even in noisy environments such as gymnasiums, play fields and cafeterias. Solid construction makes this radio weather resistant, dustproof and military rugged. The F3011/F4011 Series is compact and modern in design. This portable radio includes various features such as CTCSS/DTCS tone encoder/decoder, automatic scanning and priority scan, and wide frequency coverage. Schools could benefit greatly from this radio, as it is affordable and requires no special training for their staff. The F3021/F4021 Series is a step up in functionality. These radios are ideal for users that require advanced programming, but still desire ease of use. The alphanumeric display and full keypad (optional) are especially handy for quick channel ID and custom channel naming. As in the case with Dallas Independent School District, It s a great radio for what they need to accomplish, says Maddox. The F3101D/F4101D Series is IDAS TM conventional and IDAS single-site trunking. Though compact and lightweight, this radio is IP54-tested and satisfies 11 categories of military specification standards. As an IDAS device, the F3101D/F4104D has a multitude of advantages including digital/analog mixed mode helping schools to grow into digital radio as their budgets allow. It s also 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 5
the perfect communication tool for small or large groups, allowing commands such as caller ID, radio stun, kill and revive. F5121D Series IDAS radio with 128-channel channel capacity and up to eight zones allows school districts and school bus fleets plenty of room to grow. Mobiles Though operation is simple, the F5011/F5021 Series has many versatile features to help school administration and campus security conduct their day-to-day activities. Multiple 2-Tone and 5-Tone codes can be decoded on a channel. Enhanced scan functions allow users to monitor one or two priority channels while scanning other non-priority channels. The F5121D/F6121D Series is everything a school bus fleets can expect in a professional radio plus digital it s IDAS TM conventional and IDAS singlesite trunking. This radio is built military tough and has an attractive interface with large programmable buttons, 8-character LCD and a compact hand microphone. Programmable IDAS features include PTT ID, call alert, up to 500 individual/ talkgroups, radio access number and digital voice scrambler. The IC-FR5000 was the perfect choice. They now have better coverage than with the old system. - Edward Rauck of BearCom Wireless Repeater The FR5000 Series is the ideal solution for extending radio coverage on a large campus or across town. Bridging the gap between analog and digital systems, this stable yet flexible repeater has features such as selective calling, status message and GPS reporting. Mixed mode operation allows schools on a tight budget to migrate from an analog system to digital in cost-effective stages. 2012 Icom America Inc. The Icom logo is a registered trademark of Icom Inc. IDAS is a trademark of Icom Inc. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. All information and specifications subject to change without notice or obligation. 10297 800.USA.ICOM www.icomamerica.com 6