Enhancing Park and Playground Safety
Enhancing Park and Playground Safety

Enhancing Park and Playground Safety

Sep 24, 2019 | Post by Meghan Minnella

Public parks, trails, and playgrounds enrich the community in which they reside. These recreational areas serve as a place for friends and family to connect with each other and with nature. They provide local communities with a fun place to be active and make lasting memories. Unfortunately, there are also safety risks associated with these environments, especially if there’s not a proper communication system in place. 

Numerous injuries and violent crimes occur in parks every year. A report by the CDC, states that ”Each year in the United States, emergency departments treat more than 200,000 children ages 14 and younger for playground-related injuries. More than 20,000 of these children are treated for a traumatic brain injury, including concussion.” Another report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that there is an average of 130,270 violent victimizations per year in open areas such as parks, fields, and playgrounds. 

When you’re at a park, the last thing you want to do is worry about the safety of your family. Luckily, park managers and city security directors are aware of the importance of implementing safety solutions for visitors. According to an article written by the National Recreation and Park Association, “To improve emergency response to trail incidents, many parks, and recreation agencies are installing emergency call boxes and emergency locator systems. The call boxes connect to a dedicated center for public safety.”

Emergency Phone Towers

There are various solutions to enhance the security of park visitors available. The WEBS-MT/R OP5 Emergency Phone Tower is ideal for recreational parks located in remote areas. The unit can be used as part of the Talkaphone’s Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System (WEBS®) to notify large masses of people of an event.  The phone tower also has local announcement capabilities, allowing security personnel to unlock the command station to make on-side announcements. The emergency phone faceplate is illuminated at all times for clear visibility during the night and includes a camera mounted above the tower, providing additional surveillance capabilities.

Pedestal Mounts

Another option is a Free-standing Pedestal Mount which includes an emergency phone practical for open recreational areas. The pedestal mounts are constructed of vandal-resistant 1/4″ steel and can be mounted into a concrete foundation. The free-standing unit has the ability to fit specific and custom needs by mounting any of the ETP-500 Series, VOIP-500 Series, or VOIP-600 Series emergency/information phones. 

Ensuring Recreational Public Safety

Recreational safety solutions aren’t just limited to public parks. The Town of Oyster Bay deployed a variety of Talkaphone’s Voice over IP emergency phones, securing over 2000 acres of beaches, golf courses, marinas, garages, community centers, train stations, municipal buildings and storage yards. Read more here about the multiple phases of the Town’s deployment and how Talkaphone’s products were put to the ultimate test; by withstanding Hurricane Irene.

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