Panic Button. The panic button is the device that the person activates when he or she needs help. There are many styles of panic buttons available. These can have a single pushbutton, two pushbuttons that must be pressed simultaneously, devices that must be squeezed, and devices that are activated by a foot or knee. Panic Buttons for Schools and Hospitals. A panic button can help speed up lockdown procedures, issue alerts to staff, initiate emergency protocol and contact emergency responders. The faster police arrive, the better. The same goes for hospitals, where the lives of nurses and patients are at hand.
Crime occurrences at gas stations are unfortunately common in the United States. Second, only to taxicab drivers, gas stations are an industry susceptible to a high amount of workplace homicide. There are over 32,000 robberies a year in gas stations and nearly 11,000 of those will be robbed multiple times. A panic button for gas stations can give station employees comfort during those late-night and early morning working hours.What do I do if My Gas Station is Robbed?. First and foremost, remain calm. Getting worked up will not help the situation in the slightest.
Do what the robber says. Short of leaving the premises with the robber, you should do what the robber says, including giving money and merchandise. These material things can be replaced; you can not. Try to get a good description of the robber. Sometimes, this may be easier said than done. You need to remember things like height, weight, hair color, any tattoos and anything else that may be descriptive. It couldn’t hurt to write these things down immediately after the robber leaves the premises.
Call the police. This can be accomplished by hitting a panic button for gas stations, or this could be achieved just by calling 911. Either way, these actions should not be done until it is safe to do so.How to Avoid Gas Station RobberiesThere are a few precautions that gas station employees can take to decrease the chance of robbery.The first would be to implement a policy that limits the amount of money that is kept in the registers. Since gas stations conduct a lot of cash transactions throughout a work day, they usually have a significant amount of cash on hand at any given time. Many gas stations require their employees to make a cash deposit whenever their cash on hand reaches a certain threshold. Sometimes this can happen multiple times a day. Additionally, some stations have signs that indicate that the clerks do not have access to the stored money in the safe.
80% of store robberies are deterred when the amount of money kept in the registers is limited in some form or fashion.Another way to deter store robberies would be for the store employees to see all parts of the store at all times. This safety precaution can be accomplished in several different manners. Many stations employ the use of surveillance cameras and mirrors. Bright lighting also helps employees have a better view of their surroundings. OSHA also recommends several steps to take to deter in-station emergencies. View their recommendations.
Examples of Gas Station Violence:. – October 8, 2018, two armed robbers hit two Medford, New York gas stations in just over a 48 hour period. One of the robbers pistol-whipped one of the clerks on the way out of the store.– November 21, 2018, Two men robbed a Circle K store at gunpoint in Cape Coral, Florida overnight and got away an undisclosed amount of cash. – In early December 2018, Wichita police investigated a string of armed robberies that occurred over the span of a single weekend. The Suspects were believed to be a group of teenagers.– January 03, 2019, In Edison, New Jersey, A gas station employee was fatally shot and killed during a robbery in New Jersey Thursday morning, even though he seemingly complied with the suspect’s demands. – January 6, 2019, In Richland County, South Carolina, One person was killed in a shooting at a Richland County gas station Sunday around 9:30 a.m.
At the Exxon gas station on the 9400 block of Wilson Boulevard.– On January 19, 2019, in Inkster, Michigan, a 34-year-old man was fatally shot after an argument with the suspect. The suspect fired several rounds, striking and killing the victim. – January 22, 2019, A gas station employee (Kayla Chapman) was shot and killed shortly after 4 a.m. Tuesday during a robbery at Holt’s Quik Chec in Kelso, Washington.– Sunday, January 6, 2019, a robbery happened at 9:58 a.m.
At the Shell on University Boulevard. Birmingham police said the two men entered the store and one of them brandished a semi-automatic pistol. They demanded money from the clerk and then ran across the street into the Southtown public housing community. No injuries were reported.– January 21, 2019, St. Have you ever had any of the following happen to you?. Scared at work or home?. Customer or client make you uncomfortable?. Need help fast.
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Kelly Armitage wrote:Ross7829 wrote:Security cameras definitely. There are some decently priced ones that are incredibly easy to set up and with a good picture. So when they shoot you in the face, it's all all recorded and they can catch the guy after the fact? Panic Buttons are usually intended to prevent being shot in the face.
That's my preference anyway.If they have the original intent to do that, a panic button won't stop them. A panic button only tells cops you need help, vs a camera can (possibly) provide enough footage to catch them. I'd rather bank on a camera. Pun intended. JeremyB wrote:Kelly Armitage wrote:Ross7829 wrote:Security cameras definitely. There are some decently priced ones that are incredibly easy to set up and with a good picture. So when they shoot you in the face, it's all all recorded and they can catch the guy after the fact?
Panic Buttons are usually intended to prevent being shot in the face. That's my preference anyway.If they have the original intent to do that, a panic button won't stop them.
A panic button only tells cops you need help, vs a camera can (possibly) provide enough footage to catch them. I'd rather bank on a camera. Pun intended.Have you not seen the video of criminals trying to escape after a panic button has been pressed? There's plenty. Some try and smash windows. I am envisioning a place like Money Mart or the like where you are separated from 'customers' and a panic button can lock everything down.
Contact an alarm monitoring/ security company.But some comments based on what others said. You don't won't to activate a panic alarm unless things have already gone south - you want them to LEAVE if possible, then lock down and call 9-1-1. Otherwise you are a hostage and that isn't pleasant. And you really don't want the cops arriving with the swat team and guns drawn unless absolutely necessary.
I was the CFO for a financial institution we had multiple panic buttons and processes for handling situations. You need a security company to provide proper training for handling tough situations to come out good. Also contact your local police department for suggestions. They usually have Public / Community relations officers that want to provide that kind of training for interfacing with businesses. I consulted for a check cashing chain. The alarm company is the way to go. I taught for a college and we had to have them in every class room.
They were easy to use and test. The only thing was they are also easy to press if you say hang them under a desk and a knee hits it. The models we had would also go off if we left the building.
This was basically in case we were being taken hostage or if we ran out in a hurry and didn't think to push the button. It would immediately set off the alarm and alert the police. The main thing is to train the people not to forget them when they leave if you do get the ones with proximity sensors. Also, the police response time is a key. We did feel safer when it set off the alarm and everyone knew to exit the building if one got pressed though.
Depending on your state or local laws, you will have to go through an alarm company. Where I am, you cannot have a recorded message contact 9-1-1. I would just do a little research on response times as there are now two different response times (One being the alarm company and the other being the actual time it takes for dispatch and arrival of first responders).As far as false alarms, we have the models where they do not work if you do not press both buttons (being on opposite sides to prevent knees and other things tripping them accidentally). Make sure that they are in a logical location where it is a natural action to press the buttons (i.e.
Not having to stretch awkwardly to reach).The last thing would be to train users. I understand paying for a false alarm would suck but having an incident where lives are at risk is much worse so I will tell my users not to be gun shy on pressing the buttons. Within reason, if it warrants the pressing of the button, press it. Safety first. While allot of people in this thread seem to like the idea of having an alarm/security company do the installation / monitoring / and liability of such a 'solution' I feel compelled to point out that not every business has such deep pockets. I know this is kind of out of the box. But I just set panic buttons up for one of our clients who is a debt collector using the ShoreTel Unified Communication system. The front office is required to have them according to company policy.
We set it up so that one of the programmable buttons on the phone can be pressed and it makes a call to 911 and plays a prerecorded message that the panic button had been depressed and that assistance was needed at their office address. Not sure if you can set something up like that with your phones, but might be worth looking into.