Flash offers reliable alarm system for animal protection employees

Since last summer, the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals has been using the Motorola MOTOTRBO R7 for business-critical communication at all shelters in the Netherlands. There was a need for a uniform communication system in which employees can immediately raise the alarm with their colleagues in the event of an incident.

The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals stands for the protection of animals in the Netherlands, in the broadest sense of the word, they recognize their value and represent their interests. Linda de Lange is Facility Management Advisor at The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals and her team is responsible for the management of 40 locations in the Netherlands. This includes animal ambulances, office locations and 17 shelters.

De Lange: “The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals has a dream that one day we will live in a world in which the interests of animals are self-evident in the thinking and actions of people. Every year, tens of thousands of dogs and cats lose their homes because they get lost, are dumped or because circumstances mean that they can no longer be cared for. All these animals are lovingly cared for in one of our shelters.”

Need for a reliable alarm system

De Lange: “At the beginning of 2022, we started working on the walkie-talkies project. The Animal rescue team, which includes the shelters in the Netherlands, urgently requested the use of a reliable alarm signalling system. Employees of the 17 shelters have to deal with aggressive dogs, customers or external threats on a daily basis. There was no national solution for this yet. The safety of our employees is a priority; A walkie-talkie with alarm button was the solution. Moreover, reception locations also use walkie-talkie traffic for operational communication between colleagues.”

Uniform and professional communication

Some shelters previously had simple walkie-talkies in use, but most did not yet use a system. In the event of incidents, it depended on colleagues who were nearby whether help was available on time. No safe feeling. De Lange: “The Dierenhulp team needed a uniform communication system and had already done various tests with available systems. They preferred Motorola walkie-talkies because of the light weight, robust housing, good intelligibility and easy operation. We started working with their findings and ended up with Flash as a partner. Flash recommended us the Motorola R7, a new model in 2022, which is reliable and stable and allows us to move forward for years.”

Motorola R7

The R7 Series has improved intelligibility: more volume due to a modified speaker design, rounding suppression by improved software and noise reduction.  In addition, this series offers increased safety, accessibility and connectivity through improved reception sensitivity, silent alarms by vibration function, emergency button and lone worker on all types. A good choice for a reliable and secure communication system.

Smooth implementation

De Lange is satisfied with the collaboration with Flash. De Lange: “The experts at Flash give sound advice and have thought along with us about how we could set up our installation as optimally as possible. In the summer of 2022, the project was rolled out with 290 new walkie-talkies. Flash organized the installation of antennas on the roof at each reception location and made the network ready for use. They arranged everything directly with the coordinators, I didn’t have to worry about that. Each reception location now has its own secure network in which colleagues can communicate with each other. And thanks to a repeater (amplifier), the colleagues with walkie-talkies are also still connected to each other in a small radius around the reception location.”

Proven value of the alarm button

All coordinators had an online kick-off meeting, in which the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals explained its policy. They were then given an explanation about Flash Forward, the online knowledge platform that contains knowledge, user training and manuals. De Lange: “Employees have a carrying obligation for the walkie-talkies to be able to guarantee their safety. Making a change is always difficult at first, but when asked, colleagues at the reception locations now experience a lot of benefit from using it. The communication via the walkie-talkies is easy to understand and the range is excellent. There have already been a number of situations in which the added value of the alarm button has been proven. When someone presses the emergency button, an alarm automatically goes off on all walkie-talkies and the voice key is opened for 15 seconds. This allows the affected employee to inform others without having to press the button. This reduces the risks and help is needed more quickly. But of course the walkie-talkies are also used for daily communication with each other. This way, employees can get to work with a conscious feeling of safety.”

Sustainable cooperation partner

De Lange continues: “By setting up the use of this walkie-talkie network nationwide and thus guaranteeing the safety of employees, we have really made a professionalization step. We can recommend the services of Flash. In fact, Flash has also recently provided the team of animal ambulances in the Netherlands with a modern walkie-talkie network. We are in regular contact with Flash to see if there are any developments or improvements that can be made. For the coming years we have a rental contract for the use of the walkie-talkies including a full service contract, with Flash available 24/7. We can make use of the available knowledge and experience at Flash. They offer guaranteed communication and safety for our employees. At the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals, we opt for sustainable cooperation partners who unburden us and we have found them in Flash.”