Gwinnett County Public Schools Purchase 544 ThunderPower 1200 Megaphones

When the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) needed top-of-the-line emergency equipment that ensured vital communications could be delivered reliably, and with plenty of volume and clarity to thousands of students, loud, they turned to ThunderPower Megaphones.

Considered one of the largest school districts in the State of Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Schools has 182,000 students, 136 different campuses, and multiple off-campus buildings like warehouses, administration offices, and a large sports complex. If there was ever a time when a massive evacuation was necessary or a large district-wide gathering was held, the only way to communicate with that many people would be by using heavy-duty megaphones like the Thunderpower 1200 is the only way to ensure everyone could hear vital instructions.

We purchased enough megaphones to distribute two for every school campus throughout the whole district. They’re outstanding for crowd control or moving people from point A to point B.

Brian Hudson, Emergency Coordinator for Gwinnett County Public Schools

As head of the Gwinnett County Public Schools safety coordination, Brian Hudson was put in charge of making sure each campus had the necessary equipment to ensure each student could hear instructions while in the middle a large crowd.

“We’re just a massive organization, so to make sure every school had the equal opportunity to have the right equipment to be heard, we purchased ThunderPower megaphones. We purchased enough megaphones to distribute two or three for every school campus throughout the whole district. They’re outstanding for crowd control or moving people from point A to point B,” said Brian.

As a 10-year veteran military policeman with the United States Army, including supervising the security for a chemical weapons demilitarization plant, and several years as a narcotics and explosive detection canine handler, Brian knows a thing or two about keeping people safe in large environments. He also has a Master’s Degree in public policy and is certified by the State of Georgia for Emergency Planning.

“The megaphones are really an important part of overall coordination and contingency planning. For example, once students have to evacuate a building for whatever reason, like a fire, how are you going to communicate with that mass of people?` Some of our high schools have about 4,000 students, and our elementary schools have an average of 600 students. Think about it. How can you address that many students in an environment like a large stadium? How do you communicate with that many people to get them to listen to you and to get them to do what you want? It’s just not possible without a really loud megaphone like the ThunderPower 1200,” explained Brian.

Why Are ThunderPower Megaphones Chosen By School Districts?

The ThunderPower Megaphone is considered one of the most powerful and well-made bullhorns anywhere and is especially popular for schools like the Gwinnett County Public Schools. Because ThunderPower bullhorns come in a variety of sizes and power options, they can be used at every playing field configuration, pool, classroom, stadium or administrative meeting location. But what really makes ThunderPower megaphones so popular is that they are all constructed from industrial grade materials and designed for maximum comfort and ergonomic appeal. The hardware, attached parts, and the lightweight chassis allow the ThunderPower megaphone to pack plenty of power in a lightweight, easy-to-handle design. Most ThunderPower megaphones come with a combination of standard talk speaker mode and a built-in siren and whistle component for maximum attention getting ability.

ThunderPower Megaphones During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although all campuses in the GCPS are closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gwinnett County Board of Education is creating multiple contingency plans for getting its kids back into school in August. Part of that planning involved using ThunderPower megaphones.

According to Brian, students are currently learning remotely, but he has been part of creating four different contingency plans for bringing students back. The contingency plans also incorporated the Gwinnett County Department of Health, the federal government, State of Georgia, the Gwinnett Department of Education, the superintendent of schools, and the board of education.

“As part of the contingency guidance plans, each school needed to include megaphones as part of their safety equipment inventory. So, we wanted to get fully stocked to validate that each school had the necessary equipment for a complete safety preparation, and again megaphones were very important for that,” said Brian.