Campus Security: How to Raise Situational Awareness Through Mass Notification
Systems integrators who implement centralized monitoring, mass notification and reporting for end-to-end emergency response management can raise the overall security of any campus client.
Who’s the ‘Mass’ in Mass Notification?
Mass notification is a key application of situational awareness, ensuring that information about a triggering event is delivered to those most likely to be affected, as well as both on- and off-site responders. It’s possible to set up alerts for different types of emergencies: for instance, one signals a fire so occupants know to evacuate immediately, while another indicates a tornado, which means head to shelter in place. In addition to automatically activating sirens and strobe lights, these alerts also can be programmed to send out instructions to the appropriate groups via multiple communication channels – phone calls, texts, E-mails, PA announcements, etc. This also provides redundancy, which is crucial to life safety.
Mass notification also can be campaign-triggered, tailored to a specific group and via particular communication paths – for example, sending automated alerts to facilities management versus campus police, via text and voice. Indeed the telephone is still relevant and effective, especially for organizations that need to contact a large number of constituents. Mass dialing to landlines and mobile phones gives an organization the ability to make large volumes of automated calls. For example, a school district can use this to announce inclement weather warnings, school closings, bus delays, etc.
Of course, for all of this to work correctly the client must define who comprises the “mass” in mass notification, the appropriate layers of redundancy and the multiple forms of alerting. Once the protocols and escalation paths have been identified, alerting is automatic. But clients have the ability to send alerts on demand if unplanned events or changes occur, in addition to making updated announcements as an unfolding situation changes.
It doesn’t matter what a campus client wants to know or how they want to know. It just matters that they want to know, and security providers can ensure that they do with end-to-end situational awareness for centralized monitoring, alerting and reporting. Continuing advancements to the technology platform for integrated alarm management and automated notifications include mobile dashboards for one-touch alerting, response and escalation via smartphones, universal alerting apps and video paging, analytics and recognition.
First Steps to Awareness
Duress alerting is the first step a school should take when implementing situational awareness. Every bank in America is equipped with panic buttons, but not every school is. Fortunately, it’s easy and cost-effective to deploy both fixed and mobile duress systems, enabling help to be summoned quickly.
Wide-area mobile duress uses cellular-based help buttons with GPS tracking. Think about the applications for school bus drivers, teachers on field trips or in experiential learning environments, and any employee who needs to be mobile and remote on the job. When a user activates the button, alerts automatically go to specified contacts. Automatic hands-free, two-way talk lets a hurt/incapacitated user talk to predefined emergency contact/responder(s). Responders also can tell the user that help is en route and/or provide further instructions.
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More good news here: The same smart networks, devices and software that power fixed and mobile duress also make it possible to integrate every existing life safety, security and environmental system by simply adding new sensors within a single school or multifacility campus. Random alarms from disparate systems then can be converted into detailed alerts for delivery to the right people on the right devices. Access control systems, fire panels, water sensors and cigarette busters in restrooms, temperature monitors in cafeteria and medical-grade refrigerators, motion detectors at eye-wash stations in science and medical labs — each standalone system can be integrated with a single situational awareness and response engine.
Campuses Need to Get Smarter
Numerous life safety, security and environmental monitoring systems are at work in and around any campus. But they usually operate independent of one another, in silos, with no monitoring so they only provide local alerting in the form of buzzers, lamps or annunciation panels. A fire alarm goes off when smoke is detected, but it doesn’t tell occupants where the fire is or where the nearest exits are located. With a universal alerting engine, triggering events like a fire alarm can be harnessed to drive awareness transactions (alerts) with specifics about an unfolding situation and how to address or avoid it.
With a consultative, discovery-based approach, determine what else they need. For instance, video can be a game-changer for both awareness and analytics, including facial recognition. It’s easier and more cost-effective than ever to create a safety and security bubble over a single school, a wide-area campus or an entire district. It’s important to help schools get smarter and learn to control their entire universe of alarms and communication devices, unifying and expanding the ROI of all of the technology that can improve protections for people and property.
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Bio: Mike MacLeod is president of Status Solutions.
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