Schools and public buildings are bringing in lock-down procedures and systems. Chris Edwards, pictured, of th audio-visual produt distributors CIE offers guidance to security people on how to work with organisations looking to embrace lock-down.
Recently there has been an increasing threat of firearms, weapons and terrorist attacks on schools and other places where people would usually feel safe. This has led to an increased need for efficient procedures to protect everyone in a building and reduce the risk of danger. Unfortunately, this has now become an important consideration in the UK. Schools are especially vulnerable, and we are seeing many begin to take measures to protect themselves by integrating both lock-down procedures and custom-designed lock-down systems tailored to suit their requirements and risk levels.
There are several main aims in having a school lock-down procedure. The main one, for obvious reasons is to remove students and staff away from a threat, and to keep the threat isolated from as much of the school as possible. Alongside this it is also important to be able to accurately record which students are in each room, and quickly be able to identify anybody who is missing or unaccounted for. Following that, it is important that an efficient evacuation procedure, should it be required, is also in place.
Procedure or system?
Understanding the distinction between a lock-down procedure and a lock-down system – and how the two should be combined – is key to providing the most effective and cohesive overall solution for a customer. Whereas a lock-down procedure focuses on establishing a defined series of actions, a lock-down system can employ a wide variety of resources and technologies to greatly improve the communication and access control measures in place. The fundamental components of a lock-down system can be categorised into two main groups -communication and access control:
•A communication system is designed to provide the most effective, clear information to staff, students, visitors for example, both at the instigation and throughout a lock-down procedure.
•An access control system is intended to provide the most secure environment for staff, students & visitors and to inhibit the access/egress of any attackers.
When designing a lock-down system or procedure for a customer it is important to remember that ‘one size does not fit all’ and every project is unique. It is always recommended to carry out a detailed site survey of an organisation and evaluate existing communication or security systems and other resources already in place, to identify if they can be used as part of a new system. Solutions should always be scalable, based on size of school, individual lock-down procedure, risk factors and budget and will draw from the full range of technologies available to achieve the most effective and cohesive solution to meet the project requirements.
Practice
The University of Notre Dame London Global Gateway is an international satellite hub of this American higher education institution. Based in the City of Westminster, the Notre Dame London Global Gateway provides an academic hub for American scholars and students to extend their intellectual and cultural experience in the UK’s capital. The London Global Gateway academic centre (based in the Grade 2 listed Fischer Hall building in Trafalgar Square) provides activities for visiting students and intellectuals including undergraduate classes, faculty seminars, conferences and debates.
System
When the University considered the need for an evacuation and security warning public address system, they called upon the services of integration experts Midland Communications to suggest a site-wide audio solution which could quickly and easily be implemented throughout the Central-London based building without affecting the integrity of the Grade 2 listed building. The University’s Senior Facilities Manager, Stephen Witnall says: “Being a Grade 2 listed building does present quite a few challenges, particularly when you want to put wiring through the building. We were looking for a system that didn’t need hard-wiring, could provide pre-recorded messages and could lend itself to the building and its furnishings.”
Solution
Working with audio system product company CIE AV Solutions, installers Midland Communications undertook a detailed site survey of the university. Martyn Phillips, sales director for Midland Communications concluded from the survey that available Ethernet cable infrastructure could offer the best solution; “We could see that the building had available Cat3 infrastructure; Kevin [Sherwood of CIE] and myself knew straight away that 2N NetSpeaker would be the ideal product to put in.”
Kevin Sherwood, CIE Sales Director, adds: “The 2N product is a conventional loudspeaker … in the back of which is an embedded board which receives the audio signal from the network, re-amplifies it and broadcasts the signal through each IP-addressable loudspeaker.”
The final specified system employed over 40 NetSpeaker Audio-over-IP vandal-proof speakers which were installed throughout the building by connecting each audio end-point to an available Ethernet port in each room – transmitting both audio signal and power-over-cable via the building’s Cat3 cabling. The system is controlled from a central point in the university’s reception area using the 2N NetMic – an IP-addressable desk paging microphone which allows for zone control of both live and pre-recorded messages and broadcasts to the AoIP NetSpeakers. Notre Dame’s Stephen Witnall adds: “We’ve been able to zone the speakers so that we can either broadcast to every single speaker in the building or to a defined number of devices or zones…”- and ideal solution for efficient and effective communication in a lockdown situation.
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