Making the Most of Your Security, Safety and Emergency Response Systems

Now more than ever, disparate technologies interoperate so that hospital, school and university protection professionals and administrators can more easily manage the data coming in from those systems and develop improved situational awareness during an emergency. It can also help campuses manage the many forms of mass notification used by the institution when a crisis occurs.

Situational awareness includes integrating disparate warning systems, such as access control, mobile duress alarms and video surveillance, and ensuring detailed alerts go to the right communication channels to facilitate the appropriate response.

When an emergency button is pressed at a campus call box, for example, cameras placed on or near it can activate and let responding personnel see the person making the call, as well as the situation requiring a response. Cameras can now be triggered to record when an unauthorized individual attempts to use an access card to enter an administrative office that houses valuable equipment and records. Emergency notification solutions such as SMS texting, E-mail, digital displays, computer pop-ups and more can now be integrated so that users can activate these systems via one user interface.

The following articles describe some of the ways campuses can take advantage of recent technology breakthroughs in integration and emergency response.

Combining interoperability with your efforts to develop community partnerships to foster buy-in from stakeholders will ensure your campus is on track to not only adopt the latest security and public safety equipment, but ensure you are getting the most out of your technology investments.