Not very long ago, the word “lockdown” only referred to an emergency protocol to restrict movement in a prison. Today, however, this term commonly describes measures taken under certain threat conditions in educational and other campus environments. Lockdowns, along with building evacuation and sheltering procedures, are integral parts of a school and university emergency plan that can save lives. These best practices are the foundations that enable effective, efficient and collaborative incident management by campus staff and first responders. 

One aspect of lockdowns that is often overlooked, however, is the management of keys during emergencies. It’s not enough for teachers, faculty, staff and administrators to lock their doors and prevent the access of an intruder. A campus must also consider questions like, “When an incident occurs, how will first responders be able to quickly access our facilities?” and, “How can we guarantee that only authorized individuals will be able to open classroom and office doors after teachers, faculty and staff have locked and barricaded them?”

Specialized technologies such as key control and management systems can address these challenges and are additional resources that can further facilitate incident management.

Key Management Helps Police, Fire, EMS Save Lives

Most key control and management systems store and safeguard mechanical and access card keys for a facility in a locked cabinet. Access to keys is granted only to pre-authorized personnel presenting viable identification, such as an approved user code, an access identification card or a pre-registered biometric finger- or hand-print.

For example, badges can be pre-configured and distributed to designated first responders. That way, in the event of an incident, when they reach the scene they simply scan the badge into the system and the critical emergency keys will be released. This enables first responders to quickly and easily open locked classroom doors, closets and other spaces where students and teachers might be hiding from a gunman – or where a criminal may be hiding.

The system tracks all access activity so campus administration or facility management know who removed a key and when, and if or when the key was returned. 

Key control takes on even more relevance in emergency planning and preparedness on college and university campuses. Institutions of higher education often cover large geographic areas; students, staff and faculty  change from semester to semester; and hospitals, research facilities, dormitories and food service areas are additional areas of academic facilities that must be protected. All have keys that need to be cataloged, stored and tracked. In these particular situations, a key control and management system can help address the challenges related to a campus emergency and help facilitate the needs of first responders.

Without adequate measures in place for securely storing keys and accurately tracking their use, keys to sensitive areas, private offices and restricted sites can be misplaced, resulting in serious breaches of security. Additionally, valuable time could be wasted when emergency situations arise. A key control system maintains strict accountability for keys and limits both key duplication and distribution.

Actionable, Timely Information Elevates Response

College and university campuses are never entirely closed and people are coming and going all the time. Buildings are often open 24 hours a day or, if locked, accessible with ID badges. Entrance to labs, IT departments and other restricted areas is usually by physical keys or access control cards. In all, key control is a strategic and integral element within the school’s security platform. Actionable, timely information is critical to its functioning.

Scheduled E-mail reports of what keys are in or out and who has or had them keeps campus police and security management informed and up-to-date. If an incident occurs, management can query the system for specific details such as listing all transactions between certain times. When conducting a follow up investigation, public safety personnel or administrators can request a report for the hour preceding the incident. Another approach that can be taken immediately following an incident is to generate a report showing which keys are back in the system and which keys are still outstanding and who last accessed them. Together with the audit data from an access control system, a key control system’s reports provide a strong evidence trail.

When time is of the essence, the up-to-date and reliable information provided by a key control system can be accessed quickly, allowing personnel to proceed with established procedures regarding secure areas or valuable assets. For example, if campus vehicles must be moved out of an area because of potential flooding or fire, doing so promptly and efficiently can depend on how quickly each of the vehicle keys can be located. Immediate confirmation of where the keys are or identifying who has possession of them can make the difference in saving or losing school assets.

Key control systems designed with touch screens also provide the user with a convenient interface for querying key activity. If the security officer notices the lights are on in an office when they shouldn’t be or hears what sounds like a gun shot in a building, the key control system can provide important and immediate information. With just a few touches to the screen, the guard can easily determine which keys are out, who took them and when. This information can prove vital in determining a response to the immediate situation.

Pertinent information regarding access to a restricted area such as a bio-hazard area may also be required. The notes function of a key control system can provide information such as “respirator needed for entrance,” or a key control system can be programmed to provide random, one-time codes that must be entered when using the key.

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