Page 58 - Security Today, November 2017

monitoring stations are third-party services dedicated to the monitoring of alarm systems. When a K-12 duress alarm is received by a central monitoring station, the police are immediately notified and dispatched within a matter of seconds. This type of alarm is as reliable and immediate as a fire alarm, elimi- nating as much of the potential for human error as possible.
At the same time that the police are noti- fied, the school resource officer or security office will also receive the alarm. Internal security resources will respond according to the district’s standard response protocol, usu- ally by initiating any actions that are not auto- mated, such as a preprogrammed public address announcement that informs faculty and staff of the emergency. In many cases, this also means strobe lights or some other alert of the emergency situation. Once notified, fac- ulty and staff respond according to the stan- dard response protocol.
Lockout and/or Lockdown:
Upon notification, the faculty and staff ini- tiate a lockdown or lockout per the standard response protocol. During a lockout, all stu- dents are brought inside the school and all exterior doors are locked; during a lockdown, students are brought into the classroom and situated away from the doors and windows, and then the doors are locked and the lights turned out. Usually lockdowns and lockouts are initiated by school staff or the school resource officer because lockdown and lock- out procedures target different kinds of threats. A lockout is triggered by a threat per- ceived outside of the school; a lockdown by a threat inside the school.
Secondary Notification:
During secondary notification, texts, emails, and even voice calls are made to a command group designated by the school. This group can include the principal, admin- istrators, and even teachers. In some cases, texts and emails can include a map of the school along with the location where the alarm was activated and lockout or lockdown instructions. This can even be a two-way mes- sage, so that teachers can text back with status updates. In the case of those systems where this is not automated, the notification will be provided by school staff, the security office, or the school resource officer.
At the same time as notification is made to the command group, texts and emails can also be sent to the responding police officers, including a map of the school and notification of the location of the alarm, as well as a link to video feeds for the school. If it is a two-way message, the police can provide instructions
and status updates to staff on the inside.
Threat Resolution:
Once the threat is resolved, either inter- nally or by the police, the system will be reset. At this point the standard response protocol should be examined against actions taken to ensure compliance, as well as to seek improve- ment of the process.
THE OUTCOME
The 1958 fire at Chicago’s Our Lady of the Angels school provided a wakeup call to the nation. The resulting procedures and improve- ments to alarm infrastructure have saved countless lives since. Nobody questions this.
In the same way, we have an opportunity to address a new threat to public safety: School violence. Though school shootings are the most visible manifestation of school violence, it can arise from a nearly infinite number of causes, and come from almost any member of the community who comes in contact with
the school. Wireless K-12 alarm duress sys- tems have been designed exactly for this type of complex public safety crisis.
The unfortunate fact is that teachers and staff members are usually the first responders, and in all too many cases they are the only responders. Teachers and staff must have the training and tools necessary to keep them- selves and their students safe.
As the improvements of fire alarm systems after Our Lady of the Angels school fire gave teachers and staff a way to immediately notify the fire department in the event of a fire, wire- less K-12 alarm duress systems give them a way to immediately notify law enforcement in the event of violence. Both
are necessary to provide a
way to summon help
when it is needed.
Michael Um is the senior product manager at Inovonics.
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