Page 20 - Security Today, October 2018

about telecommunications, audiovisual, mass notification or acousti- cal impact. The client has immediate access to highly credentialed and experienced skillsets, along with a balanced set of technicians.
“Another advantage of the integrated tech design that most peo- ple don’t think about is that by laying out the IT infrastructure and system designs, we’re able to coordinate better,” Smith said. “We can use the same Revit staff to design in the model for all systems, and as everyone knows, the more time you spend in the model, the more you know it, the more competent you become in the design and the more refined the model becomes.”
A case to point to would be Parkland Hospital in Dallas. Park- land Hospital is the future of healthcare. As the largest hospital con- struction project in the United States, this 2,800,000 square foot, 862- bed hospital houses the largest trauma center in the southern U.S., the second largest birthing center in the nation and the second largest civilian burn unit. This hospital is where doctors strive to work, and patients find innovative treatment.
TEECOM was involved in the planning for security, telecom, au- diovisual, network, wireless and VoIP for the brand-new building. The security design included access control and alarm monitoring systems; video surveillance; intercom and emergency phone systems; detention control; infant protection systems; security turnstiles; and system acceptance testing.
The community wanted a civic landmark that would serve for the next 50 years. Hospital staff wanted to be able to welcome, stay con- nected with, and respond quickly to patients at every point in their healthcare journey. Technology was key to both visions. Parkland’s technology approach is designed around the idea that technology can improve the quality of healthcare on a personal, social level through the use of multiple touchpoints from check-in through discharge. Pa- tients want to know that they are seen as individuals, and to have their needs recognized. To provide personal, accurate service, health- care providers must have patient information at their fingertips.
Some of the security features put in place at Parkland includes:
Every high-tech, high-touch VoIP telephone has a camera and a screen. When a nurse answers a patient’s call, the two can see and hear each other.
A digital energy-efficient PoE sign. This is located outside each inpatient room identifies the patient, doctor, and nurse, along with in- dividual care guides, such as when a patient is in isolation or can’t eat.
Newborns are identified and protected from abduction. Monitors are attached to their umbilical cords. Parkland has the distinction of delivering more infants under one roof than any other hospital in the nation, averaging 15,000 to 16,000 deliveries per year.
“There are all sorts of exciting ways to involve technology in a hospital that go beyond medical records,” Chantal Worzala, director of policy for the American Hospital Association, said. “The ultimate goal is having the highest-quality care. And as we learn how these technology systems can support that, hospitals will be adopting them across the board.”1
Transformation enabled by technology. Optimized workflow is a key ingredient to improving overall patient care at Parkland, and the integrated technology systems that TEECOM has designed will allow the hospital staff to work in ways previously unimaginable, yielding more efficient operations as well as increased patient outcomes.
TEECOM has reached into so many other verticals for their ser- vices it is hard to pinpoint where they excel; however, they do develop and have a strong relationship with a host of architects, and work directly with the end user. They also receive leads from security prod- uct manufacturers, when an end user calls for product information, the manufacturer will suggest TEECOM as the security consultant.
“We are very much agnostic to what products we suggest; we have no favorites,” Smith said. “We like to sit down with the owner of the project and review their requirements, and then get busy with our security assessment.”
As a consultant, TEECOM plays a vital role in the transportation sector, as well as education.
At the Oakland, CA, International Airport, Terminal 2, the proj- ect included the renovation and extension for a two-level 108,000 square foot concourse building, which serves seven domestic narrow- body aircraft and will be integrated into an International Concourse serving three wide-body aircraft under separate contract. The air- port’s Airport Development Program inputted numerous improve- ment plans, titled the Terminal Improvement Program, through- out the airport to meet the increasing passenger demand. Security included access control, video surveillance and gate infrastructure. The company also played a key role in the installation of telecom, to include the main telecommunication room, control room (for air- side control); airport IDFs, tenant wiring closets, structured cabling, FIDS and BIDS and infrastructure for wireless.
“When it comes to airport interiors, frequent changes are made due to changes in the airline tenants, food vendors or retail space,” Smith said. “Because of this, TEECOM included flexibility in our design of the ‘special systems’ so that Oakland International Airport can accommodate changes with minimal disruption to base-building technology systems.”
At the Port of Oakland Marine Terminals, the devastation of 9/11 played a huge role in upgrading security features and solutions.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the Port of Oakland Maritime Termi- nals received the first federal government grant in the country to im- plement security enhancements at the Port’s marine terminal facility. TEECOM was hired to provide security systems engineering for 11 terminals, including a CCTV monitoring system, an access control and alarm monitoring system, an intercom system, turnstiles and gates, an intrusion detection system, electrical requirements (power and conduit), and fiber cabling requirements.
All of the designs were engineered to meet TSA, GSA, and Coast Guard regulations, including USCG requirements for marine ter- minals and smart card system standards (GSC-IS version 2.1), and fulfill approved U.S. government grant proposal requirements for the
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