Page 20 - Campus Security & Life Safety, November/December 2022

Emergency Communication
"Employees may know what to do in an emergency situation because you have trained and re-trained them, but they still could become confused or taken by surprise. Your vendors and visitors won’t likely know what to do or where to go, as they have not been part of that training."
On January 13, 2018, in Hawaii, at 8:07 a.m., a ballistic missile alert was acci- dentally issued via Hawaii’s Emergen- cy Alert System and Wireless Emer- gency Alert System over television, radio, and cellphones. According to a news report, the alert stated that there was a ballis- tic missile threat inbound to Hawaii and advised residents to seek shelter immediately, with the message: “This is not a drill.”
Thirty-eight minutes later, a second alert was sent that read: “There is no missile threat or danger to the State of Hawaii. Repeat. False Alarm.”
State officials blamed a miscommunica- tion during a drill at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency for the first message.
That type of miscommunication and mis- take is the reason why every emergency communications system (ECS) should be tested and reviewed to ensure that the right messages are getting out at the right time.
Elements of an
Emergency Communications System Facility emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere. Whether it’s a natural disaster or workplace violence, the threats are real. Secu- rity teams are always preparing to mitigate all types of emergencies, and the foundation of every emergency plan is an ECS.
As security professionals, you know that an emergency requires a clear chain of com- mand and specific procedures to follow. Employees may know what to do in an emer- gency situation because you have trained and re-trained them, but they still could become confused or taken by surprise. Your vendors
By Paul Rux
Why Practice Makes Perfect with your Emergency Communications System
20 campuslifesecurity.com | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
and visitors won’t likely know what to do or where to go, as they have not been part of that training. And once the emergency is over and the all-clear is given, that also needs to be communicated in the most efficient manner possible. Overall, throughout any emergency, your security team needs to con- vey important messages. Will those messages be communicated, clearly heard, and under- stood?
That’s where an ECS plays a critical role. An ECS is a means to provide alerts to your campus population as quickly as possible, whether it’s a small K–12 school or a college campus with multiple buildings in multiple areas. The ECS should notify everyone, no matter where they are on campus, regarding: • What is happening, such as an active shoot-
er event or a visitor who is a danger to stu-
dents and staff.
• What to do, where to go, and when to go.
• When it is safe to return to the building
(This last communication is often over- looked, especially if tensions are high and there is confusion).
Overall, an emergency communications system is a critical tool for a security team to reach all students, employees, vendors, and visitors, whether they are on campus or in the immediately surrounding areas. It should be able to provide critical information and notifications loudly and clearly, even accom- modating background noise.
For example, according to a news report, in the active shooter event at a St. Louis school a few short weeks ago, the school intercom announced, “Miles Davis is in the building.” That was the school’s code for an intruder,
and students and teachers knew to take ref- uge. In that instance, according to the report, the ECS worked, and it helped to save lives.
The Importance of Audio
Many of today’s emergency communications systems allow the sending of alerts via text messaging or email when an emergency occurs. Other systems make it possible for an access control system to lock down a door based on what’s seen on a video surveillance camera. Those solutions are viable; however, any effective ECS will incorporate audio as the main element.
Why? Because voice and audio are some- thing that humans instinctively respond to and have since birth. Imagine a visitor walk- ing into a building and they see someone wav- ing at them. They can’t hear them, so they simply think that person is waving hello. But if they speak, and they can be heard, that visi- tor can hear their words: “Stop! Don’t go in there. It’s dangerous. Turn around and leave.” It’s easy to get all the details of a situation when audio and sound are present.
Audio solutions such as intercoms and IP speakers that communicate clearly play a critical role in any ECS. HD voice solutions can convey important messages that a video surveillance camera, VMS, or access control solution cannot.
High-quality audio, via operational public address solutions, can keep everyone informed during an emergency with live or pre-recorded messages. If the situation is fluid, security teams can quickly alter the message. They can even use individual zon- ing to customize messages to specific areas.