Page 21 - Campus Security & Life Safety, November/December 2022

Once all students are out of the building,
true emergency occurs. An effective strategy
the ECS and that they know how to use all is to fully participate in your campus fire,
elements of it during an emergency. Make public address messages via IP speakers can
lockdown, tornado, and earthquake drills.
sure that your speakers and intercoms are provide updates.
How and where on a campus can audio be
One idea is to first test the ECS with a
working, and most importantly, that the mes- used as part of an ECS?
small portion of your audience that is repre-
sage is clear, concise, and can be understood. • In a campus classroom or lecture hall, inter-
sentative of your total audience (such as dif-
Another factor to consider is the ability of ferent departments, campus buildings, or
coms can be used for room-to-room com-
your ECS to effectively handle the high vol- munication. While a class is in session, inter-
students in different areas) that will allow
ume of traffic that an emergency situation coms can help teachers to communicate
you to see the system in action on a realistic
generates. You will want to know not just level. In addition, your security team may
with staff in another room or area.
how the message is sent, but also if everyone
• In campus buildings, intercoms and speakers
want to let the small group know in advance
in every area of your campus has clearly can provide critical information to professors
that it’s a test and not a real situation. This
heard and understood the message.
may allow the test group to provide realistic
and students during emergency situations.
It's also important to work with a provider
• Throughout the campus grounds and in
feedback of what happened so that you can
that offers extensive customer support and sports stadiums and entertainment halls,
correct any notifications or settings. Once
regular training. That manufacturer will the small group test is clean, expand the
speakers and horns can notify everyone
help you maintain the system in working group to your entire campus population.
order and can help employees gain more with general or emergency messages.
Some of the elements that you should test
familiarity with how to correctly use it.
• Along the campus perimeter, speakers
allow staff to trigger warning messages or
include:
When it comes to an emergency commu- • Ensuring that the audio is clearly heard and
nications system, there are two important issue live instructions if needed. Integrated
understood.
elements. First is that it should always with a VMS, cameras and speakers can be
positioned together and allow staff to inter-
• Making sure retries are working and the
include high-quality audio that delivers clear right intervals are used between notifica-
messages every time that can be understood vene while staying at a safe distance.
tions.
in any environment. The second is that it
• Intercoms placed in high-visibility enclo-
sures throughout a campus provide a known
• Ensuring language-specific messages are
should be tested on a consistent basis to being sent, if applicable.
ensure that it’s always working correctly. location for someone to receive assistance.
• Ensuring that different messages were
Overall, practice always makes perfect with Practice Makes Perfect
received and clearly heard and understood
an emergency communications system. Once audio is incorporated into your ECS,
within different zones, if you have it set up
it’s important that the system be tested to dis-
in that manner.
Paul Rux is the Director of Sales, Mexico and cover any potential vulnerabilities before a
You also want to confirm who has access to
South-Central Region USA, at Zenitel.
Titikul_B/Shutterstock.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 | campuslifesecurity.com 21