Page 22 - Security Today, September/October 2022

An Emergency Voice Will your message be heard during an emergency?
By Bruce Czerwinski
In early July, residents living in a South London tower block “found out through WhatsApp” about a fire rag- ing above them because they allegedly didn’t hear any alarms. A fire broke out at the building shortly after midday on a Sunday afternoon, and according to a news report, residents said alarms did not go off inside the building.
One resident said, “I can’t believe we had to message each other on WhatsApp groups and knock on each other’s doors just to tell each other that there was a huge fire in our own building.” Another resident who lives on the 20th floor of the 21-story building said, “I did not hear an alarm. I think there was a fire alarm on the ground floor, but I could not hear it clearly on the 20th.”
Luckily, no one was seriously injured. However, the incident has shed light on the building’s fire and emergency commu- nications system.
COMMUNICATING
IN AN EMERGENCY
You easily could have a situation where a small- or large-group of people need to leave a building, facility or area, or need evacuation because of a security or safety threat. Regularly, situations such as fire,
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weather, a bomb threat, an active shooter or other situations may require security teams to execute their emergency plans and communicate instructions.
What needs to be “usual,” and what needs to happen during an emergency is clear communication.
Most security operations employ emer- gency communications that include alerts and warnings; directives about evacuation, curfews, and other self-protective actions; and information about response status, fam- ily members, available assistance and other matters that concern response and recovery. Those emergency communications can help ensure public safety, protect property, facili- tate response, elicit cooperation, instill pub- lic confidence and help people to reunite.
The extent to which people respond to a warning message is influenced by many factors, including individual characteris- tics and perceptions, whether the message comes from a credible source, how the message is delivered, if the message con- tains specific and adequate information, if it is in sync with other information being disseminated, and if it is accessible to the whole community.
People will also respond to an emergen- cy message that is clear and understood.
That is where audio solutions such as intercoms and IP speakers that com- municate clearly can play a critical role in emergency communications. HD voice solutions can convey important messages that a video surveillance camera, or 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, as many security situations can be, security teams can quickly alter the mes- sage. They can even use individual zoning to customize messages to specific areas, as the situation unfolds. Once the building is evacuated, public address messages via IP speakers can keep everyone informed about how long they might need to stay out of the building, when they can go back inside, or whether they should go to another area.
CRYSTAL-CLEAR AUDIO
What does clear, intelligible, high-quality audio in emergency communications mean? Do your current emergency com- munications messages provide clear, intel- ligible audio? We suggest that you measure it by using an Intelligibility Scorecard that we have found used by the most knowl- edgeable thought leaders in audio. Try using it to help you evaluate your critical communication solutions.
When looking at how your intercom or IP speaker solution performs (or does not), make sure that the solution employs: • A 10W Class D Amplifier, powered over
PoE, so that speaker is capable of deliv-
ering more than 116dB.
• Acoustic Echo Cancellation, which pre-
vents feedback and enables clear and hands-free communication, even at high volumes (95dB).
• Automatic Gain Control: A voice that is too loud or too weak (too close or too far) will be leveled out to an undistorted and clear signal.
• Anechoic Speaker Design: Prevent dis- tortion from “standing waves,” which is the combination of two waves that are moving in opposite directions. Standing waves form when a wave bounces back
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EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS