Page 17 - Security Today, May/June 2023

Photos © Concern Housing nate vaping or a housing complex looking to protect residences, one common theme applies – eliminating the safety threat. The only way to accomplish this is with a multi-purpose security solution that can be used in areas not covered by traditional surveillance cameras. This includes certain areas like bathrooms, etc. where cameras are not allowed due to privacy concerns. Over the years, too many emergency sit- uations have occurred in schools and other facilities throughout the country due to not being able to monitor these privacy areas, creating the need for true security solutions. During an emergency, response time is criti- cal and having alerts sent immediately to designated security staff and personnel can make the difference between life and death in certain situations. IA School District Creates Healthy Lesson Plan North Scott Community School District (NSCSD) located in rural Eldridge, IA, is no exception to its own set of challenges. The school district is made up of 5 ele- mentary schools, 1 junior high, and 1 high school. A vaping crisis was going on at the junior high and high school simultaneous- ly and the school administrators needed a way to stop it quickly. The HALO IoT Smart Sensor was the answer which offered way more than vape detection and included, an indoor health index, emergency escape and alert light- ing, motion detection, gunshot detection and keyword alerting. The mission of the NSCSD is to pro- duce graduates with the capacity to be successful in a changing world, by incor- porating abundant resources and offering a broad-based curriculum in a respectful, safe environment. Making their mission a reality means safety come first, requiring the school to find the right security solution that could effectively monitor privacy areas such as bathrooms and locker rooms. With 1,065 students enrolled in high school and 500 + enrolled in junior high; the situation was starting to get out of control. “The HALO detection system is serv- ing its purpose as a deterrent to our stu- dents to discourage vaping,” said Aaron Schwartz, associate principal at North Scott High School. “Prior to their instal- lation we had more than 20 EMS calls for students that we believed were suffering from the effects of vaping. Since the de- vices have been in place, we haven’t had to make any calls.” Twenty-eight HALO devices installed with 16 sensors were installed in the high school bathrooms and locker rooms, and 12 installed in the junior high. In addition to vaping, it also helped disrupt fights that broke out between students, creating a saf- er overall environment for students. HALO Helps Large Non- Profit Housing Agency Keep Residents Safe Back on the east coast, Concern for Inde- pendent Living, Inc. (dba Concern Hous- ing) located in New York, was dealing with different issues. Concern Housing is a non-profit agency committed to helping individuals and families live in the com- munity with dignity and enhanced oppor- tunities through the provision of housing and support services. The agency offers a variety of housing options with individualized support servic- es designed to support personal growth and independence. It is known as one of the largest housing agencies of its kind in New York State and consists of over 129 sites located in Suffolk County, Nassau County, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The sites range from scattered apartments and single-fam- ily homes to larger congregate settings and multi-family apartment buildings. With nearly 1,500 residents, the agency was looking for a way to properly protect people and avoid fire hazards, such as smoking. As their housing community con- tinues to expand and grow - two new apart- ment buildings are currently in the works and being built in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Over the years, Concern Housing has experienced incidents of residents smoking inside their apartments that have caused fires and the agency was focused on preventing any future tragedies. Since Concern Housing does not permit smoking indoors at any of their locations, they wanted an easy way to identify any rule breakers. Each building/residence has a designated area outside for smokers, but unfortunately there were still some people who did not comply with agency policy no matter how many warnings were issued. Some residents continued to smoke or vape in their units, which was a violation of their lease. To keep operations flowing smoothly, the agency employs 360 staff members that consist of executive manage- ment and support teams who are all fo- cused on the well-being of their residents. The time had come to take act and mitigate any future fire risks. In early 2020, the man- agement team started searching for various types of smoke detectors and found an IoT smart sensor that stood out from the crowd. WWW.SECURITYTODAY.COM 17