TIP Blog

As we are all painfully aware, news of shootings at schools, campuses, and other public venues are becoming more and more commonplace, raising the question: how can we improve our response to these harrowing scenarios? The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has recently announced their intention to fast-track a new standard that seeks to assist first responders, everyday citizens, and private sector organizations in their response to active shooter scenarios. NFPA 3000, Standard for Preparedness and Response to Active Shooter and/or Hostile Events, represents the second time in the history of the NFPA that provisional standard status has been authorized. Obviously, our current climate necessitates it.

An Effective, Comprehensive Approach to First Response

There are three areas regarding hostile events / active shooter response that the NFPA seeks to establish a common framework around.

• Establishing a unified command structure
• Planning an integrated response
• Preparing for an effective recovery effort

By establishing minimum requirements for all relevant parties and addressing the discrepancies in response between the various agencies responding, the NFPA seeks to streamline the response process to save lives.

Advanced Safety and Security Tools: A Critical Part of the Solution

Installing a high-quality security system in your home, school, or business, can help to detract active shooters or at least enable the first responders to access accurate, up-to-date information regarding the events. In today’s uncertain world, these solutions are no longer just a nice-to-have, but a requirement to protect our families, friends and colleagues.

Video Surveillance: Today’s video surveillance is clearer and sharper than ever before, with higher resolution at minimum bandwidth. High-quality cameras help pinpoint the location of the problem, and advances in smart video monitoring systems enables managing these high-tech systems easier than ever. For instance, pattern recognition technology is now able to determine whether the movement on camera is made by a human being, which allows your security system to send out more appropriate alerts instead of pinging your phone every time a plastic bag blows past.

Access Control: Smart access control software enables you to monitor your facilities, no matter where you are. You can rest easy when you know your property, and everyone in it, are safe and and that you will be notified at the first instance of a disturbance. Further, you can enable individual access control for all areas of your facility, including gates, entry doors or specific rooms, helping to keep the bad guys from gaining access to your buildings and most importantly, the people inside of them.

Emergency Communication: Mass notification systems can make PA or voice announcements, but also send SMS text messages, distribute mass emails, make phone calls, display visual announcements on LED displays and more. By utilizing a variety of communications channels, you can reach more people in a shorter period of time, enabling faster response.

Alarm Systems: Motion detectors, door and window sensors and glass break sensors can sound and send immediate notifications to your app, alerting you immediately to unusual activity.

What’s to Come: Technology is continuing to evolve to address our safety needs. For example, the current alarm standard utilizes only one tone, but in the future, different alarm tones could indicate whether the building is on fire, or this is an active shooter. With this insight, people are able to respond appropriately and expediently.

By combining these advanced security solutions, with a more comprehensive standard, we are establishing an environment in our country where are people can once again feel safe at work, at home or virtually anywhere.

If you would like to learn more about Technology Install Partners’ comprehensive life safety and security solutions, please contact us for a free consultation.