Just in the past year alone, existing or emerging threats have impacted our society and economy unlike any other year in our country’s history. An epic year involving a pandemic, civil unrest, rioting, recession, massive unemployment, shuttered businesses, record-setting severe weather and wildfires. A year like no other indeed. Addressing security, asset and occupant protection is a major focus for government and private real estate owners and corporations alike. It is a topic that cannot be ignored.
For many years, the dependence on written and bound hard copy procedures, plans and programs encompassing all things security & life safety was the norm. They were effective to a degree and worked on countless incidents. Then along came computers...then mobile devices...then mobile apps and the landscape changed dramatically. Now written plans for emergency preparedness, response and recovery, as well as vital building schematics were no longer static and confined to 1 or 2 people or designated locations, such as the fire control room, lobby security console, engineering office and management office. Now this critical information can simply be pulled off your hip and accessed in seconds, wherever you are, even whether you’re on or off “the grid”.
In emergencies, gathering intelligence and disseminating to fellow team members in the initial stages of an unfolding crisis is essential to curtailing your losses and paving the way to a successful outcome to the event. Technology is the driver and gravitating towards these resources and away from paper planning is a natural evolution in today’s world.
Geo-locating and tracking of essential personnel, including first responders is quickly evolving. More advanced communications systems abound, from targeted vital personnel (management, engineering, security, fire wardens) to mass notification to thousands of occupants in seconds is quickly surpassing age-old reliance on PA systems or land-line based telephone calls to alert recipients of a crisis and what actions to take. Especially being able to simultaneously dispatch both text and email messages to everyone with a touch/send action was sorely needed and now it exists.
Digitized schematics displaying floor plans, riser diagrams, site plans are eliminating the call to the engineering dept to rush to the blue-print room and dig through stacks of blue-lines to locate a vital drawing during an intense incident.
