White paper Mobile duress alarm systems

Transcription

1 White paper Mobile duress alarm systems

2 Table of Contents Table of Contents...1 What is a Mobile Duress Alarm System?...2 Who Needs a Mobile Duress Alarm System?...2 Finance...3 Application Note: Bank Robbery... 3 Education...3 Application Note: School Shootings... 3 Government...4 Application Note: Courtroom Violence... 4 Acute Care...4 Application Note: Emergency Room Assault... 4 Retail...5 Application Note: Theft Prevention... 5 Mobile Duress Alarm System Requirements...5 Radius...6 Page 1

3 What is a Mobile Duress Alarm System? A mobile duress alarm system is a critical component in any life safety system. Unlike other types of security applications, mobile duress alarm systems exist to protect individuals from personal harm. They do so by providing instant alerts to security personnel in the case of an emergency event. This can be when an employee considers his or herself in imminent danger, needs immediate assistance, or even when they become aware of a broader emergency event. Usually this means each staff member will carry a wireless transmitter that can be activated in the case of an emergency event. Repeaters are then located throughout the building to ensure that the signal is carried to an RF gateway, which disseminates the alarm to the appropriate personnel, who can respond as needed. Because the purpose of a mobile duress alarm system is to ensure the safety of the people carrying the alarm, the system must meet certain requirements that will be detailed in this white paper. One of the most important requirements that has evolved with the usage of mobile duress alarms is that of location capability. Because staff members are inherently mobile, the location must be provided along with the alarm to ensure an appropriate response. Without location capability the mobile duress alarm system is of little use in the case of an emergency. Since techologies like GPS are ineffective indoors, location is typically provided using algorithms that take advantage of the system s repeater backbone and/or fixed end devices. Who Needs a Mobile Duress Alarm System? A mobile duress alarm system provides the most effective protection for employees in the case of workplace violence. Roughly two million Americans are victims of workplace violence every year. Though those who work with money or the public are most at risk, violence can strike any workplace at any time. In fact, according to a U.S. Department of Labor survey, nearly five percent of the 7.1 million private industry business establishments in the United States had an incident of workplace violence within the 12 months prior. As a result, employers are rightfully concerned with the safety of their employees. While it is impossible to entirely eliminate the possibility of violence in workplace, there are both preventative and security measures that can greatly reduce the risk. Violence prevention programs, employee guidelines, Page 2

4 There is no industry immune to the risk of workplace violence. and emergency communication systems, when combined with a robust security system, have proven most effective. Just as intrusion systems protect against illicit entry, and fire systems protect against fire, mobile duress alarm systems protect against harm to individual employees. They are a critical component of any security system concerned with employee safety. Industries where a mobile duress alarm system is commonly considered a necessity include: Finance Any profession which involves the handling of money is inherently dangerous, and employees of financial institutions handle more money than any other. A mobile duress alarm system is the most effective security option available to protect individual employees in the case of an emergency situation. Application Note: Bank Robbery Every year, thousands of banks are robbed in the United States. Though monetary losses are usually small, the danger posed to both staff and customers is substantial. No other security option has the ability to direct notification during a robbery like a mobile duress alarm system. Not only can the system be integrated with traditional security systems, employees can use the duress alarm capability to alert targeted personnel. Applications could include sending discrete text messages to security guards within the bank, or notifying bank staff not to return to the lobby. In situations that can turn violent in an instant, nothing allows the discretion or flexibility of a mobile duress alarm system. Education When the lives of students and educators are in danger, the emergency response must be immediate. Given the size of many education campuses, this is no small feat. A mobile duress alarm system can provide instant notification in lifesafety situations, along with location information, alerting oncampus security and emergency services, and giving them all the information they need to respond. Application Note: School Shootings The high-profile school shootings of the last two decades have exposed the weaknesses of security on education campuses. Most modern education campuses are large and have only a limited number of security personnel onsite. Moreover, help from the outside is usually unavailable or of limited use. In fact, according to a report by the U.S. Secret Page 3

5 Service, most school shootings are resolved by staff or students, not law enforcement. Not only can a mobile duress alarm system pinpoint the location of a developing emergency and alert security personnel, it can immediately notify students and staff across an entire campus so that they may implement safety measures. Government Members of government, whether they be congressmen, staff, or judges, often become the focal point for resentment. Unfortunately, as recent events have reminded us, those resentments can turn violent without provocation. It is imperative that every member of government have the ability to signal for help when and where it is needed. Application Note: Courtroom Violence Courtrooms are often emotionally charged environments, where tempers and violence may erupt without provocation or warning. In fact, the benches in many federal courtrooms and state courtrooms are bulletproof, to provide some measure of protection for judges. In this kind of environment, a mobile duress alarm system capable of notifying security personnel of emergency situations is a necessity. Acute Care Acute care facilities are always stressful environments. The people who come in for care are understandably under pressure, and, all-too-often, mentally disturbed or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, most acute care facilities don't have adequate security personnel to ensure the safety of staff. A mobile duress alarm system with location capability is a cost-effective way of ensuring an appropriate security response when and where it is needed. Application Note: Emergency Room Assault The Emergency Nurses Association reports that two-thirds of all nurses have been the victim of a physical assault. In fact, a quarter of all nurses have been assaulted more than 20 times in the past three years. Most startling of all, the dangers of working in acute care facilities seem to be increasing. A 2010 report from the Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Database states, "Health care institutions today are confronting steadily increasing rates of crime, including violent crimes such as assault, rape and homicide." A mobile duress alarm system is necessary to alert security personnel to assaults, and direct them where help is needed. Page 4

6 Retail Any profession that involves working with the public includes the risk of workplace violence, especially when the exchange of money is involved. Add to this the risk of theft and loss of property, and it becomes clear why a situational awareness system is a necessity for retail businesses. Using a mobile duress alarm system, retail employees can alert key personnel of suspicious or violent events, and direct them to the location of the activity. A mobile duress alarm system can also be used to reduce the costs of employee error and lost merchandise. Application Note: Theft Prevention Theft and merchandise loss can pose a risk to the very existence of retail businesses. It is estimated that in 2010 more than thirty-nine billion dollars was lost to United States retail businesses due to theft and employee error. A mobile duress alarm system can combat this loss in a number of ways. Not only can the system be integrated with traditional burglary/intrusion security systems, employees can use the duress alarm capability to alert retail security to theft or suspicious activity. Mobile Duress Alarm System Requirements Reliability is the most crucial requirement of any mobile duress alarm system. There is no requirement for a mobile duress alarm system more important than reliability. There are numerous kinds of wireless technology, and most are not capable of operating reliably in demanding commercial environments. The wireless backbone of any mobile duress alarm system must be able to withstand interference, overcome obstacles, and guarantee multiple paths from the alarm device to the receiver. The importance of reliability is impossible to overstate. A mobile duress alarm system that does not provide location is of little use in large commercial settings because employees are inherently mobile. As such, an effective mobile duress alarm system must be able to provide the location of an alarm event with a high enough level of granularity to provide an effective response. Due to the nature of today s emergency events, it is not sufficient that an alarm be sent to only a central station or a single command center. Alarm events must be able to be sent to a wide variety of devices, so that the internal response can be immediate. The devices that can receive alerts must be as broad as possible, to match the usage of individual recipients. These should include, but not be limited to: Page 5

7 Telephones Cellular telephones, using voice and text Pagers Two-way radios Public address systems The system must also provide a method for coordinating the delivery of alarms. Alarms must be delivered to the right people, and if some or all of those people are unavailable, delivery must then proceed to others able to deal with the emergency situation. Since different people will be available at different times, the system must also allow for different alerting actions based on the time of day, or day of week. To better understand and plan for emergency events, all alarm events must be captured by the alarm duress system, and the system must be capable of providing reports on alarm activity. The more complete a picture of the emergency that it s possible to have, the more likely it is that the emergency will be appropriately handled. As such, as it is imperative that the system also be integratable with traditional security end devices, like door/window sensors, smoke detectors, motion detectors, alarm relays, and glassbreak sensors. Additionally, it is imperative that the system have the ability to monitor other in-building systems, including fire alarm, access control, and building control systems. In the event of an emergency, a snapshot view of the building must be immediately available. With the IT world constantly evolving, the duress alarm system technology must be able to integrate with the overarching technology strategy of any organization. The system must be easy to use, and must be capable of leveraging the existing on-site computer network for ease of access. The system must allow administration access from on-site and remote PC workstations. Radius Inovonics, the industry leader in high-performance wireless sensor networks for life safety, developed Radius, the security industry s first situational awareness system using Inovonics wireless positioning technology. Radius combines the latest mass notification capability with advanced Page 6

8 Radius combines the latest mass notification capability with advanced positioning technology to pinpoint mobile duress alarm devices in commercial environments. positioning technology to pinpoint mobile duress alarm devices in commercial environments. When a potential life-threatening event occurs, it is automatically transmitted to Radius, which locates the position of the event and alerts the appropriate authorities immediately so they can take action. Moreover, unlike traditional hard-wired control panel systems, Radius provides a complete IP-enabled wireless solution for the security market. Key features and benefits of Radius include: Location: Radius allows for mobile duress applications by accurately determining where an alarm is coming from within a building or campus setting. It allows users to locate employees, faculty, or students immediately when they signal for help. Monitoring: Radius works with the complete line of Inovonics end devices, including pendant transmitters, universal transmitters, and motion detectors. It also supports integration with Inovonics extensive list of system partners. Notification: Radius coordinates event monitoring and mass notification, communicating information from inbuilding systems and routing them to alert devices, such as pagers, s, and cell phones. Leveraging: Radius is designed to mesh seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure, allowing for browser-based administration access, easy XML integration, and more. Radius can be used within single buildings, or scaled to cover large multi-building campuses spread over hundreds of acres. It can be easily integrated with other fire and security systems, and be customized based on customer preference. It is available now, and is priced based on customer configuration. For more information, visit the Radius product page at Page 7