Mass Notification Archives - Kenton Brothers Systems for Security

Supercharging intercoms as part of your commercial security setup

April 3, 2024/in Commercial Security, Mass Notification/by Neal Bellamy

By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers

I get a lot of questions about intercoms and what can be done with them as part of a robust commercial security system. Most companies secure the entrances and gates to their facility. Intercoms provide a balance between security and accessibility for visitors. Unfortunately, there can be a lot of confusion around intercoms. Including intercoms in your security setup is valuable, but you have to start with the end goal in mind. If you start down the wrong path, you may not get exactly what you want, or it might not be as easy to implement and use as you had hoped.

Intercom Options

Let’s break down your intercom options so that you can “start with the end in mind”.

First, you need to think about the door or gate where an intercom will be installed.

How much space is available for mounting? Sometimes, you may only have a thin mullion to mount to, or you might have a height restriction on a gate pedestal.

Second, will you need to have hardware options for the guest to use like calling security vs Human Resources or others?

Do you need a directory listing so the visitor can call the host like what you would typically see in an apartment building? Most people want a camera on the intercom so they can see the guests, but some intercoms exist without a camera as well. The most commonly used intercom options are 1 button, 5 buttons, or a directory. Less commonly used options are a keypad, Bluetooth reader, and an induction loop.

The next thing to think about is how you want to answer the intercom.

This one is a little more in-depth but can be broken down into four options. You can mix and match as needed:

Answer the intercom at a fixed location like a reception desk. You can have multiple fixed locations where an answering station like a 2N Indoor touch or a desk video phone can be placed.
Answer the intercom with a mobile device. You can allow your people to roam and still be able to answer the intercom or even answer when away from the office. This is done through a mobile application or a softphone. The only thing required is network or internet access for the intercom and answering devices.
Answer in an application you are already using. Several video management systems allow intercom interaction through their interface. Milestone, Genetec, and Hanwha Wave all allow you to record the video at the intercom and answer when the button is pressed. Gallagher Access control also allows you to answer and route intercoms, which is rare in the access control world.
By connecting the intercom to some kind of Voice over IP (VOIP) system you can dial any phone number in the world. You do lose the video capabilities of the intercom, but you gain access to any possible number. This option is mostly used in apartment complexes or condos where you don’t want to use option 2.

The last thing to be thinking about is how you want the answering station to ring.

You can have several answering stations ring at the same time, you can have calls roll over when there is no answer. You can have calls routed to one answering station during a specific time and then call another answering station during a different time. Again, you can mix and match stations that ring together, roll over, and timing.

With the rise of VOIP intercoms, we have gained even more expertise, capabilities and flexibility when it comes to intercoms in your security mix. But, with flexibility, comes complication. If you need help figuring it all out, let us walk you through it.

A Tornado is Coming! Mass Notification Systems from Alertus.

July 6, 2022/in Commercial Security, Mass Notification/by Courtney Emra

By Courtney Emra, Lead Customer Service/Sales Assistant at Kenton Brothers

Unfortunate events in recent history like the Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings, Joplin Missouri Tornado, and numerous disgruntled employee and customer threats have increased the need to communicate with your staff quickly, regardless of their location. We call this “mass notification.”

Mass Notification

Present-day mass notification is different than past notification solutions, which involved dedicated locations or software that would receive an alert message. Today, mass notification systems typically include overhead speakers or paging systems to tell everyone within earshot what is happening and a lot more.

One such mass notification system is Alertus.

The Alertus System is configurable for any situation.

Alertus can accept alerts from devices installed in multiple locations around your building, including emergency push buttons, distress buttons under desks, hotkey commands on desk phones, fire or access control systems, NOAA weather alerts, etc. Once an alert is received, Alertus sends the specified alert to mobile or desktop applications, beacons with bright strobe lights and clear tone sounders, overhead paging or phone systems, and large outdoor speakers.

We recently installed a system for a financial company that works with consumers. They knew they could face situations like an active shooter, disgruntled employee or customer, severe weather, or a medical emergency. Each of these scenarios requires unique protocols, but regardless of their requirements, the correct information must be sent to the right people without causing unnecessary panic or confusion.

Scenario 1: Active Shooter or Disgruntled Person

If an employee encounters a threat, they can activate the Alertus System through various devices. They include wall-mounted and wireless activation buttons, an under-desk mounted duress button, and a hotkey combination for any VoIP system.

Once activated, the Alert Beacons display a custom message and exert a sound to get people’s attention. Their overhead paging systems announce the notification through text-to-speech technology, and every computer displays a full-screen message. The system also alerts each user enrolled in their mobile Recipient Application.

Scenario 2: Tornado

The system connects to NOAA weather alerts via the internet and filters the warnings by keywords, such as “tornado and observed.” Once a critical alert is received, the beacons activate a specific message and a different sound tone than Scenario 1.

A full-screen alert containing a custom text notification overrides targeted computers, and recipients can click an acknowledgment button to close the message and provide acknowledgment to safety officials. Similar to Scenario 1, users enrolled in the mobile Recipient Application are alerted.

Scenario 3: Medical Alert

The gym and maintenance shed have activation buttons to enable the System in a medical emergency. The people who need to know about the medical emergency are limited, so we don’t need to send alerts to every beacon, mobile device, etc. Instead, we can send a targeted alert to the beacon that resides with the activation button to notify occupants of the emergency.

We then activate a targeted message on the computers telling the responders where the medical event is. By notifying the people who need to know and informing them exactly where the emergency is, we limit the confusion and panic of the situation while still resolving the issue quickly.

The Alertus System is highly configurable and can be customized to fit your needs. Alertus has several integrations and numerous options for each. To learn more about mass notification systems for your business or campus, call us.

Active Shooter: Real world stories about lockdowns in schools saving lives.

February 23, 2022/in Access Control, Commercial Security, Education, Mass Notification/by David Strickland

By David Strickland, Vice President of Kenton Brothers

On November 14th, 2017 at 7:30 am, shots ring out near Rancho Tehama Elementary in Northern California. It’s an all too familiar but tragic scenario these days. One moment children are playing on a full playground, the next, panic, confusion and the succession of two more shots. This time however, the outcome is different than some of the other school shootings you may have heard about.

The staff members of the elementary school went into lockdown mode and followed the procedures they’d practiced and drilled multiple times. The staff knew what to do, and they did it in the face of true and present danger.

The secretary immediately sent out the signal for LOCKDOWN.

Students were rushed into the building by staff members. Family members still present in the school yard were corralled by school support personnel. Teachers and staff members locked their internal doors and barricaded external doors. They huddled in their rooms away from the windows and out of the line of sight of the shooter. Hugging each other and the most solid wall in their classroom for safety.

Within seconds, two-thirdsof the school was in lockdown. An then the shooter drove his pickup truck through the school fence and barreled toward the front entrance. The school custodian was busy getting parents into the school. He paused to look and see how far away the shooter was and, “looked the shooter in the eye as the shooter shot at him.” After the shot rang out, “The shooter was struggling with his weapon at this time. The gun appeared to be jammed, and he was having trouble loading ammunition.”

The gun jamming bought the staff, kids and parents precious seconds to finish their lockdown procedure. Everyone made it inside and all access to the school rooms and offices was now secure. The shooter, now fully loaded, entered the middle quad of the school 8 seconds later.

“The school secretary recognizing the threat made all the difference between 100 kids being around today and dozens being shot or killed. Those eight seconds were critical!”

The shooter was angry and frustrated and began to shoot into the classrooms and offices. In between shooting, the gunman tried to get into classrooms and the main office, but was unable to gain entry. He checked the bathroom, which was open but empty.

One 6 year old child was injured but survived and no one was killed. Six minutes after the shooting started, the gunman drove away. Hundreds of lives were changed forever, but everyone survived.

The Rancho Tehama Elementary School staff had practiced drills and executed lockdowns before, so even though they’ve never had an active shooter on campus, they knew what to do. It had become second nature.

The superintendent said, “The lockdown procedure was implemented flawlessly. The reason that we have a situation where I have one student injured on campus and nothing worse happening on campus is because of the heroic actions of all members of my school staff.”

Oxford High School in 2021

The same techniques and lockdown training were used in Michigan at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021. Just after lunch, shots rang out inside the school in the main hallway. A 15 year-old student opened fire on his classmates. School staff, students and parents in the school that day followed the LOCKDOWN call and began to follow their training. “They had drilled this exact scenario so much that everyone knew exactly what to do next.”

In the hours after the shooting outside Detroit on Tuesday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said that without the measures taken by students, the tragedy would have been worse. “It is also evident from the scene that the lockdown protocols, training and equipment Oxford schools had in place saved lives.”

David Riedman, lead researcher on the K-12 School Shooting Database, said that the lockdown procedures that were deployed in Oxford, in which students sheltered and stayed out of sight, “absolutely saved lives.” The training that appeared to be on display in Michigan is similar to what students all over the country are taught, he said.

LOCKDOWNS took on new meaning during the heights of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In the physical security world, lockdowns mean locking down a building so that no one can enter or leave for a period of time. The location stays locked down until an all-clear signal is given. This seems like a pretty straight forward premise. It is – IF you plan correctly and have the right systems and procedures in place to make a LOCKDOWN effective.

Kenton Brothers uses several access control platforms to make it easy and quick to lock down a school. When a panic button is pressed, all the school doors lock. And alarms and mass communications go out audibly through speakers and electronically through mobile devices and computers throughout the school.

One of our manufacturers, Gallagher, allows you to not only lock down the school, but also send out emergency messaging to any staff members or parents who are not at the school. This would allow them to stay away or help support police in their efforts to bring the situation under control. Gallagher also has the ability to remotely muster or check off each person from a pre-determined list to be sure 100% of the people on-site are accounted for. This is a powerful benefit in the aftermath of these incidents.

Police can also remotely operate and IP Surveillance cameras in the building to gain situational intelligence on the location of the shooter and the direction they’re headed. This is just one example of how these security systems can help support the training, processes and procedures during a Lockdown situation.

Kenton Brothers Systems for Security helps guide schools and other entities through the process of identifying risks around active shooters and the techniques in protecting your people, property and possessions. Kenton Brothers’ qualified consultants will perform a no cost physical security assessment with recommendations for security system components, processes and procedures that will help prepare your staff. Just give us a call.

Additional Resources

CISA K-12 School Security Guide, 3rd Edition

A Tornado is Coming!

August 10, 2017/in Mass Notification/by Neal Bellamy

By Neal Bellamy, IT Director at Kenton Brothers

Unfortunate events in recent history like the Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings, Joplin Missouri Tornado and numerous disgruntled employee and customer threats have increased the need to communicate with your staff quickly, regardless of where they are located. We call this “Mass notification.”