Under proposed legislation, schools would have to report when and how their emergency safety drills are conducted.

Designed to accommodate a variety of applications and handling anything from simple two-door units to custom-programmable 128-door multifunction units, these door interlock and mantrap control products can automatically secure a facility.

How best to help your employees prepare for disaster, which, in turn, prepares them to return to work faster and help your organization in return.

In the post-9/11 era, a majority of medium-to-large organizations in both the public and private sectors − at the urging of the government and out of self-interest − have developed and deployed emergency response plans. Many of these organizations have extended this proactive preparedness to include planning for the unique requirements of disaster recovery and business continuity.

You can’t predict the weather, but you can predict your reaction by pre-planning disaster recovery efforts.

Hours after the December 8 on-campus murder of a Virginia Tech University police officer and the suicide of his killer were resolved, one media outlet turned to how and how well the university got the word out as the emergency progressed. Based on university, law enforcement and expert comments, the mass notification worked well.

A nationwide emergency alert test last week proved less than perfect with a number of technology and local coordination mistakes.

The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management recently held a hearing in response to newly introduced federal legislation (H.R. 2903 and H.R. 2904). This legislation would set the stage for congress to reauthorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and two of its expiring programs, while establishing a clear framework for the modernization of its public alerts and warning systems.

Remember back when we were kids and heard the fire alarm bell in school? On cue, we lined up in an orderly manner and dutifully marched out of the classroom single file, no talking, and keep your hands to yourself. The super loud fire alarm bell and the discipline of the fire drill was all that we needed to know to be safe. How times have changed!