Hot ASIS Topic: Emergency Communications

For example – SimplexGrinnell showed Zalud’s Blog its emergency communications capabilities at this week’s ASIS 2008 Seminar and Exhibits – giving over 20,000 attendees an inside look at the layered, multi-technology solutions the company provides for college campuses and other critical locations.

The SimplexGrinnell theme for the show, Powering an Evolution in Emergency Communications, underscores the reliability, survivability and vision of using voice-enabled Simplex® fire alarm systems to drive emergency communications solutions.

“When you think about the most pressing challenges in life safety today, emergency communications tops the list for many industry professionals,” says Tom Giannini, CPP, Director of Security and Emergency Communications Marketing. “SimplexGrinnell stands out in the industry as a company that can deliver reliable, multi-layered emergency communications as part of an overall life-safety solution. Our approach is to deploy multiple layers of technology to disseminate critical information to the people and audiences who need to be reached in an emergency.”

The Layered Approach

SimplexGrinnell’s multi-technology approach to emergency communications can combine the following components:

•           Emergency Voice Communications: Highly survivable interior voice systems – driven by advanced fire alarm networks like the Simplex 4100U system – can instantly broadcast live or recorded messages on a campus or other setting. A universal message, or individual message tailored to specific areas, buildings, floors or rooms, can be delivered through the fire alarm system. SimplexGrinnell also offers large outdoor speaker array systems to reach exterior gathering spots such as athletic and recreational areas.

•           Visual Message Boards: Simplex® TrueAlert® Emergency Visual Messaging Display Units can be an important element of an emergency communications solution. The TrueAlert units can be mounted anywhere on campus or in a building to broadcast live or recorded textual messages and alerts. Messages can be tailored to specific buildings, floors or rooms, and are useful for the hearing impaired as well.

•           Personal Notification Systems: SimplexGrinnell offers leading-edge subscription services that can be used to automatically send vital information to personal communications devices, pagers, computers, cell phones and other electronic devices. This means individuals on and off campus can be informed of potential or unfolding emergency situations or events, including severe weather or other natural disasters.

•           Overall Life-Safety Integration: With its wide-ranging life-safety capabilities, SimplexGrinnell can make its multilayered emergency communications an integral component of a single-source solution that also includes fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire suppression and integrated security systems and services.