Tag: ECS
Emergency communications systems not mainstream—yet
March 26, 2015Kenneth Z. Chutchian
YARMOUTH, Maine—Providers and integrators of emergency communication systems (ECS) face a number of challenges when trying to establish or grow markets: It's not cheap to expand a fire alarm system into an ECS. Private companies are not required by law to have multi-faceted ECS or mass notification systems (MNS). And it's difficult to get excited about a security system designed for worst-case scenarios that nobody really wants to think about.Some ECS developers remain undeterred. Campus shootings...
Donated fire system plays critical role in fire tech training
August 25, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
DOVER, Del.—The recent donation of a Farenhyt fire alarm and ECS system and the free installation that local company Advantech provided to Delaware Technical Community College's Fire Protection Engineering Technology program benefits not only the college but also the industry, according to Advantech.Eric Schaeffer, president of Advantech, a life safety and integration firm based here, said it's imperative that future fire protection employees get the experience that working with the latest...
Emergency messaging explained
May 13, 2014Tess Nacelewicz
QUINCY, Mass.—Emergency communication systems (ECS) were developed because a fire alarm alone is not always sufficient to tell building occupants what to do in case of an emergency. But what exactly should an ECS message say? There have been no guidelines for that—until now.The Fire Protection Research Foundation in April announced the release of such guidelines. They are designed to help system designers, building managers and emergency personnel create and disseminate the most effective...
Silent Knight to host fire alarm seminars
March 15, 2013SSN Staff
NORTHFORD, Conn.—Silent Knight by Honeywell will host 15 seminars throughout the U.S., according to a company statement.
Each free, three-hour seminar will focus on the latest NFPA testing requirements for fire alarm and life safety systems, as well as new codes and business opportunities surrounding carbon monoxide detection and emergency communications systems, the statement said.
Guest speaker Warren Olsen, CFPS CBO, partner at FSCI-Fire Safety Consultants, will discuss the proposed...
School security after Newtown: Readers debate guards and guns
January 22, 2013Rich Miller
YARMOUTH, Maine—SSN's News Poll for February clearly struck a chord, with more than 230 readers responding to our questions about school security in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. But like the debate in the public at large, consensus about solutions—especially the use of armed guards—was hard to find.One point that a majority of poll respondents agreed on was the security solution that school officials would most likely choose in the aftermath...
For school shootings, first response should be ECS
January 16, 2013Tess Nacelewicz
YARMOUTH, Maine—The nation's schools need to be armed—with emergency communication systems.That's the message from fire alarm dealers interviewed by Security Systems News after a gunman massacred 20 students and six staff at a Connecticut elementary school late in 2012.And to best protect students and staff, the dealers told SSN, schools also need to have an action plan that addresses such important questions as: Who are the true first responders in school emergencies?“When we look...
This Blog's on Fire (And Other Stuff)
Schools need to be armed … with mass notification!
December 19, 2012Tess Nacelewicz
Shock. Grief. Outrage. Those are some of the feelings we've all experienced in the aftermath of the massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Now I'd like to add “frustration” to the list.
That's an emotion expressed by some fire installers who say they're frustrated that school officials don't realize how valuable an emergency communications system/mass notification system can be in situation like the one at Sandy Hook, where a young man...
ECS = 'A brand new industry'
September 8, 2011Tess Nacelewicz
NORTHFORD, Conn.—Before Sept. 11, 2001, few people saw the need for a comprehensive emergency communications system, according to Peter Ebersold, marketing director for Notifier by Honeywell.
However, he said, that was before first responders at the World Trade Center were not able to communicate well with each other because of such factors as the Twin Towers' structure and the early damage they sustained, and because the buildings' occupants did not receive the emergency information they...