ATS Integrated Solutions

BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Controls ● Security ● Integration

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active shooter detection

Planning ahead for an active shooting situation

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This week, the number of incoming calls regarding Shooter Detection Services has bumped up in our office. Company owners, building managers and other security companies want to know how to keep people safe. With our headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, we were ready for the calls and hope to help these customers implement systems that help keep people safer. We’ve said before, the technology we install cannot stop a shooter, but it can immediately alert authorities an active shooter situation is taking place and where in the building this event is unfolding.

Time saved equals lives saved. If we cut down on the time it takes for a 911 call to be made and for first responders to be on site, we can save more people from these horrific events.

More than 45 percent of all active shooter incidents take place in commercial settings, according to the study. According to a landmark longitudinal study by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) active shooters are most likely to strike in commercial establishments, which are defined in the report as malls and businesses.

Retail and other commercial establishments are turning Shooter Detection Systems as a response to the trend. The Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System automatically detects shots fired using acoustic and infrared sensors. The precise location of the gunshots is noted, and authorities are alerted immediately. Most notably, the amount of false positives is extremely low.

The Guardian system has the ability to dramatically reduce response times in active shooter situations. An independent live-fire study in a two million square foot facility reduced reporting and first-responder dispatch time from as much as 18 minutes to just five seconds. Warnings can also be instantly sent out to people in the facility and vicinity advising them to evacuate or take cover. This video demonstrates the basics of the system .


Guardian’s capabilities would be greatly helpful in a situation where people may hear a gunshot, but may not recognize what it is right away, delaying the need to call 911, slowing down the entire process. This system knows for sure and can automatically contact the authorities.

Shooter Detection Systems is currently exhibiting at NRF Protect, the largest retail and restaurant loss prevention event in

Interested in learning more? Contact us right now

 

Proactive security steps universities can take right now.

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In the wake of the Michigan State University mass shooting earlier this week, we face the same questions we face each time these incidents occur. Among those questions is “what do I need to be doing right now to keep my organization safer?”

I approach this as a business owner and try to think pragmatically about steps our customers and others can take right now, today, to mitigate a similar type of incident. Though none of these steps will 100% stop an intruder with a gun, it can slow them down and in these types of incidents, every second could save a life.

We’ve partnered with universities on multiple projects and always work to help these institutions keep their communities safer. Video surveillance, access controls and systems integration can all be a part of the process.

Universities do have security measures in place and for buildings like dormitories and even some classroom buildings, access controls are required to enter, whether that’s a card-access system, a security guard with a desk or a physical key.

But consider a student union.

A student union, in many cases, is a hotel, a restaurant/dining hall and a study area. Some also have gaming areas (pool tables, etc). It would be nearly impossible to lock up every entrance from the outside. For a state university’s campus of 40,000 undergrads, think of all the people who come in and out of that building each hour… not to mention professors, graduate students and other employees of the university. Additionally, for the hotel area of a student union, people are obviously coming and going who do not attend the school. And on a big game weekend or graduation? It would create havoc to have all those doors locked up.

On the other hand… even Hampton Inns have access controls on certain entrances of some doors. A guest can easily access the lobby, but not the back or side doors after a certain time of night. Sure, the lobby entrance to the union’s hotel would remain open to the public, but if other doors required card access, that could be a step in the right direction.

Think about the computer labs on campus. Those are definitely locked. Only people with access cards would need to be in that building or room, so perhaps universities need to start thinking this way about all campus buildings.

What I’m talking about here is deterrence. If there are less access points to the building then there are less access points to the people in that building. Deterring a perpetrator has to become the objective. None of these steps can prevent someone from getting in – but it could slow them down.

In addition to rethinking access controls for main buildings on campus, university security teams need to take a good, hard look at gaps in that security. There are some areas that need video surveillance in addition to the access controls. And main entrances that can’t be locked down because of the need to have people easily enter and exit buildings, video surveillance is critical. When you think of the situation at MSU, if the shooter had escaped, video surveillance would have been critical in locating him.

Lastly, there’s the people factor. While I’m a big believer in technology and systems that can support keeping people safe, there is still a need for people in a security role. Sometimes you still need security guards and officers patrolling. Don’t discount the value of that service.

Here’s the thing. We’ve got an issue in this country and few disagree with that, if any. While these suggestions cannot solve our problem, they can certainly work toward making it better.

At ECT Services our goal is to make our customers as safe as possible, arming them with the right tools to effectively keep people, equipment and buildings safer. If we can help your organization redesign your safety and security measures, we’d be honored to be part of your team.

Please contact us here.

Our employee health and wellness is about more than our insurance benefit.

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Our team knows first-hand the challenges the pandemic has put upon our country’s workforce, from lockdowns and quarantines to now returning to the office. To mask? To keep plexiglass dividers? To mandate testing? These are questions nearly every employer faces right now. And the stress that can impact a company as a whole, and as individual human beings is not for the faint of heart.

Our team has dealt with tough situations. We design and help customers install active shooter detection technology, for starters. Even before the pandemic, we were face-to-face with tough, uncomfortable issues.

When Covid hit and work-from-home orders were put in place, our team remained in the field. Though buildings were empty, their security and temperature control systems still needed to function at their best, be serviced, be ready because we truly didn’t know when people would return to their offices.

So, we’ve been at the forefront of dealing with some tough choices. And after time, that can take a toll on anyone. We’ve seen it first-hand. As you can imagine, our team is mostly made up of men and as a species, we tend to shy away from talking about our feelings or putting focus on our mental or emotional health.

As CEO, one goal of mine this year is to work on changing that. No matter your gender or genetic makeup, discussing issues that cause stress and anxiety is healthy. Our team meetings can take 5 or 10 minutes away from our agenda to focus on our people. If there’s something going on in the industry, on our team, in our community, or in the world that is making it harder for our team members to do their job, then let’s put it out there, together. Let’s see if we can come up with solutions or at least make a plan of attack toward a solution.

We cannot take care of our customers without taking care of ourselves first. I hope other business leaders will join me.

Our team has the flexibility to support team members finding new interests.

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With a strong team, anything is possible. Our CEO’s favorite saying is “it’s amazing what happens when you show up.” Our team shows up day after day, ready to work.

Though we are in growth mode (have you checked out our careers page?), we still consider ourselves a small, nimble team. Sometimes that can mean we need people to be flexible in their knowledge base so they can pinch-hit when needed. Fortunately for us, this philosophy fits right in with the mindset of our team members.

Through the years, sometimes team members will show interest in expanding their skillset. They are not necessarily looking to “switch” from temperature controls to security, as an example, but are looking to expand the depth of their knowledge basis.

As more systems become integrated, it’s more and more critical that all people working on a project understand those integrations. Therefore, having knowledge of another part of the project benefits everyone.

Online trainings, making a laptop available, these are ways we can support our team members learning something new. If someone has spent years as an installer and wants to learn the art of programming, we can make that happen. Think how much better an installation will go if the people in these two roles better understand each other and speak each others’ language.

I spoke with Dave Stumler, Vice President of Controls who said, “we want our team members to continue to develop and know we’re supportive of their goals.”

We take the needs of our team members seriously. If they have a need to learn a new area, we want to cultivate and support that. The big winner at the end of the day will be our customer.