Jan28Written by:SuperUser Account
1/28/2011 1:19 PM 
By Wayne D. Moore & Aviv Siegel, PartnerPoint Contributing Writers
When a fire breaks out or a catastrophe occurs, every second counts. Flames can overwhelm an average size room in less than a minute and deadly smoke can obscure safe exits with frightening speed. If a tornado is approaching, seconds can literally mean the difference between life and death. The best chance for the safety and survival for people and the preserving of property comes from an early warning detection system coupled with a rapidly responding, pervasive and reliable mass notification system.
Current passive fire alarms and alerting systems can only generate a general evacuation tone or a voice announcement alert with limited information. While these types of alarm systems have extreme value, they also have their limitations. New and innovative technology is now available that can augment these existing fire alarm systems and provide an enhanced spectrum of capabilities that can save lives and protect property.
This is the case for a new model for emergency mass notification that has been adopted in the government and businesses to enhance fire protection capabilities – namely network-centric emergency mass notification. Network-centric emergency mass notification promises to have a significant impact for the fire protection design community. In addition, since threats can take many forms from natural to man-made, organizations can turn to newer technologies to prepare for a broader spectrum of threat conditions and emergency situations.
Network-centric emergency mass notification transforms an existing IP network and its connected devices into a highly effective alerting system. Emergency alerts are triggered from a Web-based console from any network-connected PC (subject to authentication and granted permissions), and once activated, are disseminated across the network in the form of intrusive audio/visual messages to desktop computers, as well as mobile devices such as phones, pagers, BlackBerry devices and personal digital assistants (PDAs). As many traditional alerting channels (sirens, telephones, public address systems, etc.) now have IP interfaces, network-centric notification systems can trigger alerts to those channels too. From the IP network and telephony communication infrastructure to the existing fire alarm systems, network-centric alerting extends and unifies these systems under a single alert management platform.
The NFPA 72 (2010) National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code is addressing network centric emergency mass notification for the first time, under the name Distributed Recipient Mass Notification System. The code is now addressing the multi-threat scenario by adding a risk analysis phase, in which all types of emergency situations are analyzed in order to design the best solution. The code also allows the integration of fire alarm systems with more traditional alerting for multi-threat notification.
Ten Benefits of a Network-Centric Emergency Mass Notification System for Fire Protection and Multi-threat Response
The advantages of a network-based emergency mass notification system for the fire community are numerous, and include:
1. Unified notification: Integrate with many IP-based and legacy notification systems, to provide easy and effective emergency notification from a single Web-based console.
2. Rapid and pervasive reach: Distribute emergency alerts to hundreds of thousands of people through network-connected devices in minutes.
3. Web-based system access: Operators can send out alerts from anywhere they have a network connection (given authentication and authorization).
4. Richer message delivery: Deliver detailed and tailored communications based on the threat or scenario (i.e. evacuation instructions, more data requested, call backs).
5. Multi-use/full-spectrum threat response: Have greater capability to respond to any threat or scenario requiring rapid and pervasive mass notification.
6. Confirmed alert receipt and acknowledgment tracking: Track delivery and acknowledge every alert to ensure people have received the information.
7. Personnel accountability: Receive rapid and reliable feedback on status of personnel.
8. Regulatory compliance: IP-based notification complies with federal and DoD emergency mass notification guidelines.
9. Cost Savings: By leveraging the existing IP network, an organization can realize substantial cost savings.
10. Quick installation: By leveraging the existing network, installation and infrastructure integration can be completed within hours or very few days.
The network-centric model also contains significant benefits for first responders. In the chaotic operational atmosphere of a fire emergency, obtaining and communicating clear and accurate information quickly is vital.
A network-centric alerting system gives incident commanders (ICs) the ability to obtain and disseminate critical situational detail using a standard Web browser. Alerts sent through the IP network to computer desktops can include more detail than audio alerts made through a loud speaker, accelerating response times and getting the right personnel to respond to the situation. The alerts can be tailored to target specific groups of end-users based on location, role and organizational hierarchy. For example, first responders and HAZMAT crews can be directed to a fire location, while building occupants are sent evacuation routes based on their locations. Such on-the-scene information can be invaluable to emergency managers and ICs as they decide how to best apply their assets.
Another benefit of a network-centric mass alerting system for the fire protection service is a feedback capability that can communicate the status of alert recipients. When an alert is sent, the system will require a response from recipients to determine their status (OK, injured, etc.), locations and their abilities to act. This provides ICs with a reliable picture of personnel accountability, and what resources are available to deploy against the operation. Now first responders can obtain reliable and detailed status of all impacted personnel within minutes during an emergency, thereby greatly enhancing their response to the threat.
By utilizing the IP network, alert dissemination is significantly quicker. With a unified approach to alerting that triggers alerts through all channels simultaneously, a consistent message is relayed throughout the organization, or if desired, different messages can be targeted to various groups depending on the recipient’s role or location in the organization.
Investing in a network-centric emergency mass notification system that leverages the existing IP infrastructure and integrates with existing fire alarm notification systems or public address systems has proven to be the most effective way of alerting the most people in the shortest amount of time – regardless of the danger. Currently organizations as diverse as the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veteran Affairs, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Microsoft are using network-centric alerting for fire alarm notification, emergency alerting, personnel recall and to deploy emergency workers where they are needed.
Though we may still be a few years away from network-centric alerting systems being installed in all facilities, as the use of these systems spreads, we will be armed with yet another useful tool to protect life and property, and public safety will continue to improve. The additions to NFPA 72 code certainly help to shape and guide the industry in this direction: IP-based fire and mass notification technology will not only better protect people located in a facility but will deliver significant advantages to firefighters and other first responders during all emergency operations.
About the Author:
In addition to being a PartnerPoint Contributing Writers, Wayne D. Moore, P.E., is a principal with Hughes Associates, Inc. and is the current Chair of the NFPA 72 Emergency Communications Systems Technical Committee; and Aviv Siegel serves as Chief Technology Officer for AtHoc, Inc.; www.athoc.com.