In an interview on emergency communications as part of the Deep Dive spotlight, John Greff, regional sales manager of the Heartland region for Bogen Communications LLC, highlights the critical gap between current school safety measures and established industry standards. Drawing on his background in law enforcement and training with the School Safety Advocacy Council, Greff offers a unique perspective on what first responders and on-site administrators truly need during a crisis.
Greff pointed out that many facilities fail to adhere to crucial guidelines, specifically citing ANSI/NEMA SB40 2015, the American National Standard for Communication Systems for Life Safety in Schools.
“The biggest gap that I’ve noticed with schools is is just not adhering to or following any type of established standards that we have in the United States,” Greff states.
Overlooked Areas in Safety Planning
Beyond general compliance, Greff identifies several specific elements that are frequently neglected until it is too late. These oversights often compromise the effectiveness of a system when it is needed most.
According to Greff, the overlooked areas include the following:
- Routine Testing: A lack of annual and semi-annual system testing requirements.
- Hardware Deployment: The absence of call-in and emergency switches throughout facilities.
- Power Redundancy: Missing secondary power failover systems to handle outages or lightning strikes.
- Audio Intelligibility: Poor sound quality in exterior zones such as parking lots, drop-off lines and athletic fields.
Best Practices for Integrators and Facility Managers
To address these vulnerabilities, Greff recommends that facility leaders prioritize hiring consultants to conduct proper safety and security threat assessments. He also emphasizes the importance of integrating intercom and paging systems with broader security measures, including intrusion detection, access control and fire alarms.
This holistic approach aims to automate processes and save valuable time during an incident. As Greff notes, “When minutes count, [even the] seconds matter.”
To learn more about implementing standards-based emergency communication systems, watch the full video interview with John Greff of Bogen Communications LLC below.
