The phrase “command and control” is often thought of in terms of the military or the police. And yet it applies to businesses, especially those with multiple buildings; senior living centers with residents living on multiple floors and educational facilities, with buildings spread out across a campus.
What You Need to Know
For example, a college campus, especially one located close to an urban center, must have an efficient command and control center. If a fire breaks out somewhere on the campus, the city fire department must be alerted and summoned to the right spot on the campus where the fire is happening.
In many cases, both the fire department and police departments must be alerted. Usually, the fire and police are on different communication platforms. The campus must have a way to help the police and fire to communicate with each other in an emergency.
Campus safety is also an important issue. A female student studying for an exam until 3 am must feel safe when she is walking back to her dorm room or off-campus apartment. Some schools have created apps so that the student can inform campus security of her exact location, or summon a campus security person to escort her safely home.
Schools must also be able to send instantaneous alerts via cell phones or other means if there is an active shooter on a certain part of the campus. Students should know where to take shelter in such an event.
These campus alerts should be in place to inform the students about dangerous weather approaching. Students should be able to learn about day-to-day issues as campus construction, traffic issues, or campus closings for health reasons.
An efficient command and control center should also allow for computer aided dispatch, which would allow for calls from outside the system. For example, a motorist or passerby might see something that the company security or the police should be made aware of.
Based on the information the passerby has provided, the computer can automatically dispatch personnel to the scene. In addition, it might also send important charts or “hot maps” to the responders. This information might be an alert that chemicals are stored near the incident and enable the first responders to take adequate measures to protect themselves and the public.
An efficient command and control center should allow people using different technologies to easily interact together, so the proper means may be taken. Has a drone been dispatched to the scene? Images from the drone might be helpful for first responders.
Has a powerful storm knocked out power near your facility? Is flooding threatening the senior center? Are activists threatening violence near or on a college campus? An efficient command and control center should be equipped to coordinate information about these and other incidents.
Ready to Learn About What You Need? Contact Us for a Free Estimate!
If it’s time to upgrade your command and control center, contact Smartshield Solutions at (866) 891-9183 or email us at info@smartshield.solutions. The trained personnel there will help you plan for the technology you need for today’s challenges.