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Have you heard the one about the geese in a 1900 Brooklyn poultry market that foiled a theft when their outcries alerted the watchmen on duty? Perhaps that could be classified as a mass notification system of yesteryear ("Geese Act As Burglar Alarm," The New York Times, November 29, 1900).
There has always been a need to notify large groups of people of imminent danger relating to a fire hazard, security issue or other emergencies and direct them to safety. Providing non-emergency notifications and warnings is also an important aspect of a notification system.
The desire to not just alert people of hazards, but to guide them safely from the situation, came sadly from tragedies that had resulted in the loss of life and was initially conceived as a voice evacuation system. Jayson Kneen, communications manager, Notifier, Northford, Conn., explained the need for this technology as, "to quickly, efficiently and effectively alert a large population of people indoors and out—whether in a single building, an entire college or corporate campus, or in multiple buildings located around the world—of potentially dangerous or life-threatening situations and provide emergency instructions to direct them toward safety."
Lessons learned
Regulations and the introduction of newer devices cannot always prevent disasters as witnessed with the avoidable night club fire in Rhode Island in 2003 which was sparked by indoor pyrotechnics the band was using on stage. There were four locations of egress, but sadly the crowd rushed toward the main entrance and it remains the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. At question was also the number of people in the establishment at the time.
Voice mass notification is designed to direct people to areas of egress—as systems perform and integrate more tasks manufacturers and dealers have found themselves in a position of bringing awareness to the end user. "The best way for security staff to understand the benefits of a mass notification system is to let them see and hear it for themselves," said Bryan Crum, vice president of Marketing, Omnilert, Leesburg, Va. "It has been a slow process for security directors and chiefs of police to understand the benefits of mass notification. They have been under the impression that e-mail and listening to the radio will work to inform the public of important information. It wasn't until the Virginia Tech tragedy that security experts realized how critical it is to send alerts via SMS text messages," Crum said.
The notion of mass notification reaches beyond just the technology offered and fosters a total public safety mindset. "There was a turning point," added Notifier's Keen. "A combination of civilian mass casualties incidents and the development of the United Facilities Criteria (UFC) standard 4-010-01, which describes mass notification as 'capability to provide real-time information to all building occupants or personnel in the immediate vicinity of a building during emergency situations.' This standard mandated that all Dept. of Defense (DOD) facilities have a mass notification system by 2007," he said.
There are numerous applications for mass notification systems, which can be best described as an extensive public address system. The systems are designed to use pre-recorded or live voice communication to address people over a large area. "The system was conceived as a supervised voice evacuation system," said Mike Madden, national sales manager for Gamewell-FCI, Chicago. "The thought being that in large high-rise buildings, it was more effective to use voice commands and messages to tell people what to do and where to go. These systems were also designed so that an entire building was not evacuated at once, causing panic. Since they were originally part of the fire alarm system, all the same rules of supervision applied to ensure the system would perform in the event of a fire," Madden explained.
What qualifies as a mass notification system? Many in the industry get the feeling the definition is up for interpretation by the individual. But one thing remains clear—the systems, while ever changing, continue to reach broadly in new directions. "Without the advent of the technology boom, we would not be anywhere near the advanced notification systems that we have today," said Joe Kolakowski, director, Universal Alert, Newark, N.J.
From the wail of sirens to the buzz of a cell phone, ping of an e-mail or beep for your SMS text message, all these devices notify users. By allowing individual subscribers the ability to opt-in or opt-out has provided the notification business a huge new market," Kolakowski said.
"What is important about a true mass notification system is that recipients receive the information in a manner that is most relevant to him/her," said Omnilert's Crum.
The evolution of the system has been dramatic as seen in advertisements for early horn-like devices to current multi-tasking digital technology. "Earlier versions of the mass notification system were primarily based on the use of sirens and horns," said Universal Alert's Kolakowski. While the premise has basically remained the same, "Technology advancements have expanded the capability of voice evacuation systems tremendously over the years. For one, the ability to use fiber optic cable for transmitting voice messages over greater distances. Signals can be sent to multiple fire panels located throughout a site such as a campus," explained Kneen.
These are significant improvements, according to Madden, "Not only has amplifier technology improved and given way to digital voice, we have moved to addressable technology. Networking has become commonplace in larger types of systems allowing for communication via fiber optic cable. This has virtually eliminated interference from noise, lighting and electrical apparatus within the building."
What does the future hold? According to Kneen, "The mass notification industry will become more tightly regulated through the implementation of codes and standards that evolve over time to provide improved protection of people and property." Similar, he said, to how fire alarm industry codes have evolved throughout the years. Kneen quickly noted that this may be happening sooner rather than later as the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm Code, will add a chapter regulating emergency communications systems.
Karen Duane Johnson is a freelance writer and contributing editor to SD&I Magazine
author: By Karen Duane Johnson