NAVIGATING SCHOOL LIFE SECURITY
When it comes to LIFE SECURITY1 and safety, how can you to be PREPARED & ACCOUNTABLE:
How do you NAVIGATE the new complexities of “Life Security” needs for Students and Schools when it comes to Active Shooter & Hostile Events2 concerns?
How can you be prepared and accountable within a reasonable budget and timeline?
By using the tried and true approach of enlisting the help of trained professional consultants we can analyze the needs and prioritize the implementations for the most effective and economical solutions that fit a reasonable budget considering several potential funding grants and programs .11
Here’s how it works:
1. Identify or establish a Life Security Leader and Team.
2. Enlist the help of a Certified Professional Life Security Consultant4.
3. Commission a Comprehensive Life Security Assessment and supplemental ComPASS3 floor plan.
4. Analyze and prioritize the needs and establish a long-range Master Plan of Life Security implementations along with an initial and annual budget line item.
5. Commission the Life Security consultant to create a first Phase implementation bid documents for competitive pricing, and implement that Phase.
6. Year by year revisit, periodically update the Assessment and continue on to the subsequent Phases moving forward. With this logical and organized approach you can become more prepared and accountable to the degree your Life Security Program is funded, based on your Masterplan and budget.
This approach ensures your Life Security Program will be:A. Organized and preparedB. Comprehensive and Master PlannedC. Professionally designed and implementedD. Competitively bid to be Budget friendlyE. Appropriate for accountabilityThis is the path to “The Best Defense”9 for your facility and organization.
How can we help you? As certified “Life Security” professionals, Architects and Engineers5 we offer the broad range of expertise necessary for an integrated Life Security facility project from start to finish and save you money in the process.
We are very passionate about providing comprehensive Life Security that saves money, rather than spending more than anyone can bear while reaching toward a relatively impossible ultimate goal.
Dennis Elledge RA, PSP, AIA is one of the very few licensed architects in the nation that also holds the Physical Security Professional (PSP) certification from ASIS. Since the response to Life Security needs has been relatively slow so far the majority of architectural community has not adopted intensive integration and tends toward principles associated with CPTED8 and its certifications. This area of design is very meaningful and is part of the PSP study, yet it is not comprehensive enough to appropriately address the broad ranges of Life Security needs, especially the more technical aspects.
Terms and Definitions
1LIFE SECURITY is defined as the area of security involved in the response to Active Shooter/Hostile Events as differentiated from Health/Life Safety, Fire Safety and Accessibility, commonly understood to be fire, building and accessibility code related. Even the term “Security” often invokes the concern and response of property theft, vandalism and burglary.
2Active Shooter & Hostile Events as identified and described in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) documents such as the 2018 NFPA 3000 (PS) Standard for an “Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program” and 2018 NFPA 730 Guide for Premises Security. These are part of the new wave of standards, guides and codes7 that address this relatively new danger (“since Columbine in 1999”).
3ComPASSTM is the supplemental and clarifying Comprehensive Preliminary Architectural Security Study that compliments the assessment.
4Certified Professional Life Security Consultant is the logical and required response to the newer Life Security situation. Unfortunately the early response to Life Security needs has been handled all too often by a wide variety of service providers with expertise and capabilities ranging from good to bad. Somewhat due to the new need, the providers already in the “security industry” and sometimes due to dubious character.5Certified “Life Security” professionals, architects and engineers, our staff hold professional architectural (RA) and engineering (PE) licenses and security professionals (PSP)6 from the appropriate agencies and organizations.
6PSP (Physical Security Professional) certification provided by the American Society for Industrial Security International (ASIS)
7Codes: there are numerous standards, regulations, guidelines, recommendations and coming building code requirements from a myriad of public and private sources (FEMA, DHS, OSHA, DOJ, NEA, etc.). The International Code Council’s (ICC) International Building Code (IBC) the national standard, has recently completed their initial research and recommendations to future modifications to the IBC, similar to the NFPA 3000 and 730. It is expected and reasonable that current and coming requirements will continue to clarify and formalize Life Security implementations. Any planned facility updates and improvements should comply with these requirements to me the efficient and meaningful, so that costly tear out and replacement is not necessary.
8CPTED: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a long time element of architectural health and life safety design especially related to site design and more recently with internal design where minor to major adjustments in site configuration and internal space planning are incorporated to encourage public involvement and naturally prevent harmful acts.9The Best Defense” is based on the approach where you have the right Life Security consultant comprehensively evaluate your situation, prioritize your needs, create a long range master plan of implementations and follow that plan as your reasonable budget allows.
10The Risky Business of DIY Security Design:
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/technology/the-risky-business-of-diy-security/11Funding grants and programs: 1% Tax allocation, matching Maintenance Funds, PTO groups, etc.
Landscape Plans and Landscape Architect Coordination
The Upchurch Group Inc. has been continuously involved in successful civil engineering work since 1968
a. With The Upchurch Group, you know you are getting the best possible service available for your project. Work with us to ensure long-term quality, safety, and stability.
Your safety and satisfaction is our top concern. That’s why our team of professionals is trained in seminars and classes to provide you with the latest solutions to fit your budget.
