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Photo: Ingersoll Rand SPECIAL FOCUS K-12 SECURITY An indicator on the inside rose or escutcheon of the door which confirms that the outside lever is locked is extremely helpful in classrooms. Photo: Ingersoll Rand Schlage AD-Series locks overcome communications delays with a patentpending "wake up on radio" feature that works in parallel with the 10-minute heartbeat. 32 Classroom security locks have been a standard in many school specifications for years — not just for classrooms but for just about any room that would have had a regular classroom function lock in the past. These locks let a teacher lock the outside lever without opening the door to the corridor and have been required by law for California schools since July of 2011. Again, an indicator on the inside rose or escutcheon which confirms that the outside lever is locked is extremely helpful. There are also access control locks that are appropriate for classrooms that allow immediate lockdown from a central point, such as the office. Where total building or facility lockdown capability is desired, electronic locks achieve fast results. For new construction or remodeling, they can be hard-wired and connected to the building's computer network. In existing buildings and where hard-wiring is impractical, wireless electronic locks provide the same enhanced security. Both can be centrally managed through the computer network for fast, effective lockdown from any networked computer. Be aware though. One lockdown issue with some wireless technologies, such as WiFi, have the potential for communications delay. According to Gary Conley, the University of Virginia's Facilities & Systems Engineer, Office of Business Operations: "Usually with Wi-Fi, access control decisions are downloaded by the host into the lock 5-6 times per day. However, such limited (non-online) connectivity with the host limits the locks' ability to receive urgent commands from the host. For instance, even with a historical 900 MHz wireless platform, a direction to immediately lock down could be ignored for up to 10-plus minutes." Schlage AD-Series modular wireless locks overcome this issue with, a patent-pending "wake up on radio" feature that works in parallel with the 10-minute heartbeat. Without waking up the entire lock, it listens for complementary commands every one to 10 seconds and responds. Thus, 10 seconds is the longest it will take to initiate lockdown (Learn more about the product at www. securityinfowatch.com/10239498). Assembly Spaces – Large spaces like gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias and libraries typically have doors equipped with panic or fire exit hardware. These devices may be equipped with cylinder dogging or a trim control that is similar to a classroom security lock, allowing the doors to be locked without entering the corridor. To facilitate quick lockdown in a bank of doors, staff may want to limit access through one door or door pair while keeping the others locked on the pull side. If budget allows, electric latch retraction provides immediate lockdown. Tips for Integrators New, Innovative Products – Watch out for "innovative" products designed to make schools safer. Although these products may be based on great ideas with good intentions, many are not code-compliant. Ask for Help – As an integrator, you are not on your own. Manufacturers can put you in touch with a specification writer that can help advise you or write the specification for you. Manufacturers are also accelerating the number of complementary school safety seminars and webinars that it offers to school districts, emergency responders, architects and others. For instance, Ingersoll Rand offers one day seminars or one hour webinars entitled "Safe & Secure Schools" featuring Paul Timm, PSP (Physical Security Professional), one of the nation's leading experts in school safety. These interactive sessions present proactive solutions, many of which can be implemented at little or no cost during these challenging economic times. ❚ Lori Greene, AHC/CDC, CCPR, FDAI, is a codes and compliance expert and a door hardware specification writer for Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. Read her blog at www.idighardware.com. Request more info about IR at www.securityinfowatch.com/10215684. www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | September 2013