How Access Control Can Help You Manage Emergency Response Evacuations and Lockdowns

Thankfully, worst-case security scenarios are still rare, but earthquakes and terrorist attacks aren’t the only things that trigger emergency procedures. In a world of increasingly angry protests and climate-induced flooding, there are more reasons than ever to ensure you are prepared for emergencies.

More and more reasons to order an emergency response
Traditionally, protesters want to be liked: their chaining themselves to railings is purely for the news. What matters is whether the people watching the news are sympathetic. Contemporary activism is increasingly focused on disrupting people’s lives as much as possible without apology. Last year, the founder of Extinction Rebellion saw footage of a woman begging blockade protesters to allow her mother’s ambulance to go to the hospital. He replied that even though he knew the patient was dying, he would stay where he was.

emergency response
Different emergencies require different responses from owners or managers. The three most common are evacuation, evacuation, and blockade.

Evacuation – The controlled and orderly removal of persons from a building.

Evacuation – The controlled and orderly movement of people to an enclosed area within a building, usually away from exterior doors and windows. This response could be triggered by a bomb threat in a neighboring building, a chemical spill, civil unrest, a weapon attack in the street, a nearby fire, or even a dangerous dog at large.

Lockdown – Locking of exterior doors and windows followed by evacuation to a safe area within a building; the purpose is to create a barrier between certain external threats and building occupants, delaying the progression of a problem in a building until police and other emergency responders arrive or the threat has been neutralized.

Keep the hassle out of the way from the start
If there is no external boundary around your building, the main entrance to that building is likely to be the first point of contact between your employees and visitors, and anyone who wants to give you trouble.

When selecting a target, the first thing a potential intruder scrutinizes is the way into the building. If you obviously have strong security measures, potential intruders will choose an easier place.

Access control, especially when integrated with other security technologies, can go a long way in preventing building intrusion simply by acting as a visual deterrent. If you can prevent a security breach from happening in the first place by simply making it appear impossible to succeed, then you’re less likely to need to deal with the consequences of trying.

More and more customers are choosing full height barriers for their turnstiles to achieve this. Not only can they act as a strong psychological deterrent, but they can also physically keep unauthorized intruders out, keeping the threat out of the building in the first place.

quarantine threat
If a hostile person has entered a building, one way to minimize the threat and damage caused is to isolate the person. Not only does this help prevent threats from passing through buildings or the perpetrator from hiding, it also makes it easier to direct police or other first responders to the area where the person is.

When connected to an access control system, Fastlane’s system can be controlled remotely from a central location, enabling administrators to lock interior, access-controlled doors to prevent free movement, regardless of the privileges provided. This immediately secures the building, preventing threats from leaving the building or entering other areas of the building.