Enforcing In-Building Radio Saves Lives - How to Get Started
Peter Weyhreter (Vice President, Gamma Electronics)
Track: School and Campus Safety
Topics: Broadband, In-building Coverage, Regulatory & Legal + Standards
Format: Power Session
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
Unfortunately, in many instances it takes a catastrophe to make us act and do the right thing. According to the AP News regarding the Parkland shooting, “From the first minutes of the shooting, the [communications] system repeatedly failed as more and more deputies tried to radio information as they arrived at the suburban Fort Lauderdale school.... Instead, the deputies got a tone that was the equivalent of a busy signal.” 17 - 14 students and three adults - died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that day. Teachers attempted to make 911 phone calls out of the school but couldn’t. Students bled out, because first responders thought the shooter was still active. It was a travesty. A functioning in-building Radio system would have helped to save lives. A functioning in-building cellular DAS would have allowed survivors to call 911 and inform police that the shooter was gone.
If you are unfamiliar with how and why you need to start enforcing in-building radio systems for 1st responders or for the public, now is the time to figure it out. It's critical that reasonable laws are passed requiring in-building communication. It should include 1st responder communication and cellular communication. Being overzealous on code compliance may hurt the in-building safety. Survivability of the system is also critical.
Takeaway
1. States should pass common sense regulation regarding in-building communications for first responders
2. Enforcing FCC and NFPA Code for in-building Emergency Responder Communications keeps us safe
3. Let’s be practical when enforcing and not require more than what the code states
4. There are resources available when learning about in-building code and ERCES / DAS