Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2019 | Page 12

School Safety To this end, the DSSF’s Opening the Door to School Safety campaign is intro- ducing a new effort: the DSSF Ambas- sadors Program. This program is a tiered effort comprised of DHI members and DSSF supporters who are conducting specific activities on behalf of the Open- ing the Door to School Safety campaign. These activities will be aimed at further- ing the campaign’s goals and advocating against the use of barricade devices in school classrooms across North Amer- ica. DSSF Ambassadors could deliver presentations to related state and local organizations, identify and monitor state and local legislation, testify before state or local regulatory bodies, conduct local outreach to national partners and collab- orators, and more. A Call to Action Unfortunately, no school is ever fully “safe,” but if all sides of the table agree to keep safety in mind, everyone will be better off. Architects are key ambassa- dors in this initiative, as the design of a school can help to address issue of life safety and security. A holistic approach to school design and an understanding of what makes a classroom or building safe and secure — by including door security and safety professionals at the beginning — is a crucial step forward. As architects and facility profession- als, we need your voice at the table. “This issue requires all of us to take a stand,” says Jay Manzo, CPA, president, DSSF Board of Trustees, and presi- dent-CEO, H&G/Schultz Door. Learn More at EDspaces Jeffrey Loss, AHC, president of Donald A. Loss Associates, a mem- ber of the DHI Board of Governors and a DSSF Ambassador, will be presenting the session “School Secu- rity - Safety Behind Closed Doors” at EDspaces in Milwaukee on Friday, Oct. 25, at 9:30 a.m. In this session, Loss will take a look at the fire and life safety codes related to hardware selection and industry recommen- dations for securing classroom doors and providing safe spaces. Learn more and register for EDspaces at www.ed-spaces.com. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, please contact Sharon Newport, executive director, DSSF, at [email protected]. SHERI L. SINGER, is president of Singer Communications, a consultant to the Opening the Door to School Safety campaign. It was originally published in Door Security + Safety magazine and edited for this publication. Creating spaces for creative minds Visit us a EDSpa t ces BOOTH 226 www.gratnellsusa.com 12 essentials | fall 2019 E: [email protected] T: [phone] F: [phone]