The Locksmith Journal Jan/Feb 2019 - Issue 60 | Page 68

68 • SECURITYSYSTEMS PROUD SPONSORS OF THIS PAGE Securing and Safeguarding Schools for Long, Cold Nights » » WITH WINTER FINALLY IN FULL swing, Karen Trigg, business development manager of Allegion UK, discusses how to keep schools safe and secure during the darkest season. With the winter months comes poor weather conditions, darker mornings and longer nights – a far cry from the heatwave the UK was faced with just a few months ago. Many think the worse is over after Christmas, and the last thing they’ll want to be worrying about is whether they’ve left their school building secure. Yet, the early part of the year still sees an unfortunate rise in crime and burglaries, which is understandbale when you consider the additional protection that the cover of darkness provides, and that buildings may be empty if bad weather causes temporary closures. Luckily, there are a number of simple yet effective measures that facility managers can take to ensure their buildings remain safe and secure for that extra peace of mind. BEING PREPARED WITH A LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE Facility managers and other school officials responsible have a lot to think about in the build-up to closing for Christmas. The reopening for a new term is just as important. As well as festive assemblies, Christmas productions and so on, they also need to be thinking about safety and security standards and making sure they don’t slip amidst the festive antics. This caution must be extended into January and February. We may have had a mild December, but with snow and ice forecast for 2019, the new year is just the beginning. One of the best ways school security can be optimised is to make sure an effective lockdown strategy is in place. According to our recent survey involving more than 250 facility managers in the education sector, a surprising 27.1 percent said they don’t currently have a lockdown procedure in place. Implementing a lockdown procedure is critical to ensuring the protection of staff and students, as well as valuable equipment and the building, itself. There are many different types of lockdown strategies, all of which wield different benefits depending on the school’s unique requirements. Based on these judgements, it’s important to consider whether a manual, remote or centralised system is most suitable – or a combination of the three. Allegion is happy to discuss and advise on individual requirements with site visits. MANUAL LOCKDOWN Manual systems are the most recognisable and tend to be most common in schools. Possibly the most economical and cost-effective lockdown solution, mechanical locks rely on an individual having the physical key in hand to lock down a room or space. With two-thirds of all burglaries being attempted through a door, there’s a tendency to attack the cylinder lock first. As a result, it’s a good idea to check whether you need to upgrade the cylinders and lockcases in your doors to heavier-duty models. REMOTE LOCKDOWN For additional security, standalone electronic and digital locks can be used to reduce the risk of intrusion. These are ideal solutions for schools that want to upgrade lockdown systems but are reluctant to step into the costs of networked systems. The great thing is many of these locks can be installed, up and running in as little as five minutes and without a huge amount of technical knowledge. CENTRALISED Centralised solutions can be one of the most secure lockdown types, requiring only a single point of accountability. These systems are activated through a computer or LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | JAN/FEB 2019 smartphone. By simply pushing a button, all openings can be locked throughout the building. Whether the school operates on mechanical, electronic or combination systems, every school should have a lockdown procedure that determines or defines the state of each opening of the building on demand. This applies not only for if an emergency were to arise, but also for securing the school adequately when everyone goes home at the end of the day. This is particularly important over holidays-, when the premises will be emptier for longer than usual. LOOKING AFTER DOORS Often, dramatic changes in temperatures and weather conditions can cause doors to swell up or shrink down. Swollen doors may damage or hinder a door closer’s operation, or even jam the doors into place making it difficult to open or close them properly.