Mass Notification & Emergency Communication (MNEC)
MNEC is the capability to provide real-time information and instructions to people, in a building, area, site/campus, or location using intelligible voice communications including visible signals, building life safety/paging speakers, text, graphics and other tactile or communication methods.
Unexpected emergency situations in recent years have brought to light the need for improved security and safety through real-time, widespread communication. A Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System is the solution.
Mass Notification Solutions can be used for crisis communications, notification of hazards or hazardous conditions, and much more.
Mass Notification is the Department of Defense terminology for this type of system. In the public sector it is now referred to as Emergency Communication.
The Public Sector terms for the different types of Emergency Communication Systems are:
Thorough facility/campus vulnerability, risk and infrastructure analyses are critical in designing an effective Mass Notification and Emergency Communication System. The development of a Master Plan, Life Safety Plan, Security Plan, Communications Plan, Emergency Action Plan and a phased Implementation Plan are key.
An effective MNEC program must balance three design elements;
Code and UL Listing changes
NFPA 72 2010 will incorporate a new Chapter 12; Mass Notification and Emergency Communication Systems into the body of the code and will be very specific in requirements for these critical systems. Chapter 13 and 14 are expected to require Notification Appliance Circuits to be run in Conduit again.
NFPA 72 2010 National Fire Alarm Code is changing its name to the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code.
IBC (International Building Code) and UBC (Universal Building Code) are also undergoing changes to incorporate Mass Notification and Emergency Communication Systems. These revisions will dictate when and where a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System will be required.
The Technical Committees responsible for NFPA 72 have begun to address the issue of performance and testing by considering the adoption of all or part of ISO Standard 7240-19, Design, Installation, Commissioning and Service of Sound Systems for Emergency Purposes. However, the technical committees desire a more robust and detailed testing protocol. Further, a design guidance document is currently being finalized in the standards writing process of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). There is an immediate need for assessing the intelligibility testing protocols and intelligible system design guidance.
Mass Notification, the Department of Defense terminology for 'Mass Notification & Emergency Communications' is mandatory in ALL Department buildings regardless of size. All Federal Buildings are expected to follow in the very near future. When UBC and IBC are update later this year it is expected that all Campus style facilities, Malls, Airports etc. and large buildings above a predetermined people capacity will require a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System. A lot of campus style facilities have already opted to install Mass Notification & Emergency Communication Systems and others have it in their future planning.
NFPA 72 2010 will require all voice evacuation systems to be tested for intelligibility. The revised code will also detail 'how to do' a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System.
EST-3 is the first system to be listed under the recently introduced UL 2572 Mass Notification & Emergency Communication Systems resulting in the official release to market of the enhanced EST-3 Sixty System at NFPA 2009 in Chicago.
Code changes we are aware of;
| NEW Chapter 12 - Mass Notification & Emergency Communication Systems | May require up to 8 times the number of speakers to obtain ineligibility |
| NEW Chapter 13 & 14 - May need NAC Circuits in Conduit again | MNEC not to interfere with Life Safety functions of a system |
| Now allows integration of systems and remote access via internet | MNEC to display 'Alarm' on control panel |
| Requires MNEC control equipment to be UL 2572 listed | System must have dedicated Amplifier for MNEC |
| Specifies basic components of an MNEC System and details 'how to do' | To have unified messaging - same message displayed/broadcast by all media |
| Will require intelligibility as well as audibility | MNEC to have Graphical Command Interface |
| Will require sound modeling at design phase | HPSA Speakers (Big Voice) for outdoor paging to be UL 1480 listed |
| Will require intelligibility testing to the Common Intelligibility Standard (CIS) and eventually the Speech Transmission Index for Public Address Systems (STIPA) scale | HPSA to have it's own local control panel with PSU and Batteries for up to 72 hours standby and 60 minutes full load |
| Ceiling height may be speaker spacing using reduced output wattages | HPSA to be Hardwired or use IP or Wi-Fi encrypted connection to main control unit |
| Speakers to be 'in phase' | HPSA must be able to hold 60 mins pre-recorded messages and have 7 Standard Tones |
| Priorities change
to: 1. Special Suppression 2. Mass Notification 3. Life Safety 4. Property Protection 5. Supervisory 6. Trouble |
HPSA to have: 1.Tone Paging 2. Voice Paging 3. Live Paging 4. Local Paging |
For more detailed code changes, requirements and UL listings please do not hesitate to contact us.
Mass Alerting Made Simple
In the event of an emergency, informational and directional messages must be instantly available to widely-dispersed groups. Local notification is ordinarily utilized together with a multi-media approach to ensure that they reach the maximum number of people as quickly as possible.
Mass Notification/Emergency Communication is intended to provide details on what is happening and where, what to do, where to go and when it is safe via specific messages to specific locations/buildings.
The delivery of this information must be "on demand" at any time
and to anywhere required.
Mass Notification allows for messages composed in emergency
situations to be simultaneously displayed on LED signs, TV, as PC
Pop-ups, Cell Phone Text Messages, via email together with pre-recorded phone messages
and voice announcements via a building/campus Life Safety/Fire Alarm
System Speakers with Visual Notification via amber Strobe
Units etc. This
combination of notification through a Fire Alarm System,
email, text messaging and visual communication bridges the gap in
your crisis communication strategy by reaching people in public
spaces and near by neighborhoods etc.
A notification system is only as good is the contact data contained within. Uploading recipient data is not ideal, as data can be wrong (mis-keyed number or letter), false (purposely wrong data), or invalid (phone number has changed). Therefore, notification systems with opt-in data collection can validate data in real-time for all said errors and more. In addition, due to the escalation of unwanted email (spam) and unwanted calls (do not call list), notification system providers are weary of violating existing laws and/or blacklisting by 3rd parties who carry the notification. An opt-in process of collecting data harbors the provider from unlawful use, because each recipient is giving the notification provider permission to contact him or her.
A modern notification system is a combination of software and hardware that provides a means of delivering a message to a set of recipients. The complexity of the notification system is often dependent on the types of messages that must be sent. Notifying individuals when a building is on fire would require real-time interaction, escalation, scheduling, and fail-over scenarios.
Security of the system and system software are vital against jamming, spoofing, hacking and denial of service. The EST-3 Sixty MNEC System has proven secure and meets and/or exceeds Department of Defense requirements.
The goal of a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System is to reduce casualties and keep building/campus occupants and visitors out of 'harms way' during an emergency event.
There are numerous systems on the market claiming to be 'Mass Notification' and/or 'Emergency Communication' systems, from reverse 911 to paging systems and group email/text alerts. These are all key components of a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System but are not an overall system on their own. Likewise several Fire Alarm System Manufacturers claim their products do Mass Notification & Emergency Communication Systems. While they can support some/all key components of an MNEC System they are not UL 2572 listed (an NFPA 72 2010 requirement) to do MNEC.
It is not always feasible to replace existing systems so integration is key.
EST-3 Sixty offers Bi-directional interoperability of alerting systems, provides interconnection capabilities to make various analog, digital and IP based systems work together seamlessly, provides operations software to execute commands to alerting systems at multiple levels simultaneously while providing the stability to provide the interoperability glue to keep everything working together especially on a multi-vendor campus.
Most current systems on the market are only listed for monitoring, the EST-3 Sixty is listed for monitoring and controlliing.
A tiered approach is the preferred method to notification as it provides for flexibility;
| Tier 1 - Immediate & Intrusive | Tier 3 - Public Alerting |
|
|
| Tier 2 - Personal Alerting | Tier 4 - Local Relevant Alerting |
|
|
With a MNEC, there are 3 options for commands:
-
Evacuate Buildings/Areas
-
Stay in place
-
Relocate
EST-3 Sixty Major Components
 CCS
(Central Control Station) and/or ACU (Autonomous Control
Unit) EST3 with 3-ASU configured to make MNEC highest
priority |
 Genesis
Series FA Speaker Strobe with MNEC Alert Strobe |
 FA/MNEC
Local Operation Centers |
REACT Software
to effectively initiate, deliver and manage critical
communications in seconds |
 EST
Fireworks Graphical Command Interface |
Telephony Office-Linx Unified Messaging Server |
What Happens:
-
EST3 Fire Alarm is activated or a Manual input is made on Fireworks
-
FireWorks PC sends wav file and email/text message body to Teltronics TOLEE
-
TOLEE triggers SMS/email notification, Cerato IP callout and REACT notification
REACT resides on a different PC to Fireworks for the short term to comply with the UL listing but it is expected to reside on the same PC in the near future.
REACT is triggered via URL Links from Fireworks, these can be resident for TSA Button activation for manual actions or can be automatic dependant on programming and requirements.
Once MNEC operation is activated, a trained operator must maintain manual control over the system at all times. Under manual control, automatic notification signals are prohibited until the system is manually reset. Life Safety functions, such as remote/central station signaling, fan controls, and door control etc. will occur as programmed.
When is a Mass Notification System needed?
Mass Notification and Emergency Communication Systems have been proven to be critical to provide effective protection from;
- Security Incident
- Riot/Violence
- Industrial Accident
- Public Health Threat
- Fire
- Sever Weather
- Earthquake
- Bomb Threat
- Terrorism
- Chemical Release
- Cyber Threat
- Utility Outage
- etc.
Where is a Mass Notification & Emergency Communication System suitable for?
Mass Notification & Communication Systems are ideal for use throughout the following:
- Financial institutions
- Emergency Services
- Manufacturing Facilities
- School Districts
- Malls
- Government Facilities
- Metro Areas
- Education (Campus)
- Industrial/Commercial/Retail (Campus)
- Hospitals
- Airports
- Petro-Chemical
- Stadiums/Arenas
- Military Bases
- Casinos
- Mass Transit
- Hotels
- Ports
- etc.
How is Mass Notification & Emergency Communication achieved?
The number of ways to interact with technology has steadily increased. Advanced Mass Notification & Communication Systems support some and sometimes all of the following:
| Fire Alarm System | Television |
| Security System | Dynamic Building Signage |
| Paging/Music Systems | Dynamic Area/Road Signs |
| Telephone Systems | Access Control System |
| Civil Defense Systems | Camera (CCTV) Systems |
| Radio Systems (emergency and standard) | Computer & IT Systems |
Grants
Various Grants are available to help Colleges, Universities and Healthcare Institutions implement various First Responder Communications and Mass Notification Sub-Systems from both State and Federal sources.
Most promising grants:
-- DOJ: Byrne, Save our School
-- DOE: Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools,
-- Emergency Management for Higher Education
The recently signed 'Durbin Bill' (S.2043 Mass Evacuation Exercise Assistance Act of 2005) offers funding for MNEC for Colleges, Universities and Schools.
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) grants targeted towards regional preparedness, there are seven primary categories of DHS Grants that may be used to acquire MNEC services, systems and equipment. They fall under;
DHS Office of Domestic Preparedness
Authorized Equipment List
Category 13
Terrorism Incident Prevention Equipment
Sub-Category Information Technology
13IT-00-ALRT System
Alert and Notification
Other Grant Categories include;
FY06 Chemical Sector Buffer Zone Protection Program (Chem-BZPP)
FY07 Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP)
FY07 Infrastructure Protection Program - Intercity Bus Security (IBSGP)
FY07 Infrastructure Protection Program - Port Security
FY07 Infrastructure Protection Program - Transit Security (TSGP)
FY07 Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program
FY07 Urban Areas Security Initiative Program (UASI)
Stimulus Package opportunity is large.
Additional information on various grants that may be obtained from the following websites;
www.rkb.mipt.org and www.ntia.doc.gov/psic/
What does Performance Systems Integration Corporation offer as a GE Security Strategic Partner;
If you have any questions or need advice and/or assistance regarding Mass Notification & Emergency Communication Systems please do not hesitate to contact us at info@psintegrated.com or (503) 641 2222.
EST-3 Mass Notification
& Emergency Communication Systems Brochure
EST-3 Mass Notification & Emergency Communication
White Paper
ufc_4_021_01 April 2008 signed
FPRF
Intelligibility of Fire Alarm & Emergency
Communication Systems
Links to useful information sources:
