Consulting-Specifying Engineer - April 2008 - (Page 24) and provides for signage to guide campus occupants to safety. The emergency response plan further explains how an emergency response team will be trained, and it lays out methods for implementing training activities with different simulated emergency scenarios. It also focuses on the cooperation and synergy required from local government, fire, police, medical, and disaster recovery personnel, and provides a methodology for accomplishing a total response to any type of crisis. Following the incidents at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, many states are in the process of enacting laws requiring that higher learning institutions develop an emergency response plan and annually have it reviewed by a qualified third-party auditor. Step 5: Test your operational readiness In the oil and gas processing industry, they call it keeping their processes “evergreen.” In other words, things change and so must your mass notification process. A campus is a growing, evolving community, from a structural, operational, and human standpoint. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly conduct periodic tests and evaluations of not only your mass notification process, but also your sub-systems, procedures, and emergency response actions. Keeping America’s campuses secure and their occupants safe is a monumental task, not without setbacks. No matter how prepared a campus is and regardless of how well-trained and vigilant the members of the emergency response team are, incidents can and will happen that take lives and cause injuries. But the frequency and severity of these events can and will be mitigated through proper application of mass notification technology. Sako is chairman of the board for Sako & Associates Inc., Chicago, and senior vice president for Rolf Jensen & Assocs. Inc., Chicago. SEPAM network protection Peace of mind comes standard. Monitoring electrical systems. Detecting abnormal conditions. Isolating problems. Eliminating downtime. That’s where Square D® Sepam relays come into play — reducing risk and ensuring operating efficiency. Our ANSI-rated Sepam relays not only improve service continuity, they’re also the easiest digital protective relays to install, commission and maintain in the industry. And they integrate into our PowerLogic® system for comprehensive energy and power management — from the circuit breaker to the enterprise level. Schneider Electric relays have been delivering peace of mind for more than 25 years. Find out how we can do the same for you. To learn more, call 1-866-466-7627 or visit www.powerlogic.com. Input #214 at csemag.com/quickResponse 24 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • APRIL 2008 http://www.powerlogic.com http://www.powerlogic.com http://csemag.com/quickResponse
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