Increasing classroom safety is a top priority at Skyline College. Public Safety personnel can already remotely lock down many campus buildings at a moment’s notice. The District is now implementing improved security measures for securing individual rooms within our buildings.
In phase one of the project which was completed this summer, many classroom door locks were equipped with a push-button, which allows faculty and students to quickly lock the classroom door from the interior in an emergency. An additional benefit to faculty and staff of the new push-button lock is that it is now simpler to secure doors when closing a room, as it eliminates the need for a key when locking the door from the exterior.
In the next phase, this push-button locking function will be extended to include study rooms, conference rooms and offices to provide quick locking from the inside without a key. This installation is to be completed this winter.
Lastly, a code-compliant security solution is being devised for future installation at doors with panic bars (“crash bars”) as well as for doors with electrified locks ACAM (Access Control and Alarm Monitoring). While doors with electrified access currently can be remotely secured by Public Safely, the new emergency device to be installed will enable individuals to quickly secure the door from the inside, even before Public Safety has been notified of a crisis situation, thus saving precious moments.
Article by Virginia Rocha
