 It’s been ingrained in us that we shouldn’t use elevators in the event of a fire. However, according to a recent story on SecurityInfoWatch.com, both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) are looking at their use in evacuating people from high-rise buildings.
Concerns have long been raised that elevators could end up being deadly because of power failures, ventilation issues and other problems. However, in light of the proliferation of increasingly tall buildings, experts are considering whether elevators housed in properly constructed shaftways could be used to rapidly evacuate buildings. The article notes that in the 16 minutes before the South Tower of the World Trade Center was hit on September 11, 2001, three thousand people were safely evacuated by elevator. It’s important to note that elevator use is only in the proposal stage right now. Until guidelines change, you should never use an elevator when evacuating a building. Dan Torpey, a DGA senior security consultant and fire systems expert, noted, “The nature of water, fire damage and equipment failure can make elevators a life threatening environment. The NYC Fire Department still advises the public never to use elevators during a fire.” Could elevators eventually be used for evacuations? DGA’s Torpey goes on to say, “These standards would require a fire rated and protected enclosure so that the car or shaftway would not be exposed to fire or water damage. That would certainly make an elevator car safer during an emergency, but these codes have not been adopted yet nationally.” ASME will be holding the Symposium on the Use of Elevators During Emergencies in December to review proposed code changes.  Habitat Magazine, a publication for condo and co-op board members and property managers, has an article in this month’s issue about properly securing multi-tenant residential buildings. The magazine interviewed several property and security experts including DGA Security Systems vice president, Daniel Oppenheim, who spoke of the trend toward replacing traditional keys with electronic access control systems using cards or fobs.
The article highlights several problems with using keys that can be solved with access control: Difficulty tracking of keys: It’s not unusual for tenants to ask for multiple keys. The article notes one tenant who requested 12 keys so their dog walker, cleaning woman and all their other service people could gain entry. Once keys are distributed, it’s impossible to keep track of them. The fact that tenants can often make their own copies only makes matters worse. And when tenants move out, they may take keys with them. In order for a keyed system to stay secure, management needs to frequently change locks which is expensive and inconvenient. With an access control system, the building manager can remotely disable any card when it should no longer be used, such as when a tenant moves out. Temporary cards that stop working on a specific date and time can be issued for visitors. If an access card is lost or stolen, it can be immediately rendered useless. Different keys for each lock: Buildings may have separate keys for the main entryway, service entrances, common areas and each tenant’s apartment. This is inconvenient for the residents who have to carry multiple keys, and even more so for building manager. With an access control system, one card gives each user access to all approved areas. Permission to open specific doors can be changed at any time without having to replace cards. Anonymous access: A keyed system does not let you track who came and went and when. An access control system provides a detailed record of when a door was access and by whom. When people are aware that their movements aren’t anonymous, they’re less likely to do things they shouldn’t. Access control records can also enhance the value of video surveillance footage by helping put names with faces and identifying cardholders who may have loaned their cards to non-residents. On top of these benefits, access control systems are simply more convenient. When authorized individuals wave their cards near the proximity reader, access is instantly granted. Consider this when you’re trying to get in your building or apartment with arms full of shopping bags. The sophisticated nature of an access control system can also give a building cachet. But most importantly, it shows that management and the board takes the security of its tenants seriously. Not all access control systems are created equally. DGA’s managed access control service, DGAPass, is simple, scalable and highly reliable. Unlike other systems, there’s no computer hardware to install and no complex software to learn. All administration is handled by our DGAPass Access Control Department. To add or remove cardholders or make changes, simply call us 24 hours a day. For more information on DGA’s managed access control services, please contact us.  JCK Online recently reported on a jewelry store owner who is putting live scorpions in his display cases. The scorpions—black scorpions from Southeast Asia—were originally put in the displays at the South Lyon Jewelry and Watch stores as part of a southwestern theme, but when the owner, Scott Ward, removed the critters, customers demanded them back.
While the scorpions are present for decorative purposes, Ward notes that they work as an effective deterrent to would-be thieves. “You’d have to be insane to stick your hand in the showcase.” We’re always open to innovative ideas to improve security for retailers without adversely affecting a salesperson’s ability to sell. However, instead of scorpions, we recommend our GemControl service. With GemControl, each employee is given an electronic key fob (instead of a scorpion) which they use to unlock displays and cases. You specify which cases an employee can open and at what times of day. Authorized users can open and close cases very quickly and every access attempt is logged to a database; employees know that they can’t access a case anonymously. For more information on GemControl and DGA’s other non-scorpion-based security solutions for retailers, contact us today. 
According to the just-released Global Retail Theft Barometer study, retail shrinkage was down slightly in the most recent 12-month period. Spending on loss prevention and security increased 29% during the same period, the first increase in three years. According to Professor Joshua Bamfield of the Centre for Retail Research, which produced the study: “The correlation between increased security spending and a global 5.6 percent reduction in theft is very significant. It highlights the importance of continued advancement and improvement of loss prevention programs, as reducing theft is key to the success and growth of retailers’ businesses.” Shrink still accounted for $107 billion in losses globally. In the United States, shrink costs the average family $423 per year. The highest shrink was found in the following markets: - Apparel
- Groceries
- Health and beauty
The leading causes of shrink continue to be shoplifting and employee theft. In North America, more than a quarter of the thieves apprehended were employees. The study noted that to prevent losses, about 1 in 5 retailers is now either displaying merchandise in locked cabinets or shelves, or using other types of locked boxes and alarms. DGA’s proprietary CaseControl and GemControl systems provide a highly effective means of securing merchandise from customer and employee theft, while helping salespeople sell more by removing cumbersome obstacles. DGA can help reduce your exposure to losses with a variety of security systems tailored to your particular business, including intrusion detection alarm systems, video surveillance and access control. Contact us today to learn how DGA can help you. Photo by Matthew Berggren via Flickr New York is a hotbed of activity for Internet entrepreneurs. For most startups, their key asset is the thousands of lines of code they’ve written and stored on their companies’ servers. Loss of data or loss of network hardware can be devastating, so businesses need to take steps to minimize their risk and exposure. Data backup including offsite storage is part of the equation, of course, but companies also need to protect their server room from losses due to malicious and other acts. That’s why DGA created ServerGuard. ServerGuard’s combination of access control and environmental monitoring provides prevention, warning and tracking to help avert disaster. ServerGuard’s access control component means that you can control who has access to the server room. Every access is logged to a secure database at DGA’s monitoring center, so you can see who has been in the server room and when. In addition, ServerGuard’s environmental sensors can send alerts when temperatures or humidity are outside predetermined acceptable limits or when water is present. ServerGuard can communicate with DGA’s secure monitoring center even if your network goes offline. ServerGuard isn’t just for startups, of course. Any company that’s dependent on its computer systems and network can benefit from its protection. For more information about ServerGuard, please contact us. From your favorite local eatery to a small graphic design firm, small businesses are literally everywhere. Crain’s New York reports on data from the U.S. Small Business Association indicating that the five boroughs of New York City represent the 2nd highest number of small businesses in the U.S., behind only Los Angeles. With the number of small business loans recovering and the economy hopefully turning a corner, now might be the time to start your own venture. If you do so, don’t forget to consider your security system needs. From alarm systems to simple access control and video surveillance systems, DGA’s managed security services take the worry, and the hassle, out of security for even the smallest businesses.  For most of us, this week’s rains and cool temperatures were a welcome relief in the midst of what’s been a brutally hot summer. Unfortunately in many areas, the downpours flooded roads and basements because the ground was too dry to absorb the rain.
Water damage can destroy inventory and equipment and be costly to your business in many other ways. You can minimize or even prevent losses with environmental monitoring. DGA will install water, temperature and humidity sensors that are monitored 24 hours a day at our award-winning monitoring center. We can alert you by phone, email or text message when a sensor reports trouble. Contact us for more information about DGA’s environment monitoring.  This weekend there was yet another story in the news showing how a video surveillance system helped save a business from a hefty lawsuit.
A 72-year-old woman and her 68-year-old caregiver recently staged a slip-and-fall accident in a grocery store in Florida and then sued the store for $300,000. When planning their scheme, the two must not have considered the store’s surveillance cameras. The whole incident was caught on video and now the women are facing up to 35 years in prison. For information about DGA’s video surveillance solutions, please contact us.  Earlier this month, a town in southern California passed an ordinance stating that the police need a “visual non-police on-site verification of suspicious or criminal activity” before they will respond to alarms caused by tripped sensors. There’s no such ordinance on the books yet in New York City, but police departments everywhere are lowering the priority they put on alarm signals because of the cost of responding to the high-incidence of false alarms.
We understand the need for fiscal restraint, but such measures are of little comfort to our customers who are trying to keep their businesses safe. Our DGA AgentCheck service helps give our customers the peace of mind that all alarms are taken seriously. With AgentCheck, our own trained, uniformed agents will investigate alarms and report their findings back to our monitoring center. The agents will survey the interior and exterior of your facility or just the exterior, depending on the level of service that you select. Contact us to learn more about AgentCheck.  According to the Labor Department, the unemployment rate rose in July to its highest level in six months. Letting employees go is never easy. Oftentimes, these people are not just our coworkers; they’re our friends. Still, companies have to be prepared that a laid off or fired employee represents a potential security threat. Whether disgruntled or desperate, a person who has lost his job may be inclined to retaliate.
Many companies protect themselves with access control systems—also known as card access—that prevent unauthorized people from unlocking various doors throughout a facility. When an employee is let go, an access card’s rights should be immediately revoked so that the card won’t open any doors. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. The person responsible for updating the system may not be available or familiar with the access control system’s management software, or may even be the one who is losing a job. It would be a lot easier if you could update your access control system with one phone call. That’s exactly why we created our DGAPass managed access control system. DGAPass addresses all of these issues so you can take full advantage of the benefits of access control. There’s no complex computer hardware or software to maintain, because all DGAPass systems are managed remotely by the DGAPass Card Access team. We’re available 24 hours a day, every day. If you need to modify or delete a card’s rights, just call us. As soon as the change is entered, the system is immediately updated. And because we’re security experts, we let you get more out of your access control system, including extensive reporting via our web portal, and email alerts when specific doors are accessed. Managed access makes sense at any time: You focus on your business and you let the security experts focus on keeping you, your employees and your property secure. But managed access and managed security services in general can be especially beneficial during uncertain times when your security needs are constantly changing. For more information about our DGAPass managed access control system, please contact us. | |
