Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

What Does It Take To Add Gunshot Detection Services To Your Facility?

  • By Allan Overcast
  • 05/01/18

You will need to look at your facility and identify what classrooms, hallways, entrances, and exits that you need covered. Decide how many sensors you need. Each sensor will detect within a certain range, for example 2500 square feet. Indoor sensors will generally be placed in hallways and entrances at an absolute minimum because statistics indicate that shootings occur or start in the entrances or hallways. In businesses you’re going to want to place sensors in areas where people congregate the most, because if a crime is going to be committed it generally will be focused in an area that has a larger populace. Examples would be in a lunch room or in a large open atrium area where a lot of your coworkers hang out.

The second consideration is, are you adapting your existing alarm panel or are you going to have to put in an additional network system to support the sensors? Some sensors have integrated contact closures that can tie directly into your alarm panel, therefore minimizing the need for an additional new system. You also need to determine how you want the message to go out. Look for sensors can send IP message notification over SMS, email, and other notification means.

In conclusion, when considering a gunshot detection system for your facility, the main focus should be the size of your facility, the number of sensors that you want to put in those facilities in the high-traffic areas, and the message notification style whether it’s alarm panel integration or and/or if it includes IP message notification.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management May 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Allan Overcast is owner/CEO of Shot Tracer Technologies, Inc. (www.shottracer.com). He can be reached at [email protected] or 866/636-8867.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.