BY TOM CHRONISTER
It happens all too often. An engine company pulls up to an electronic gate and fumbles through myriad pass code lists, keys, cards, fobs, and transmitters to gain emergency access to a gated property. The crew punches, swipes, pushes, or turns the prescribed device to gain entry, and nothing happens.
Seconds tick away as these first responders sit powerless, blocked by a mechanical gate designed to keep out intruders. But unimpeded scene access could mean the difference between life and death.
With few options, crews resort to tailgating a resident through the gate or asking the dispatch center for help. Calling back the original reporting party and getting the person to buzz the crew in is not expedient, and asking for the updated pass code over the air poses security concerns for the entire community, since the public has access to our radio transmissions.
The problem of emergency access to gated properties may never have been discussed in your community because it has never been a problem until now. There are eight basic ways for first responders to gain entry into gated areas: keypads, third party, locks, cards, visible/infrared light, sound, radio signals, and barcodes. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages.
Some departments have no problem keeping a set of keys, access cards, transmitters, and a current list of codes for all the apartment complex doors, gated walkways, and driveways in their first-due districts. But as communities continue to grow and gates become more prevalent, keeping everything up-to-date becomes more cumbersome.
MANDATING ACCESS
The demand for gated communities is at a record high, and the issue of emergency access will certainly increase. Without proper planning, such systems can adversely affect public safety response unless the use of emergency bypass systems on all electronic gates is mandated.
Some current emergency access ordinances written years ago do not consider recent advances in access control technology. Lexington, Kentucky, confronted an emergency access crisis in 1999 with 12 newly developed gated subdivisions. The city required around-the-clock staffing of each gated neighborhood during a 90-day study period to ensure emergency personnel would not be thwarted in answering calls for help. Eventually, the gates were equipped with siren recognition systems.
The San Leandro (CA) Fire Department requires “electric key switch control stations”; Irvine, California, and Pasadena, Texas, mandate the installation of a receiver system controlled by public safety radio systems that have an effective range of at least 100 feet on all electromechanically controlled gates. The Fairfield (CA) Fire Department has two separate mandates: Although lock box systems are required on all commercial properties, the installation of radio receivers that allow emergency vehicles to open gates by using existing public safety radio frequencies is mandatory on all gated community developments and residential properties.
Faced with growth and a trend toward gated neighborhoods, the Oxnard (CA) Fire and Police Departments worked together to specify an emergency access control system that would not require purchasing a new device to access these protected areas. The agencies agreed on a radio signal identification system. A patented receiver monitors 50 frequencies programmed into memory. Users coordinate radio microphone clicks with a visible indicator light to open gates (photo).
Radio signal identification is quick (less than four seconds) and secure. Receiver range can be set from within inches to about one-quarter of a mile away; handheld and vehicle-mounted radios can be used to open gates. An internal receiver log details which agency gained access when.
The number of gated systems will surely increase as people reconsider the priorities of safety and security at their homes and workplaces. Without proper emergency access controls in place, emergency response will be delayed because of lack of access.
Allowing a variety of individual electric gate systems in your community will only complicate the issue. In doing so, every emergency responder will be responsible for even more pass codes, keys, access cards, or transmitters. Some fire engine visors are overloaded with transmitters, and responders’ key rings can’t get much bigger. And what happens when these access devices become lost or stolen? Will you have to re-key the entire city or county?
There are simpler technologies that guarantee reliable emergency access through electromechanical gates and entry doors. Examine the options, and work with your allied public safety agencies to develop a comprehensive, holistic approach if none already exists.
TOM CHRONISTER is a certified protection professional (CPP) with ASIS International.
