Rapid Access: How To Balance Safety and Security
If you want to defend a site from an intruder, the most straightforward and effective method is access control. Restricting who can enter a location ensures no one dangerous does so. But the process of approving an entrant is typically time-consuming. In an emergency, you can’t afford to wait. This creates a careful balancing act between safety and security. To resolve this concern, you must understand both sides of the problem.
Rapid access for safety
When lives are at risk, such as in a fire or dangerous intruder scenario, it’s critical first responders can get to the emergency quickly. Time spent circumventing security takes precious seconds where an innocent person may live or die. Essentially, ease of access is vital.
Rapid access prevents delays in emergencies like fires, medical crises, etc. Without it, the odds of someone being seriously injured or dying within a secure area are significantly greater than in more public areas. But making a site easier to access is inherently less secure.
Access control for security
One of the best ways to protect a site from potentially dangerous intruders is access control. Imposing limitations on who can enter a given area — and under what circumstances — is crucial to protecting a location and the people within.
Access control is effective in deterring:
Thieves who might be interested in proprietary information or equipment. While not inherently a risk to individuals, they’re harmful to any business. There’s also the risk of a robbery gone wrong leading to injuries or death.
Imposters who might try to interfere with the work, equipment, or employees at a site. This threat is especially common in hospitals, where the majority of infant kidnappings are carried out by imposter nurses.
Active shooters who smuggle weapons into a secure area for the express purpose of hurting others. Access control prevents outsiders and offers opportunities to screen for weapons before granting access.
These threats and more are well worth the hassle of requiring identification to enter secure areas. But getting through access control takes time, which usually isn’t abundant in an emergency.
A delicate balancing act
You must protect your site from potentially dangerous outsiders, but you also need to keep it accessible to emergency responders. As contradictory as these two truths are, both must be acknowledged. One way to account for this is by offering an emergency rapid access system for first responders.
These systems create a bypass for access control. Of course, any intentional vulnerability in the system can be exploited by threats. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure the bypass is available only to emergency responders. KnoxBox is an example of an effective system.
KnoxBox
The KnoxBox rapid access system restricts use to emergency responders. A building is provided with a lock box to attach on the outside. Within this box is a bypass key for access control. Emergency responders are given a master key for all KnoxBox users.
In an emergency, responders can bypass the access control system by using their key on the box, which enables them to gain access much faster than if they had to be let in by authorized personnel or, worse, break down the door.
To keep unauthorized persons from using the bypass, KnoxBoxes are highly tamper-resistant. This ensures the best possible security without compromising safety.
Access control versus rapid access. While the two seem mutually exclusive, systems like KnoxBox can bridge the gap. For the optimal balance of safety and security, consider utilizing these systems at your site.
To learn more about how a KnoxBox can protect your business, school, facility, or organization, call TRL Systems at (800) 266-1392 or email info@trlsystems.com.