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ChubbConnect. A PR IL 2015 | 51 Security and Life Safety Systems PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY CHUBB EDWARDS Bespoke security and life safety systems deliver innovative solutions by ROBIN BRUNET I n an era of hypervigilance, distrusting one's neighbour and people being unable to shake the notion that society is spiralling downward, security and life safety take on a whole new importance. Even though the average person on the street is far more susceptible to breaches in cybersecurity, they are concerned about their own skin – in a literal sense. It may be a case of overreaction, but the Parliament Hill shootings have been a cause for concern among building owners in the com- mercial as well as institutional sectors. As a result, they are increasingly turning to companies such as Lobo Consulting Services Inc. for help. As a security specialist, Lobo has worked on over 30 correctional facilities, more than 45 courthouses and over 90 police facilities. It has developed the Security System Standards/Guidelines for the Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services in Ontario, and much of its expertise in this sector has been transferred to the health care and education sectors. Specifically, Lobo co-founder Colin Lobo provides full security system assess- ments, analyzing the function and life cycle of existing security technology and equipment. From there, he and his team provide full engineering design services Safe & Sound for touchscreen control, video surveillance, access control, intercom, audio surveil- lance, perimeter security, intrusion detection and many other security aspects. Lobo is busy with numerous projects this year, including the 17-storey exten- sion on St. Michael's Hospital in Ontario and construction of three new ErinoakKids health-care facilities. Of the former, he says, "Our job is to help ensure the protection of patients and provide staff with a better working environment." A few examples of Lobo's solutions include patient wandering systems – in which those suffer- ing dementia wear ankle or wrist tags that sound an alarm when they try to pass beyond designated boundaries – and access systems on doors frequently used by staff that free them from the time consuming and frustrating practice of fumbling for the correct keys. This is all in a day's work for Lobo; however, of late he is becoming increasingly involved with clients on what he calls "active shooter scenarios," with the outcome being that his company designs buildings with different lock-down areas that would mitigate the movement of gunmen. "We're being called in for both new builds and retrofits," he says. "It may be a grim reflection of the times we live in, but in some ways it should be comforting to know that building owners are mindful of potential threats and act accordingly." Of course, building owners have always had a critical need to keep their premises secure, not only to protect employees but also to maintain costs. Chubb Edwards has built its business on constantly evolving proven systems and developing new ones for clients. And in 2015, one new product that merits special attention is ChubbConnect. Used in conjunction with Chubb Edwards' ULC-listed monitoring service, ChubbConnect allows users to remotely view system status and monitor activity at their business through smart phones, tablets and computers. "ChubbConnect also allows users to remotely arm and disarm the system and watch live and recorded video," says Randy Krzak, VP marketing and technology at Chubb Edwards. "They can ensure that everything is running smoothly in their absence with easy-to-use web and mobile interfaces." Utilizing IP, cellular and Wi-Fi communication channels, dedicated wireless sig- nalling provides a continuous connection to the Chubb Edwards monitoring centre, even if a phone line or power is disabled. Krzak calls ChubbConnect "a lifestyle enhancement service. By leveraging the connectivity provided by smartphones and mobile devices, it provides peace of mind with the added benefit of convenience." However, as game changing as the growing number of interactive solutions may be in the security field, Krzak stresses that this doesn't negate the need for profes- sional monitoring such as that provided by Chubb Edwards. "Interactivity delivers additional information and convenience to the user, but a professional monitor- ing service is still an absolute requirement to facilitate a timely and appropriate response to identified events and emergencies," he says. In a similar vein, while Houle Electric's security systems division has grown due to the company providing solutions that fully integrate all aspects of security operations, Houle is equally focused on providing full service and support for all aspects of a security system, including data networks, automated building controls and lighting systems. Tyco has been delivering innovative solutions to unique business problems for over half a century, and during the past few years it has been deploying what it calls Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities to over 4,000 retail locations, including some of the world's largest store chains. The IoT platform transforms data from traditional facilities-oriented systems into highly valuable business intelligence; customers collect this data from installed sensors and devices, and with it they can perform advanced analytics, thus creating numerous "smart service" possibilities addressing inventories, store traffic and even cus- tomer behaviour. Such interconnectivity for a wide range of intelligent devices, systems and services will become increasingly prev- alent in the business and other sectors, according to Peter Dyk, director, product management and engineering for Tyco Integrated Fire & Security. "In fact, we're calling it the wave of the future," he says.