Protect Critical School Systems From Power Surges
Protecting children in our schools and ensuring their comfort is the highest priority in every community. It’s the reason school administrators and boards invest in valuable systems and equipment for communications, fire protection, security, and beyond. From the emergency call boxes in the parking lot, to the access control at the front door, video surveillance throughout the infrastructure, the critical fire alarm system, lighting, an intercom, and the HVAC system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) — a disruption to any of these could disrupt the safety and/or learning that schools rely on every day.
School Fire Alarm System Surge Protection
Because of the obvious importance of fire alarm systems, they are covered by every national and local fire code. If fire alarms aren’t functioning properly, schools can only operate under a costly “fire watch.” That means ensuring the uptime of fire alarm systems is a critical task for school administrators since damaged, non-functional systems can instantly stop school operations until they’re prepared.
Today’s fire alarm systems, and their controllers and fire panels, are sensitive electronic devices, often equipped with multiple sensor types, annunciators, and numerous communication features. Their sensitivity and interconnectivity, however, make them particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of power surges, which can quietly and invisibly cause damage until the entire system fails, resulting in urgent action to bring it back into operation.
Example: One of the largest K-12 school districts in the Southeast was plagued by fire alarm system failures. In a relatively short timeframe, the district spent $2,000,000 repairing and replacing fire alarm systems that were damaged or destroyed by transient surges. A technical team surveyed several of the schools and discovered there wasn’t any surge protection on the fire alarm power supply connections, nor was protection provided on the building-to-building data lines. In this case, correcting these protection errors significantly reduced the annual costs for repairing and replacing equipment damaged by power surges.
School Video Surveillance and Access Control Surge Protection
A secure school campus is essential, and that starts with an operational access control system for doors and gates as well as uninterrupted video surveillance. It’s how schools and universities mitigate risk, authorize entry, and review evidentiary records. Most security system providers will tell you that access control and video surveillance are the first layers of a security plan, but every unprotected security system is susceptible to damaging power surges and spikes. If an electrical event leads to a system failure for schools, the otherwise secure area is now vulnerable and open.
Access control systems and video cameras utilize numerous sensitive widgets, all of which can be damaged by a power surge or spike, whether individually or altogether. For complete protection of such vital systems, a cascading surge protection approach is highly recommended. With layers of surge protective devices (SPDs), schools are proactively shielding the safety and security operations they rely on every day.
School HVAC Surge Protection
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are an everyday lifeline, keeping campus temperatures regulated on the hottest and coolest of days. They’re the system all buildings rely on for healthy indoor airflow, ensuring optimal learning conditions and preventing illnesses related to extreme temperatures or the growth of harmful mold. When these systems are operating properly, it can lead to serious and/costly impacts.
HVAC outages can cause early dismissals or cancellations, poor air quality, possible health issues, and reduced learning. In addition to the conditions that students and staff may experience, administrators and boards may have to implement emergency measures to relocate students or provide temporary solutions, like portable AC units.
According to a 2020 study, 41% of schools reported issues with their HVAC systems, often due to aging buildings. Whether aging or brand new, shielding these systems is indisputable since all are extremely vulnerable to the effects of power surges and spikes.
School Electrical System Surge Protection
Supporting reliable, ongoing operations and activities at every school requires full protection of the campus electrical system. From the power supply, to the main distribution panel, sub panels, large-scale lighting systems, branch circuits, emergency power operations, and more — a school is a demanding electrical environment.
A typical building experiences a minimum of four power surges each day, most of which are never actually visible. However, these surges chip away at systems over time, degrading the equipment schools rely on. With professional-grade, facility-wide surge protection, schools reduce downtime and extend equipment life with a safe, shielded electrical system.
School Communication and Emergency Systems Surge Protection
Being connected and informed is a daily requirement for students and staff. Communication systems simplify and streamline message distribution, enhance safety measures for peace of mind and in emergency situations, and automate processes or announcements to greatly support staff with administrative responsibilities.
As schools continue to adopt new technologies for communication, upgrade safety features and systems, and ensure compliance, day-to-day network and data functions need to be shielded. Compact, modular surge protection for Ethernet, PoE, and PoE extender circuits is often ideal to support the protection of network switches and the widgets on the receiving end of power.
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