Euralarm : Safe and Secure Solutions for Smarter Cities
Juan les Pins. Following its 2014 General Assembly, Euralarm will host an international conference on “Safe and Secure Solutions for Smarter Cities”, on 13th May 2014, in Juan les Pins, France.
The key messages of the event will address how the Fire & Security Industry can contribute to three of the initiatives for “Smarter Cities”:
– Public Emergency Alarm & Response in Crisis situations
– Fire Safety and Security in Hotels
– Smart safety and security in cities in 2020
Participants of the conference will profit from the discussions and demonstrations. Key experts and influencers will outline current drivers and challenges as well as take questions from the floor.
1. Public Emergency Alarm & Response in Crisis situations
For some time now PEARS (Public Emergency Alarm & Response System) has been a significant topic within Euralarm. The project concluded with a successful demonstration on 15th October, 2013. The Euralarm Conference 2014 will provide participants with the opportunity to discuss with experts about question related to the benefits for society and industries. Insight into the topic will be provided by a demonstration similar to one in October given to the EU Commission. It will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts from the Alert4All project, civil protection and public alert project leaders from European countries.
Conference participants will be able to participate in an exploratory dialogue to centre on the following aspects:
– Within public alert scenarios, what is the role of domestic smoke alarms and security systems, alarm monitoring centres and commercial life safety and security systems coming from the industry represented by Euralarm?
– Will the wider use of intelligent notification systems including voice evacuation increase the safety level in general?
The electronic fire safety and security industry has gained with PEARS a new dimension of visibility. Now is the time to lever this opportunity towards new solutions for increased public safety.
2. Fire Safety and Security in Hotels
Tourism in Europe is a major industry providing hospitality services for travellers from all over the world and from all walks of life. Business people and tourists alike depend on the hospitality industry to provide safe and secure lodging. In 1986, the European Commission published the Council Recommendation 86/666/EEC to advance fire safety in hotels, but it received no recognition. In 2012, DG SANCO conducted a workshop and issued a questionnaire with a view to improving the situation. Since then, work has stalled, and the announced Green Paper was not published.
Eurostat figures from 2012 show approximately 212,000 establishments with over 13,000,000 beds. It is a safe assumption, that many establishments have defined concepts and deployed measures to keep their guests safe and secure. But how can a guest select an accommodation and be able to ascertain its relative safety and security? The conference will explore two specific areas, which together provide the peace of mind that every hotel guest deserves:
– Fire alarm systems should be the minimum requirement for any hotel, with larger structures requiring
additional audio and visual evacuation guidance systems.
– Video monitoring, access control and intrusion detection are necessary to enable hotel management in
restricting unauthorized movement and actions in their establishment.
Keynote speeches from hotel industry experts along, authorities and consumer representatives will outline various facets of the topic. Participants will be encouraged to submit comments and questions during the following panel discussion.
3. Smart safety and security in cities in 2020
As the world changes and technology advances, the demands of communities will change and evolve. The demands for more efficient use of energy and less wastage together with increases in population and changes in demographics will change the dynamics of our security. How safe and secure will cities be in 2020? Are our cities ready to become “Smart Safe Cities” by:
– Making use of the fire and security systems data?
– Using this data to protect lives and also save money?
– Implementing affordable Smart Safety & Security?
The conference will explore the questions of what the citizen of the future will expect for their families security; both in terms of critical infrastructure and their own personal protection. City authorities will need to plan for this expectation, but also match this with budget constraints. And the electronic fire safety and security industry needs to adapt and understand the “smart city requirements”.
by the Editorial Staff
