Posted by Dave Fowler on Tue, Jan 20, 2009 @ 08:46 AM
Last week the
Miracle on the Hudson drove home the importance of everything coming together to turn what could have been a disastrous loss of life into a celebration of a hero. Once the birds hit the plane there was no time for reading a manual, no time for a call to the tower to ask for help, no time for second guessing. A less experienced pilot may not have been able to react so quickly, may not have known all the things to look for or the order to run them.
Not all emergencies are as extreme as landing a plane on a river but each situation brings its own challenges and urgencies. While we would like to believe that all of our security professionals are equally trained for every situation we also know the reality is we are not. Faced with a variety of situations we could use a little help from our technology. That's where PSIM comes in. It's not all about collecting and displaying information from multiple systems. That's important, but more importantly it's about a quick and safe resolution to the situation. In an emergency, when time matters, for a PSIM solution to effectively address a situation it can't be a partial solution, it needs to address at least four basic services:
- Collecting information from a variety of devices and systems in real time.
- Analyzing the information to identifying situations.
- Providing a visual of the situation for verification.
- Providing instructions or executing actions to help resolve the situation.
The few seconds saved up front by collecting the right information early in the emergency and being able to verify it quickly so you know what you are facing can shave minutes or more off the response time downstream. In resolving a situation quickly, it's not just knowing what to do, it's making sure you are chasing the right problem.
While all emergencies we face may not be critical or life threatening, when you are the victim or need help, it may seem that way to you.