With mass shootings on the rise in the United States, efforts to better understand, prevent and deter active shooter incidents are becoming the norm. There is now a heavy focus on helping organizations, agencies, and schools to implement change to prevent loss of life and decrease response time. Although every active shooter scenario varies, there is a similar pattern: the attacker gains access to a facility, and once inside, they are free to wreak havoc. What many facilities lack is actual physical protection against active threats. Multi-sensor cueing combined with orchestration can provide an array of options for recognition and reaction in the form of threat identification, lockdown, and emergency instructions using a variety of notification services (i.e., networked public address, intelligent signage/displays).

As a refresher, orchestration, as supported by the Blueforce software platform, is a means for one of more sensors, combined with recognitional logic (i.e., rules, multi-variant threat detection, and even machine learning models) to autonomously trigger content, broadcasts, and even physical actions to occur based on threat severity. Edge-based “mosaic” systems like Blueforce, enable any open/standards-based sensors to dynamically communicate with other sensors, but also in-stream analytics and/or AI driven recognitional driven algorithms. This system of systems approach can deliver one or more coordinated actions that drive safety, survivability, and operational efficiencies in mitigation and response.

Blueforce has partnered with Wi-Fiber and BarricAid Technologies to bring novel sensor fusion and orchestration for campus security to the 5G edge. 5G with its ultra-low latency, combined with massive bandwidth, is enabling true sensor fusion, cueing, and orchestration at millisecond(s) speeds.

Blueforce is proud to announce the new BarricAid Plugin for BlueforceEDGE. BarricAid is a patented device designed to protect classrooms in the event of an active shooter. The device is built to retrofit nearly any classroom door within a school. Each unit has its own direct cellular connection, allowing it to be controlled remotely and monitored in near real-time. The system only allows a BarricAid lock to deploy if the door to a classroom is closed. This approach allows students to seek shelter inside of a classroom, if doors are open; or to flee to the nearest exit, if not. The strength of the BarricAid is designed to restrict entry to the classroom while engaged.

Using the new BarricAid Plugin for BlueforceEDGE, any sensor(s) and/or recognitional support AI outcomes can autonomously trigger a lockdown of a part, or the entire campus, when a threat is detected. With support for more than 350 sensors from more than 120 manufacturers amongst the Blueforce IoT and AI ecosystem, Wi-Fiber MECs, arrays of gunshot sensors, environmental sensors, ALPR, and even object identification AI models can trigger lockdown when used with BarricAid Technologies door locks. Now, with new BarricAid Plugin for BlueforceEDGE, single or arrays of sensors combined with multi-variant threat detection from the Blueforce IoT ecosystem can autonomously trigger a lockdown when seconds matter. Our orchestration engine can simultaneously flip content on Samsung MagicINFO enabled displays and other directional support technologies to provide mass instructions in an emergency.

Core features of the BarricAid Plugin for BlueforceEDGE include:

• IPM interface: Blueforce’s patented fusion engine with “inter-process messaging” interface is built-in to the new plugin and allows any sensor(s) and/or multi-variant threat detection algorithms from the Blueforce ecosystem to trigger action, to include full or partial lockdown.
• Automated messaging: On threat detection and/or lockdown, the plugin can send Blueforce mass broadcast messages as well as email/SMS messaging to groups of individuals, agencies, and incident responders.
• NG911: When used with an SMS gateway, Blueforce threat detection messaging can be automatically sent to any SMS endpoint to include forthcoming NG911 interfaces.

The BarricAid Plugin for BlueforceEDGE is entering beta testing now. Agencies and organizations that would like more information may contact us using our “Request a Demo” form, or by sending an email to info@blueforcedev.com.