Panic Room / Safe Room

Alarm Detection and Warning System

Should an attack occur it is important that an automatic alarm condition can be raised which not only generates an alarm warning inside and outside of the property but also is capable of relaying an automatic alarm signal remotely to the Police and Authorities. The remote signal should be capable of being relayed in a number of different ways such as by telephonic links, GSM and radio signals so that whatever means of attack is being experienced the alarm signal will still get through.

The alarm detection system should also be capable of continually detecting and monitoring the activity of any intruder whilst still in the building from within the Safe Room, so that there can be no element of surprise.

It is a fact that if the attacker is aware that help is on the way and time is short, he is likely to give up the assault at an early stage and the attack will therefore be unlikely to succeed.

Building Control

Consideration should be given to enabling control of many of the buildings functions - lights, air conditioning, heating, water supply, locking of doors and windows etc. to be overridden from within the Safe Room itself, giving the occupant total control over the building which can lead to the intruder themselves becoming the one under threat. A very significant psychological advantage.

Electrical Supply

Where possible the main power supply switches and fuse boards should be located within the Safe Room or failing that, a secure area over which a level of control from the Safe Room can be exercised.

In the event of an attack it should ideally be possible to control all power in the building from within the Safe Room so that the intruder is denied power but the occupant has it where needed.

In any event all critical systems should be capable of independent operation should the mains power supply be lost and this could include battery standby facilities as well as independent power generation.

Fire Alarm Detection & Extinguishing

An important consideration should be the ability to detect and monitor a fire anywhere within the building from the Safe Room so that appropriate action can be taken accordingly.

The Safe Room itself should have adequate fire extinguishers and suppression equipment and in addition in certain situations consideration should be given to the installation of automatic fire suppression systems throughout the building.

One very effective solution would be to have a suitable gas suppression system installed which would have the dual advantage of suppressing any fire within the building and also, due to the potentially lethal nature of the gas (it removes the oxygen from the room to extinguish the fire), it would act as an effective counter to the intruders themselves as they would have to vacate the building or suffer the consequences..

This is a complex area and Westminster would be pleased to advise further upon request.

Emergency Lighting

The Safe Room and other areas of the building should be provided with emergency lighting units so that in the event of mains failure to the lighting circuits the units will provide illumination. This should be controlled from within the room so that only areas required by the occupants would be illuminated. In the event of fire all escape routes could be illuminated automatically.

Clean Air Filtration & Pressurisation

If the likely risks dictate consideration should be given to the installation of clean air filtration units and oxygen generation devices in order that the occupants have practically unlimited access to clean air.

Where a gas or biological attack is deemed to be a threat then consideration should also be given to ensuring the air filtration equipment is capable of filtering harmful bacteria or gases and also that the room is pressurized so that no air can enter the room via doors, windows or other crevasses and the only air entering the room will be via the air filtration units.

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