Brivo secures access for EMS company
12 June, 2014
category: Corporate, Smart Cards
Star EMS, in Pontiac, Mich., had a problem. The company, which has 34 ambulances, was receiving more than 100 intercom requests per day for access to its facility.
“Years ago, we were pretty much an open building. But we’re in a heavy pedestrian area, so to increase safety and security, we locked all our external doors and garage doors and put in an intercom system,” said David Miller, vice president of Operations for Star EMS. “With this system, people had to buzz in and we had to question them before we allowed access to the building.”
The company decided to look into a physical access control system and opted for Brivo OnAir cloud-based access control management to provide 24/7, 365 security for its ambulance and EMT operations base. National Technology Management is the Brivo dealer and installer for this project.
After deciding on Brivo, Miller worked with a time card vendor so that employees’ access cards would serve as time and attendance cards as well. Now, employees swipe into the building and wave the same card in front of the time and attendance terminal. Access to the building and time and attendance recording are now automatic.
Star EMS uses their Brivo cloud-based system to manage 233 active users, who include full and part-time employees, long-time vendors, and guests who have are well known and pre-cleared. Access is managed for the facility’s four external doors and an internal door to the main records room. Staff, vendors and visitors are divided into 12 groups, each with specific and different day, time and location access privileges.
Miller and the dispatch staff carefully monitor the system’s weekly reports, reviewing all users and all activity looking for anything out of the ordinary. Miller is pleased with the system’s control and flexibility and he especially appreciates the ability to deactivate an access card immediately—keeping the facility under tight control and enhancing security for all. The Brivo system is programmed to send Miller and other staff automatic alerts in the event of any failed entry through improper card use.
“Now we know who is in our building and who isn’t. Our dispatchers can focus on their primary functions and not buzzing people in a hundred times a day. We still have the ability to question people without cards on their need to enter our building,” Miller added.