Specializing in the operations, procedures and efficiencies of large campus sites or small institutions, PSE offers assessments and planning for physical and electronic security and access controls, communications systems including structured data and telecommunications with audiovisual and video systems, and fire alarm/fire protection and life safety including code compliance.
Hardened physical security recommendations include traffic control and intrusion prevention, and critical infrastructure evaluation’s meeting homeland security directives. Our electronic security conforms to FIPS, CFATS (Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards), ASIS Physical Security Professional (PSP), UL 294, Proprietary/Central Receiving Stations (landline, fiber and wireless monitoring and command centers) and often incorporates RFID, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and RF for personal alarm and arrest systems. Electronic security evaluations include legacy access control migration to FIPS standard smart card rollouts with multifactor authentication. Industrial security applications include the use of supervised programmable logic control systems, touchscreen control technologies, analysis of membrane control technologies, and smart mobile device control/monitoring.
We will assess the likelihood, nature, and consequence of acts, events, or existing conditions that would threaten the sustainability of a facility. Once an assessment is complete, we will issue appropriate recommendations to ensure the survivability of a facility. The following steps are part of our Facility Hardening process:
Communication systems evaluations include infrastructure and improvements to networks/systems conforming to Motorola grounding for public safety, to CISCO enterprise certification recommendations for networks, and AVISTA standards audio/visual Certified Technology Design (CTS-D) including Dante, AVB, advanced protocol communications/AV system and infrastructure reviews. PSE remains one of the oldest acoustical and noise & vibration control (N&VC) firms continuously providing consulting on an engineering level in the US. K-12, college, university, community college and science center-based education is evaluated using our superior acoustics, sound reinforcement, ADA accessory, and microphone/midi/program analysis for flexible and programmable high intelligibility and clear communications for both large conference rooms and entire campuses. For industrial communication systems PSE includes evaluations meeting Cisco or equal enterprise level network recommendations, structured cabling system evaluations, programmable logic control systems with multiple proprietary communications bus protocols, fiber infrastructure and enterprise-wide distribution, sustainability including redundant paths, mission critical power generation/ATS/UPS requirements and fire protection and detection recommendations for computer/server rooms including incipient/smoke/heat detection and multistep pre-alarm protection.
PSE provides fire protection (sprinklers and pumps), fire alarm (detection and ECS/BDA systems) and life safety (evacuation, shelter-in-place, area-of-refuge, and first responders) recommendations based on NFPA/IBC/local codes. Hundreds of high-rises, mid-rises and low-rise building evaluations of life safety conditions and fire alarm and protection conditions have been completed by PSE in the last 35 years. These include alarm system integrity and reliability meeting the sustainability requirement of newly approved NFPA 72, UL, MSA, and CSA approved cabling, pathway survivability guideline evaluations, and emergency communication system compliance including Articulation Index compliance with wired and wireless communication requirements. Comparisons of existing code approvals for current CO’s (Certificates of Occupancy) are compared to new code requirements to comply with standardized “third-party review” code reviewers.
These assessment and evaluation services have been provided for courts systems, police, sheriffs and government campuses, college campuses, K-12 and university settings, university hospitals, cultural and performing arts centers, behavioral health facilities, manufacturing centers, the highest security institutional facilities, outpatient health facilities, corporate/management/REITs, federal agencies/DOD/county/state/local and private clients.
PSE leadership is often tasked with critical responsibilities for master planning security, communications and fire safety systems on large facilities and sites. These include institutional settings, federal departments, manufacturing sites, behavioral health centers, hospitals, and large educational facilities. PSE staff includes experienced security managers, fire safety managers, those with on-line law enforcement experience, field electronics experience, network security, acoustics, noise and vibration control, A/V/Video and communications experience including secure cyber infrastructure protection, business continuity, and executive security management training.
Assessment reports often include evaluations of existing operations and systems, surveys of existing equipment and field devices, code and standards reviews, alternatives and compliance recommendations, lifecycle costing, maintenance standardization, and bidding recommendations with construction alternatives. PSE is versed in classical design, bid, build as well as design build, lean strategies, and integrated project management programs. PSE provides assessment and planning services to owners/authority representatives, building managers and developers, architects and their representatives, and engineering representatives. With hundreds of projects completed nationally and worldwide, owners, architects, and design-build teams have trusted PSE to deliver detailed master plan and design recommendations often culminating in excellent construction documentation and specifications – within budget and with no design change orders.
Nationwide
