Broward County BDA Committee Meeting on Monday, February 24th 

Posted on February 21, 2020 

The BDA Committee under the Broward County Board of Rules and Appeals will have its first meeting of 2020 on Monday, February 24th at 1:30pm.

Safer Buildings Coalition leadership will be in attendance for this important meeting to represent the interests of you, our members. The meeting is open to the public, so consider attending this event and make your voice be heard.

From the Chief’s Corner: A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step...

Posted on February 21, 2020

I’m sure many of you have heard the ancient Chinese proverb “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” but have you ever really thought about its origin or actual meaning? Phrases associated with ancient China are often characterized as being the work of Confucius – almost by default. In reality, it’s easy for us to simply take things at face value and not truly understand the origin of writings or their accuracy.  

According to research, this one isn’t attributed to Confucius; it's actually credited to the Tao Te Ching, a classical Chinese Taoist text written between the 4th and 6th century by a renowned Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu. In fact, the original text was said to be “A journey of a thousand li [a Chinese mile] starts beneath one's feet."

In the world of public safety in-building emergency responder communications enhancement systems we have begun a new journey as it relates to the standard that governs these critical systems. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a consolidation plan to take over 100 Emergency Response and Responder Safety (ERRS) standards, guides, and recommended practices and consolidate them into almost 50 overarching standards.

Member Spotlight: T-Mobile

Posted on February 21, 2020

The February installment of the Safer Buildings Coalition Member Spotlight puts the focus on T-Mobile – the first wireless carrier to join SBC – why the carrier joined our organization, and how T-Mobile and the Safer Buildings Coalition can work together to improve in-building public safety.

Q: Why did T-Mobile join the Safer Buildings Coalition?
A: T-Mobile subscribes to a philosophy that is very consistent with the Safer Buildings Coalition mission: Our goal is to promote and deploy wireless technologies that make tenants and visitors more connected in large commercial and public buildings. Reliance on wireless is universal, and this often includes the dependence of public safety organizations on cellular networks connecting them to people in need. We know this because, according to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), in many areas across America, 80 percent or more of 9-1-1 calls are made from wireless devices.

From the Chief’s Corner: The Process of Evolving...

Posted on January 20, 2020

Happy New Year to all of you. I hope you are excited about what’s ahead for us here at the Safer Buildings Coalition. It’s hard to believe that it’s already 2020 – it seems like 2019 went by in the blink of an eye.

As you grow older, one of the things you tend to think about more and more are memories. To add to our memory box this year we decided that instead of buying presents we would take the entire family on a cruise right after Christmas. I spend a lot of time in airplanes, so we decided that rather than fly, we would rent a 15-passenger van and drive to the cruise port in South Florida. Most excited about this 800-mile adventure we were about to embark on were my two grandkids who are 5 and 8. But following the initial excitement period, it didn’t take long before most of the folks in the van were asleep.

Member Spotlight: Airtower Networks - New Name, New CEO, Same Mission

Posted on January 20, 2020

The January 2020 Safer Buildings Coalition Members spotlight zooms in on Airtower Networks, formerly known as Wave Wireless. 

In December 2019, Wave Wireless officially changed its name to Airtower Networks. Earlier this month, the company appointed former ExteNet COO, Oliver Valente as its new CEO.

"The name change is a result of the success of our growth into new markets and the evolution of our rapidly-growing company. Our business has undergone a significant transformation in the last few years and the new name better reflects how our company is propelling today's 5G revolution and beyond," Founder & President Manny Dureja explains.

What Do Office Tenants Want? What Do Property Owners Need?

Posted on January 20, 2020
By John Foley, Managing Director, Safer Buildings Coalition

You hear it at conventions and on webinars, and you read it in articles: “Wireless Connectivity is ‘table stakes’ in today’s commercial real-estate environment.” So, what does this mean for tenants and property owners?

From a tenant’s perspective, wireless connectivity is typically assumed to mean Wi-Fi and Cellular service as these most readily support the devices tenants most commonly use. Is reliable wireless connectivity a “can’t live without” amenity today? Put simply: It Depends. 

Hospitality, healthcare, higher-ed, sports and entertainment venues, malls, and casinos still head the list of buildings with a high likelihood of providing enhanced wireless connectivity. But for many other building use cases ubiquitous wireless coverage may still be a way off.

MEMBERS ONLY: Join us for the SBC Annual Meeting & Dinner and a great program at IWCE 2020

Posted on January 20, 2020
SBC will be back in Vegas with an even stronger program than in 2019!

If you haven't done so already, now is the time to clear your calendars for the 2020 Safer Buildings Coalition Annual Member Meeting & Dinner, which goes down on Monday, March 30th, at the IWCE Conference in Las Vegas. This is the SBC event you simply don't want to miss! Stay tuned for more information. 

Get Ready for the 2020 Safer Buildings Coalition Seminar Season

Posted on January 20, 2020

The 2019 Safer Buildings Coalition seminar series was a great success, and this year, we’ll be stepping up our game another notch. We’ll host more events and hit more cities than ever before. 

First up: Tallahassee, FL, on February 25^th, with many more dates to come shortly.

We’ve built a webpage that lists all of the locations we’ll cover this year. Check it out and plan accordingly: https://www.saferbuildings.org/seminars-2020-public

We’re looking forward to seeing you on the road this year!

NICET and Safer Buildings Coalition Announce New ERRCS Certification Program

Posted on December 20, 2019
Program will go live in 2020

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) and the Safer Buildings Coalition will initiate development of a new engineering technician certification program for Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems (ERRCS), with expected launch of the program in 2020.

This collaboration between NICET and the Safer Buildings Coalition is expected to quickly establish the value and credibility of proper training and certification with the goal of increasing competency across all industry stakeholders.

Read the full press release here

Happy New Year From the SBC President

Posted on December 20, 2019

As 2019 winds down, I would like to reflect on the year that passed and share some thoughts on what 2020 has in store for the Safer Buildings Coalition.  

2019 has been an exciting year for our organization. Our member base keeps growing, both in numbers and diversity. As of December, we've hit a new record, with more than 110 organization members and over 650 individual members.We started several important initiatives in 2019, including the creation of an External Affair Team, which works to make SBC more relevant in the public safety industry. We also expanded our stakeholder base by inviting companies that are not part of the wireless industry to join the Coalition.