Coronavirus: The security and fire sector

The impact of coronavirus can be seen across the world. At the time of writing, there has been three million confirmed cases of COVID-19, causing governments to take drastic action in the form of ‘lockdowns’ and implementing strict social distancing measures, in an effort to combat the spread and ensure their medical and emergency services are not overwhelmed. This has, inevitably, had a dramatic impact on the economy, with global markets slumping – more than eight years of gains since the last recession were wiped out in one month – to levels not seen since 2011. Every sector has been hit in different ways, and at IFSEC Global, we’ve been covering as much information as possible related to the security and fire sectors since the outbreak began. The role personnel play in these sectors is often key to ensuring safety, so particular emphasis has been put on reporting on ‘key worker’ status in the UK, but there have also been more wide-reaching ways in which the industry has played its part in responding to the threat of a global pandemic. When speaking to those at the forefront of the sector, it would appear that security services are in greater demand than ever more, as guards and technology play a role in keeping occupancy levels to required levels, temperature screen staff and customers alike, and ensure empty premises remain safe and secure.

Below, you will find links to the vast array of stories we’ve covered so far, with a few useful guides available to download, which may offer some supporting advice to the changes the sector has had to make due to the virus.

The impact of coronavirus on the security and fire sectors

‘Key’ or ‘critical’ worker status was an issue that dominated the discourse of the early weeks of lockdown in the UK. Associations from both the security and fire safety sectors made continual efforts to campaign for their members to be included in the ‘critical’ worker status guidelines issued by the Government, highlighting how important the industry is to safety and security in these challenging times. Installers, too, have been affected. Many installation companies fall under the SME category, with owners often self-employed. Due to social distancing measures and for the protection of themselves and their families, it was clear that many were having to cancel jobs unless the work was an emergency, as we asked installers and engineers how they’d been impacted and for their reactions, as well as providing advice for rethinking best practice. We also spoke to firms such as International SOS, to offer some returning to work advice for security professionals, while Peter French from SSR Personnel and Paul Ritchie from Foremost Security highlighted how roles have changed during this time. Find out all about the FireSafety-Coronavirus-20campaigns by following the links below:

Indeed, in a recent article from regular contributor, Sarb Sembhi, he highlights just how crucial professionals in the security sector are to the protection of people, businesses and assets, while also asking how COVID-19 is set to impact the industry going forward. Hunter Seymour also put together a similar piece, but focused on fire safety professionals and the impact of coronavirus.

Security and fire associations responses to COVID-19

Once again, while a little focused on the UK (only natural as IFSEC Global is based in London), it is likely the efforts shown by the various sector association were mirrored across the world. Support and advice have been abundant from all throughout the pandemic, covering everything from online training courses, through to remote audits and general messages of support for members.

The work from the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), Security Industry Authority (SIA) and ASFP, alongside others, has also been covered in the key worker status stories found in the section above.

The use of surveillance in the containment of coronavirus

On a global scale, there have been numerous reports highlighting how surveillance technology has been used to contain or combat the virus. Initially most prevalent in China, where mass surveillance is already used, stories included facial recognition software and CCTV integrated with AI to track people’s movements from areas that there were known to be outbreaks from, therefore measuring the risk of the potential spread of contamination.

These reports have since seen other nations adopting similar measures, with the additional usage of thermal imaging technology. However, it does raise the question of where this will leave us in terms of privacy following the pandemic? If mass surveillance measures are introduced with the initial goal of public safety in mind, would it lead to more ‘intrusive’ measures further down the line? This debate is not new, of course, but the impact of coronavirus has reignited the discussion in the security and privacy fields, once more.

Cyber security

Coronavirus-CyberScams2-20Home or remote working has suddenly moved from the occasional to the regular for the majority who are not on the front lines. The nature of this varies from business to business, of course, with some already set up for such an event, while others were forced to change their entire working practices. Amongst other issues, cyber security is likely to be a major concern for security managers and IT departments. There has been a significant rise in cyber security scams related to the coronavirus, while protecting sensitive data and ensuring privacy laws are maintained when employees are working remotely is a much more challenging process.

Industry response to coronavirus

The response from the security and fire safety sector has been impressive, to say the least. Whether it is installers offering remote support to their customers, guards working on the front line to protect critical assets and ensure public safety, or manufacturers providing free training support and enhanced technology support, there’s been plenty of stories coming from the industry. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to cover everything, but some of these are outlined below:

VideoSurveillance-Monitoring-19

Additional stories

“If people don’t feel safe they won’t go in a building” – Bridging the gap between facilities and security

A panel session at IFSEC in May explored whether shared challenges can bring facilities management and security closer together.   

IFSEC Global Podcast: Episode 10 – Security as a community & responding to crises with Bonnie Michelman

Discussing the importance of mentoring, what makes a good security professional and responding to crises’ with Bonnie Michelman.

IFSEC Global Podcast: Episode 8 – Securing healthcare facilities during a pandemic and beyond

Join us for episode 8 of the IFSEC Global Security in Focus Podcast, as we discuss the challenges of securing the healthcare sector.

Avon fire crews resist plans to work as paramedics

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is opposing plans for firefighters to respond to medical emergencies.

Mitigating risks for travelling staff: Advice for the security department

Craig Swallow, CEO at Vismo, looks at what an organisation’s security and H&S/HR departments can do to mitigate risks to their travelling employees.

Why are apprenticeships so important?

Andy Reakes discusses the increasing importance of apprenticeship programmes in the UK, outlining some of the pathways into the industry.

What are the current supply chain issues affecting the fire and security industry?

In this article, Euralarm looks at current issues within the supply chain, and the repercussions those problems are having on the industry.

High streets and retail urged to ensure sufficient security measures are in place as trading figures rise

Britain’s high streets are being urged to ensure ample security measures are in place as customers return to stores. 

Downloads

Whitepaper: Multi-residential access management – The move to digital

2024 trends in physical security and critical communications

The Video Surveillance Report 2023

How cloud-based video surveillance can enable improved security for housing associations

EBOOK: Lessons from FIREX 2023 – Emerging challenges in fire safety

Return on Investment of Digital Access Management Solutions – Whitepaper for Critical Infrastructure Protection

EBOOK: Are You Ready for The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill?

IFSEC 2023 eBook – Big Tech, Martyn’s Law and Drone Threats