Recently, homeland security is the hottest topic in the news. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the private security sector is now more than ever under the end user microscope. The government, for example, is continuously looking for ways to bolster or modify its security operations. Take for instance, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) building. With its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and through the operations of 50 field offices nationwide, the EEOC coordinates all federal equal employment opportunity regulations, practices and policies. The Commission interprets employment discrimination laws, monitors the federal sector employment discrimination program, provides funding and support to state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies (FEPAs), and sponsors outreach and technical assistance programs. The EEOC was looking to upgrade its intercom and emergency communication systems. They set their sights on TOA Electronics’ VS-900 intercom system. “The EEOC was targeting an ADA-type support system for evacuation,” says Tom Williams, president of U.S. Recording, Washington, D.C., the dealer and installer for this system. ADA compliance is important and the guard station is manned 24/7. There are two wall stations per floor. One is located in the elevator lobby and the other is located near the restrooms on each floor. “The VS-900 will make any existing corporate security system more versatile, convenient, and of course, more secure,” says Jeff Pallin, Vice President of TOA Electronics, Inc.

Inside the Intercom

The VS-900 security intercom system provides reliable and intelligible voice communication for critical security applications, including corporate security, correctional institutions, educational facilities, hospital access points, and parking structures. The VS-900 system is UL and CUL Listed and manufactured to ISO-9001 standards to ensure continuous operation for extended periods. Ideal for applications with multiple sub stations calling in to one or more master stations, the VS-900 has a wide range of standard and software programmable features, including comprehensive Call-Forwarding to allow system operators freedom of movement and most importantly, to ensure that no calls go unanswered. The VS-900 integrates easily with access control and video surveillance equipment via a simple RS-232 communications protocol. “It’s very installer-friendly, very user friendly and we were very pleased when we first installed it,” says Williams. With the industry-standard RS-232 interface, the compact and rugged VS-900 allows users the ability to program and monitor software and maintain multiple exchanges off site from one PC. The VS-900 allows users the ability to create a security system specific to their application with support for single-line telephone equipment with caller ID. It also lets users forward calls manually or automatically throughout the system to outside telephones, cellular telephones and pagers. In addition to many other outstanding features, the VS-900 also comes with scan monitoring, which automatically scrolls through sub-stations for real-time audio monitoring, a powerful tool when synchronized with video surveillance. The VS-900 offers a wide range of solutions to many different types of security applications. Customers can choose from a single exchange with up to 4 master stations and 64 sub-stations, or up to 16 exchanges, with up to 64 master stations and 1,024 sub-stations. Master stations can be either the TOA MS-900 or a standard single-line telephone with caller-ID. There are four types of VS-900 sub-stations available: the RS-180 emergency model, the RS-170 vandal/weather-resistant model, the RS-160 vandal-resistant model and the RS-150 economy model.