About the Project
St. Bernard Parish was established in Green Bay, WI in 1956; two years later St. Bernard School opened in the same building. It is now the largest Catholic school in the area and one of the largest in Wisconsin. Because the building houses both a church and a school, there are crucial security measures that must be taken to ensure the safety of everyone.
LaForce had partnered with St. Bernard School and Parish for many years to help them with their doors, frames, and hardware. So, when it came time for St. Bernard to update their electronic security, they knew the experts at Electronic Security Systems powered by LaForce would be able to provide a system to meet their specific needs.
Identifying the Problems
The old security system at St. Bernard’s was outdated, unsafe, lacked video surveillance, and no longer worked for the complex needs of the church and the school. Although the existing system did allow them to program different schedules, it was very difficult to do. This meant that sometimes the church’s doors would be locked/unlocked at the incorrect times.
Additionally, their former system did not address the separate safety needs of the school and the church. The school needed to be safe and secure at all times, while still allowing for safe entry and exit for students, staff, and visitors. The church needed to be welcoming and open to the public, yet still a safe place, especially in the event of an emergency. They needed one system that would let them manage the needs of two separate entities in one building.
Finally, one of their main concerns was securing the school from the church. A simple corridor separates the church and school portions of the building. In the event of an emergency, St. Bernard’s staff wanted to quickly close and lock all the doors in that corridor to create a barrier between the school and the church. With their existing security system, the staff would have to manually secure each individual door.
Providing a Custom Solution
The team at Electronic Security Systems powered by LaForce developed a custom security plan that would meet the needs of both St. Bernard Parish and St. Bernard Catholic School, which allowed them to have more control over their building security compared to a one-size-fits-all solution out of a box. Our experts kept costs down by reusing some of the existing door hardware while installing a cloud-based security system for both access control and video surveillance. The new central system is extremely user-friendly and can be accessed anywhere and at any time using a mobile device, allowing the church and school to easily control their unique security needs
With their new integrated security system, automation and locking schedules can be easily altered. For example, if church members need to hold a last-minute meeting in the evening, the parish staff can make sure the correct doors will be unlocked during that time. The new security system also allows St. Bernard’s to quickly and easily change individuals’ access permissions in certain areas when needed.
Special hardware was installed around the school’s perimeter and integrated with the new access control system. These devices can be remotely activated during an emergency to secure the school and the church separately from one another. A new video surveillance system also allows those with permission to monitor the entire building offsite; they no longer need to be in the building to see who is there and when.
The user-friendliness of the system is extremely important for St. Bernard’s. After the experts at Electronic Security Systems powered by LaForce conducted formal training for the leaders of the school and church on how the new security system works, the leaders were able to pass on that training to other members of their team. They can maintain their system on their own without the need for constant training, saving them both time and money.
Ongoing Support
As the needs of the church and school evolve due to enrollment, new programs, and other circumstances, our team continues to provide solutions such as added cameras and access controlled doors.
We also perform maintenance and updates to their equipment, as well as up-to-date training whenever needed. Partnering with LaForce and our Electronic Security Systems team has also meant that St. Bernard no longer needs to communicate and coordinate with multiple vendors for their door and security needs. Now, whether they need a replacement lock, adjustments to a door closer, or a new security camera, they can depend on the extensive experience of our team to get the job done and keep their historic building safe and functional for years to come.
