February 2008 Product Solutions
Food-service wipers
SCA Tissue. Tork Premium Cuisine Cloths are low linting, more absorbent than linen, and durable enough to be washed for reuse. Tork Premium Cloth with Microban has a protective antimicrobial formula that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and mildew. Tork Premium Cloth with Quat-Safe prolongs the life of sanitizing solutions, allowing for cleaner surfaces and reduced contamination.
Circle 300 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Pull-down stairway
Precision Ladders, LLC. The Super Simplex Disappearing Stairway is a commercial-grade, fire-rated, pull-down stairway that meets ANSI A14.9-2004 standards and has an individual tread test weight of 1,000 pounds. Options include a lock on the door panel, a special deep frame to accommodate dropped ceilings, a recessed door panel for installation of ceiling finishes, a factory-mounted roof hatch, and a two-hour fire rating that meets ASTM E-119 and UBC 43-7 requirements.
Circle 301 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Portable air conditioner
Atlas Sales & Rental. The Kodiak Series 7.5-ton spot cooler, manufactured by NorthWind, Inc., is available for rental or purchase and may be used for primary, supplemental or emergency cooling. It is compact enough to fit through a 32-inch door and cools larger areas with fewer units, allowing easier transport and operation while using fewer electrical lines. It also is the first unit of its type to be UL-listed and CSA-certified for outdoor use.
Circle 302 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Mold control
Siamons Int'l. Concrobium Mold Control is an antimicrobial solution that eliminates and prevents mold without bleach, VOCs or harmful chemicals. The odorless, colorless, patented product dries on moldy surfaces to encapsulate and crush mold spores. Requiring no isolation time or special handling, it stays on to provide continuous protection against mold and mildew regrowth.
Circle 303 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Fire protection
Viking. The VK503 sprinkler is an ESFR pendent sprinkler with a K factor of 16.8 (242). It uses a fast-response fusible element and provides protection for most common storage materials without the use of in-rack sprinklers. The sprinkler is cULus-listed and FM approved for buildings up to 40 feet high and storage heights up to 35 feet with no in-rack sprinklers. It also is approved for buildings up to 45 feet high and storage heights up to 40 feet with one-row, in-rack sprinklers installed.
Circle 304 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Administrative software
Weidenhammer. A software upgrade is available for alio, a comprehensive suite of software for human resources and financial management in education. Designed with accounting procedures, auditing controls and comprehensive reporting capabilities, alio automates the financial, payroll and personnel needs of school districts. New features of alio 8.2 include updated W-2 processing, facilitating tax reporting and payroll finances; 1099 processing enhancements; grant reporting; and the ability to create budgets from requisitions.
Circle 305 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Access control
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. BrightBlue by Schlage is a Web-based access-control system that enables users to access, monitor and manage their system from any computer running a standard Web browser. It is designed for applications with one to 32 doors. The system's plug-and-play design makes configuration easy, and the embedded application eliminates the need for special software or a dedicated PC. When used with Schlage wireless and VIP wired locks, it does not require a reader interface and other hardware.
Circle 306 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Classroom seating
American Seating. The Enhanced Fixed Lecture product line is a contemporary educational solution engineered to fit any seating plan and layout. The Contemporary and Traditional fixed lecture solutions offer two different looks: one modern and one classic. Both can be paired with three different seating selections: eko, a square mesh back or fully upholstered option; Cachet by Steelcase for a progressive green solution; and Acton for an ergonomic and cost-effective choice.
Circle 307 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Electronic faucet
Sloan. The Optima ETF-800 wall-mount electronic faucet is an aesthetic addition to any restroom, while offering long-lasting reliability. The sensor-operated faucet automatically delivers either tempered or hot/cold water. Two water-efficient aerators are included: a 1.5 gpm/5.7 Lpm laminar flow spray head and a 0.5 gpm/1.9 Lpm spray head. User-friendly variable timeout settings further ensure water savings. A modular quick-release sensor and solenoid connections, as well as a sensor range adjustment screw, simplify installation.
Circle 308 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Multifunctional cart
Smith System. The Anything Truck has six spacious cubbies on top and two flat shelves below, and is GREENGUARD-certified. It helps teachers manage classroom essentials that can become disordered and cumbersome, allowing for easy storage and distribution of class and library materials. Available in 11 different colors, the cart also can be used with a color-coding system.
Circle 309 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Safe and sound
Web-based access control improves student safety at private school
Brivo. The Appletree School, Fairfax, Va., is a private school that serves the community's preschool through fourth-grade students. Its proximity to the Washington, D.C., Metro system provides convenient access for parents and teachers, but also poses some access-control concerns for the school building.
“Since we are very close to the Vienna Metro stop, we used to have people wandering in off the street,” says Beckii Pittman, administrator. “We even had people recently released from jail coming in looking for the Metro station.”
The school keeps its doors locked from the outside, except for the front entrance, which normally is staffed by the school nurse. However, the nurse has other duties as well and can't always monitor the entrance. The school also needed to provide easy-to-administer access after hours and during holidays for teachers and staff. It had a limited budget and possessed minimal technical resources to administer an IP-based access-control solution.
The school selected the Brivo Access Control System (ACS) to be installed on the front door, and assigned PIN codes to parents and teachers. Brivo manages all IT maintenance of the system, eliminating the need for expensive IT resources or technical expertise.
School administrators have benefited from the Web-based administration capabilities by being able to log onto their account from home to monitor activity and manage access. Such access and ease of use have been especially helpful on days when the school is closed because of inclement weather. Also, user credentials can be set to specific schedules, allowing access-control flexibility.
As a result of installing the new system, parents and teachers have a much greater peace of mind knowing that the service has increased school safety.
Circle 310 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
Emergency enhancements
Campus E911 solution provides fast, accurate communication in urgent situations
Teltronics, Inc. After selecting a new telephony system in 2006, New College of Florida, Sarasota, required an Enhanced 911 (E911) solution to keep the student and staff population of about 1,500 safe in case of an emergency.
Previously, when someone on campus dialed 911, the call would bypass the campus police department and go directly to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), providing minimal and often erroneous information about the 911 call location and caller. The college needed a fail-proof, secure system.
It chose Teltronics Telident Call Locater, SiteAlert, SiteAlert ALI Manager, and ALI Service Bureau as an E911 solution. Call Locater is a controller that is installed between the college's pure VoIP system and the public telephone network to translate a 911 caller's station number to a format compatible with the E911 system. SiteAlert provides on-site notification when 911 is dialed in a business or campus environment that is equipped with a VoIP solution or a PBX. On-site notification allows college personnel to provide first responders with detailed information about the emergency and call location. SiteAlert software generates an alarm on PCs at these locations, providing essential Automatic Location Information (ALI). The SiteAlert database may include specific information about the caller or location, such as a critical medical condition or the presence of hazardous materials, alerting on-site personnel and first responders before they arrive to the scene.
The system is an easy-to-use, responsive E911 solution that allows administrators to make moves, adds and changes while keeping students, staff and faculty safe.
Circle 311 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu
On display
Middle school library features high-performing plasma monitors
Hitachi. Midlakes Middle School, Clifton Springs, N.Y., recently installed two Hitachi 55HDM71 professional plasma displays in its library, which features a collection of more than 7,000 books and electronic resources. The online library catalog can be searched from any computer on the school network.
The plasma displays are used to educate students on using the library's resources effectively. The school library media specialist, Mike Purcell, regularly uses the displays to give presentations to students.
“We have a very nice facility here, and we wanted to have displays that would not only serve our current needs, but would be reliable enough that we could utilize them for possible future applications like streaming video,” he says.
Because of the large amount of ambient light in the library, brightness was another important issue.
“One of the problems we have is a large window in the library that brings in a lot of light,” says Purcell. “We needed something that wouldn't be easily washed out. The 55HDM71 fulfilled our requirements in that respect, and we have had no problems seeing the image.”
Since being installed, the displays' high performance and ease of use already have proven beneficial.
“We installed them where they're visible from outside the library, and they've been catching everyone's attention,” says Purcell. “In addition to being effective presentation displays, we've also found them to be effective tools to generate interest in the library among the students.”
Circle 312 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu