Cary Christian School Implements State-of-the-Art Security and Safety System

Cary Christian School is a thriving, K-12 educational hub in the heart of Cary, North Carolina. Since opening their doors to 84 students in 1996, CCS has grown to serve more than 780 students each year. As their student body grew, so did their need for a larger, well-designed facility that would help them provide their students with a world-class education. Today, CCS is situated on a 21-acre campus that houses a large, four-wing main building, several ancillary buildings, and athletic fields and structures.

CCS takes seriously their responsibility to maintain a robust security and safety system to protect the students, faculty, and staff, as well as the physical structures and their contents. The administration understands that one of the cornerstones of an effective security and safety program is an information gathering and communications system that can be used to relay important information to the appropriate persons on-campus and off-campus.

Solution

As CCS evaluated the existing security and safety tools on their campus, the administration identified their first step in building a comprehensive program: an intercom system that could be used to disseminate vital information throughout campus. CCS partnered with Brady Integrated Security to design and install a modern intercom system. CCS used a bid process to solicit proposals from potential vendors, and ultimately selected Brady for the project. Mr. Jim Dickman, Director of Finance and Operations, was highly impressed with Brady’s proposal. “It was hands-down the best proposal we received,” says Mr. Dickman, “with the best breakdown of the scope of work and costs.”

As the project got underway, CCS was very pleased with the professionalism and knowledge of the Brady team. Mr. Lonnie Whitfield, the Brady manager for the project, and his team of experts consistently provided CCS with information on design, technology, and hardware options, the pluses and minuses of each, and their cost differentials. This enabled Mr. Dickman to make thoroughly informed decisions on the system design that best fit the school’s specific needs. One unique design challenge encountered during system design was the need for interconnectivity between the main building and more remote buildings and campus areas. Brady developed a unique design that wirelessly connected the outlying areas to the hard-wired main building.

As the installation proceeded, Brady provided CCS with a day-by-day plan for system installation and testing. Mr. Dickman was pleased to find that the Brady team promptly informed him of any unexpected challenges encountered that affected the day’s schedule. “One surprise was finding some walls with unusual construction,” he explained. “They informed me right away and quickly obtained the special tools needed with minimal change to the schedule.” Brady tested the system upon completion of each phase of installation to ensure any issues were addressed before proceeding with the next phase. Mr. Dickman was involved in each phase of testing to ensure it was optimized for CCS needs and expectations.

Throughout installation and implementation of the intercom system, Mr. Dickman found the Brady team to be responsive, helpful, courteous, and considerate of the school setting in which they worked. These “intangible” benefits of working with Brady, in conjunction with their expertise and commitment to quality, made Brady a trusted service provider for CCS.

Results

Following completion and launch of the intercom system, CCS again turned to Brady for the next steps in their security and safety program. Brady upgraded the school’s access control system and modified its capabilities to provide CCS with state-of-the -art control of their campus buildings. CCS went on to entrust Brady with the design and installation of a new HD video surveillance system, and upgrading of their burglar and fire alarm systems. CCS then retained Brady to provide 24/7 monitoring of the school’s burglar and fire alarm systems, knowing the high quality service and value that Brady always provides.

As a result of CCS’s commitment to security and safety, the school enjoys a high-quality, comprehensive security and safety system that has dynamic communication capabilities both on-campus and with off-site public safety agencies.