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Weston committee previews integrated emergency communications, digital radios and door‑alert upgrades
Summary
At a Dec. 9 Safety & Security Committee meeting, staff described a districtwide push to integrate mass‑notification, digital radios and door‑alarm systems so video and door alerts appear on radios and displays; the work includes a vendor negotiation with Norcom and a vendor transition to OmniData for alarm support.
The Weston School District Safety & Security Committee on Tuesday received detailed updates on a coordinated effort to integrate its emergency communications, radio infrastructure and door‑alert systems.
Committee members heard that the district is consolidating disparate systems so mass notifications, video feeds and door‑propped alerts operate through a single security ecosystem. Erica, speaking for the safety and security team, said the integration will let staff “see, hear, understand, and respond” more quickly and that the district is adding hallway displays and testing PA audio levels to support visual and audio alerts.
Committee facilitators described a major radio upgrade that will replace analog portable radios with digital units, add antennas on school rooftops to improve signal and reduce latency, and include noise‑cancelling audio so users can communicate from noisy environments. “We recently purchased 14 additional portable radios,” one committee speaker said, describing distribution to school crisis teams. Officials said radios will be interoperable with the Weston Police Department and will include small radio screens that can display time‑stamped video pulled from the district’s Avigilon camera system.
Procurement negotiations are under way with Norcom Communications to supply the radio system and integrate it with Avigilon. Staff emphasized the project is intended to increase redundancy and accountability: time‑stamped radio feeds and integrated video will speed incident review and reduce the time staff spend searching hours of footage.
On door‑security, Erica said the district cancelled its prior burglar alarm monitoring contract and has transitioned to OmniData (an Avigilon partner) to inspect and recommend software and hardware updates. That work includes configuring door‑propped chime alerts to appear on radio screens and the monitoring dashboard. Staff noted that much of the work appears to be a software/configuration effort rather than wholesale hardware replacement and that technicians will coordinate with the fire marshal to ensure fire‑safety compliance.
Committee members praised the integration plan but also asked for more technical detail at a later meeting. Safety staff said Jim Wiltsie, the district’s safety and security director, is negotiating costs and will return with a fuller procurement update. The committee did not take formal action on the project at the meeting; members said they want a follow‑up briefing when Wiltsie can attend.
