Chris Clingan died from his wounds on June 16, 2013, after waiting nearly 10 minutes for first responders to save his life.
The 22-year-old man was stabbed repeatedly by his roommate inside their north side gated apartment complex, and Clingan’s last words, a plea for help, were recorded by 911 operators.
“I’ve been stabbed like eight times, I’m bleeding to death,” Clingan told Bexar County dispatchers.
“I want you to help me please, somebody hurry please, I don’t want to die.”
Bexar County deputies, EMS, and fire fighters responded to the Regency at Overlook Canyon but they couldn’t get to Clingan because they couldn’t get past the gate.
The 911 call captured the first responders’ desperate attempt to reach Clingan.
“I need a gate code,” a dispatcher said. “We already have people there, we’re just needing the gate code to get in.”
By the time they reached Clingan it was too late.
Chris was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to KSAT.
(Video courtesy of ABC KSAT 12)
As more and more Americans choose to live in gated communities, it’s increasingly important to provide emergency responders with the tools they need to save lives.
Gate codes are completely outdated but, like your grandpa’s green suede shoes, they’re comfortable… until a crisis occurs.
Terry Nall, of the Dunwoody Georgia City Council explains, “l ride with police officers annually to understand our community better from the eyes of the officers.”
“We have a lot of gated communities and every time we get to a gate the officer pulls up the gate code on their computer.”
“For various reasons some of the codes in the police computer systems are no longer active, which leads to significant delays. Delays that can lead to life threatening scenarios.”
“I championed the push to find a better way to access gated communities for our emergency responders.”
“SOS Silent was exactly what we were looking for.”
“Soon after SOS Silent was installed, I rode along with the first responders to see it in action.”
“It felt like we were the cavalry arriving!”
“The gates were opening before we even reached them and we never even had to come to a stop to wait on the gate.”
“With SOS Silent, formerly helpless emergency responders can now ride right in to save the day!”
The original SOS sensor began opening gates in 1984 for emergency vehicles using the sound of the vehicles “YELP” siren as the trigger to open the gate.
Gated residential communities in Bexar County are now required by law to have a siren-operated sensor system (SOS) connected to the gate, allowing first responders to access gated communities in about three seconds.
Over 30,000 sensors have been sold since SOS brought this ground breaking, break through technology to the gate industry.
“It is very satisfying to know that we are saving lives and property every day,” said SOS president, McKay Lundgren.
“We set the standard for emergency responders to open gates quickly, without the need for keys, codes or radios.”
The latest model to join the SOS family is the SOS Silent which uses Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) to open the gates.
RFID-mounted tags on emergency vehicles send a secure transmission to the receiver at the gate.
When the vehicle with a mounted tag comes into the specified range, the gate opens.
No stopping, No getting out of the vehicle, No codes to remember, No remotes to push, No keys to lose, and No cost to the municipalities.
(See how Dunwoody police are using new sensors that allow them to now quickly respond to emergencies. Courtesy of WSBTV, John Heneghan and YouTube)
The SOS Silent is saving lives, money and time.
This pure and simple system allows responders to focus on driving and the emergency ahead – without pushing a remote, looking up a code, stopping to enter a key or changing the channel on their radio to trigger the gate.
Gates will automatically open when the Emergency responder is within range.
- Open gates silently
- Vehicle mounted RFID Tags
- No remotes, keys, codes or frequencies to lose or track
- No delay in waiting for gates to open
- For Emergency vehicles
- Adjustable range of up to 150 feet, gates will always be open when the emergency vehicle arrives at the gate
- RFID Transmits on Secure Format
If desired, a weigand message can be sent to an access control system which will record the date and time of every time the gate is opened by the SOS Silent.
“In an emergency, first responders lose precious moments gaining access to gated communities,” added Brookhaven, GA Police Chief Gary Yandura.
“Each development has a different protocol for access, and unmanned entrances become a real hinderance for immediate response.”
“In an emergency, a few extra minutes can mean the difference between life and death.”
SOS Silent, recently recognized by American Security Today in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, as the Platinum winner for the “Best Fire & Safety System,” the SOS Silent fills an urgent need for today’s gated communities.
It is unacceptable that people have died because EMS and first responders were unable to access the location, because they were unable to get past a gate.
Don’t leave the cavalry locked out any longer.
Security gates installed to protect, should not pose a hinderance to our local heroes.
The 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
American Security Today’s 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East was an overwhelming success, with distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government.
Over 100 professionals gathered from across North America and the Middle East to be honored from disciplines across the Security Industry in their respective fields which included:
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies, and
- Leaders in Private Security
Recognized for their Innovative Training and Education Programs, Outstanding Product Development Achievements and Exciting New Technologies to address the growing Homeland Security Threats our Nation is facing.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
American Security Today will be holding the 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon to honor Nominees, Finalists and Winner in November 2018, in New York City.
To learn more about the life-saving Siren Operated Sensor (SOS) Silent, please visit http://www.sosgate.com.
