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Gate codes are completely outdated but, like your grandpa’s green suede shoes, they’re comfortable… until a crisis occurs.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“For various reasons some of the codes in the police computer systems are no longer active, which leads to significant delays.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.
Over 30,000 sensors have been sold since SOS brought this ground breaking, break through technology to the gate industry.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.
“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.”
Siren Operated Sensor, a Platinum Award Winner in the 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Program, 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.
Siren Operated Sensor (SOS) at a Glance
The SOS Silent is the latest in a long line of SOS units which allow first responders to open gates in an emergency.
SOS Silent is a combination of an original SOS and the Gate Trigger, allowing emergency vehicles to open gates silently or with the use of their siren.
Vehicles are equipped with a RFID tag that will open the gates, bollards, or doors up to 150 feet away.
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.
The SOS Silent is saving lives, money and time.
(See a Siren Operated Sensor (SOS) in Action! Courtesy of SOS, discountfencesupply and YouTube)
Many municipalities have different systems for each of the different first responder departments fire, police, ambulance and sheriff.
The SOS Silent will work for every emergency responder even if they do not have the proper RFID tag.
Each SOS Silent is also equipped with a backup sensor that will open gates within 3 seconds of the “Yelp” siren being detected.
In every emergency there is too much at stake to be delayed at the gate.
The SOS Silent now gets all first responders to the emergency faster.
No keys, codes, remotes or radios needed to open gates.
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
SOS Makes ALL Gates 911 Accessible
Since 1992, the original Siren Operated Sensor (SOS) has been used to open residential, commercial, airport, government, and military gates during an emergency.
SOS is currently used throughout North, South, and Central America as well as in Europe.
If you need your gates, doors, parking arms, barriers, or roll-up doors to open for emergency responders, then you need an SOS installed on each of these devices today!
The SOS is the most cost-effective way for emergency responders to access your home or business without stopping or leaving their vehicle to enter a code or to use a key.
The reliability of the SOS Emergency Access System has made it mandatory in many communities though out the world.
Making your gate siren activated saves time and is a big step to saving lives and property.
Siren Operated Sensor (SOS) Competes in 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
AST focuses on Homeland Security and Public Safety Breaking News, the Newest Initiatives and Hottest Technologies in Physical & IT Security, essential to meeting today’s growing security challenges.
The 2018 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, is organized to recognize the most distinguished vendors of Physical, IT, Port Security, Law Enforcement, Border Security, First Responders, (Fire, EMT, Military, Support Services Vets, SBA, Medical Tech) as well as the Federal, State, County and Municipal Government Agencies – to acknowledge their outstanding efforts to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
As an ‘ASTORS’ competitor, SOS will be competing against the industry’s leading providers of Innovative Rescue and Safety Systems.
To Learn More about the ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program, see 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners Honored at ISC East.
Over 100 distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government, 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
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies
- Leaders in Private Security
