In the millions of commercial buildings across the country today, reliable communication system installations are crucial to providing public safety personnel and first responders reliable communication channels when responding to an emergency situation. It is imperative that first responders can rely on these systems to maintain communication channels both inside and outside of buildings. Additionally, building occupants need to be able to receive mass notifications while inside during these situations. The in-building public safety communications industry is teething with new innovation every day, and industry leader Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC), the only trade association purpose-built to lead national policy and education for in-building wireless services, was proud to recognize some of the most impactful projects over the past year with their annual “Safe Inside Awards.”

With categories including Product of the Year and Project of the Year, the Safe Inside Awards recognize new initiatives and innovations leading the way in the in-building public safety communications market. This program serves to provide SBC’s audience with information about the top new developments in their fields, as well as spotlight exceptional projects for their impact, quality of workmanship, innovation, and contribution to reducing noise and interference. Submitted products and projects were required to specifically pertain to the in-building public safety market, and demonstrate an innovation that furthers the mission of improving in-building public safety. SBC announced on November 10th that Product of the Year was awarded to Cel-Fi by Nextivity, and Project of the Year to AFL. Additionally, Silver Awards were presented to honorable mention companies Fiplex Communications Inc. and Commdex, respectively, for Project of the Year, as well as Westell Technologies Inc. for Product of the Year.

Project of the Year recipient AFL displayed the qualities of this award with the installation of a Public Safety DAS system at their “Fifth & Broadway” project, which provided an innovative solution for a large-scale public safety need in Nashville, TN. 

Cel-Fi by Nextivity’s winning Product of the Year- QUATRA RED- provides consistent LMR (Land Mobile Radio) and FirstNet coverage in challenging indoor environments while guaranteeing full compliance with the most current fire codes.

The judging panel consisted of five individual SBC member jurors. Other finalists for the two awards included Advanced RF Technologies Inc., Diversified Wire & Cable, ECSite, Marconi Technologies, MPBX Wireless Design, PCTEL, Pulse Signal Solutions, Safe-Com Wireless, and Windy City Wire.

To read the full press release, click here.

To learn more about The Safer Buildings Coalition and their mission, please visit https://www.saferbuildings.org/.