Voices have a nasty habit of not staying put. They travel in, around, under, and through walls, windows, and doors, making confidential conversations common knowledge in no time flat. This is why sound masking for government facilities is so important.
Sound masking is the process of adding ambient noise to a space in order to make it seem quieter.
Often referred to as white or pink noise, this specifically engineered sound matches the frequency of human speech. It is subtle and unobtrusive – similar to the flow of air – and can be tuned or adjusted to fit a client’s unique requirements.
Sound masking is widely used in office spaces, banking environments, and healthcare facilities throughout the country to create speech privacy, reduce distractions, and increase productivity and focus.
While the origins of sound masking, surprisingly, are not military-related (allegedly, sound masking was created to drown out the din of dental drills), the process is increasingly being used in government facilities, where sensitive information and verbal communications must be protected from prying ears.
Military, federal, and law enforcement agencies, among others, regularly implement sound masking to maintain the utmost privacy. Sound masking for government facilities is typically implemented in the construction of SCIFs (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities), secure rooms, and closed areas, delivering the following benefits:
- Security: Sound masking prevents unauthorized personnel from overhearing, accessing, and stealing sensitive, classified, and/or Top Secret intelligence. At Secom, our technicians specialize in building defenses to cover all sound transmission points in your secure room or SCIF, including:
- Air ducts
- Walls
- Windows
- Doors
- Plenum air space above drop tile
- Compliance: Masking technology allows agencies to acoustically safeguard SCIFs in accordance with criteria set forth in DCID 6/9 – Physical Security Standards for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities.
- Cost reductions: Constructing rooms with high sound attenuation can be pricey. While government agencies have resorted to a room within a room setup, budgetary requirements can be prohibitive. Additionally, such scenarios fail to provide adequate protection when compared with sound masking, which reduce construction and maintenance costs significantly.
Distributed via hidden speakers, Secom’s non-portable sound masking systems utilize low-level white noise to drown out listening devices and thwart espionage attempts. Additionally, our solutions will not diminish the sound quality of your facility in any way.
If you have classified information to protect, Secom, LLC can be your best line of defense. Reach out to us to request service today.