On the Case

Hospital gets security check-up Engineered Security Systems has designed and engineered a security management system for Jersey City Medical Center, a new hospital in New Jersey, USA.

The challenge facing ESS was to create a safe environment to both attract patients and staff, and convince them that the hospital was a safe place to seek medical treatment.ESS installed a G4Tec Professional Edition security management system with integrated Panasonic CCTV, using an Integral DVR, Aiphone telephone entry system, and Visonics panic alarms. An infant protection system was also installed.

The 384,000 sq ft hospital allowed visitors to enter through the lobby where they utilised the visitor management system. Approximately 105 proximity access control readers were placed in stairwells and in other sensitive areas including the pharmacy, operating rooms, paediatrics, maternity and psychiatric awards.

Eighty cameras throughout the medical centre record all activity. Six pan/tilt/zoom cameras sit on top of the medical centre and the behavioural health buildings to record outside activity.

The nursing staff in the behavioural health building and emergency room wear G4Tec's individual panic alarms. If a nurse is trapped or in trouble, they can sound an alarm, located around their neck, and security will respond immediately.

The security office console has eight 20-inch flat screens that assist security officers in managing the integrated security system.

One screen manages video programming, one administers the access control, on manages infant protection alarms, and five screens manage the video.

Screens are monitored 24 hours, and routine guard tours are performed.

PTZ cameras on the hospital's perimeter, and six low light cameras on the interior utilise video motion detection when recording, with cameras recording on or two clips every 15 seconds. The DVR comes equipped with a terabyte of storage.

Apple not under fire

A new fire detection system was installed at Apple's flagship retail store in London's Regent Street by TVF (UK) plc.

The installation, designed to complement the existing sprinkler system, uses the software of a hardwired Gent Vigilon control system to sound the alarms should fire be detected via a standard detector or Vesda air sampling system.

The store retails the latest Apple hardware, applications, digital cameras, camcorders, and the entire iPod family of products.

As a result, Apple has to be extremely vigilant when it comes to safeguarding its customers from any dangers - hence the decision to use TVF for this important installation.

Sleepytime for Rainbow

Alpha Video has supplied varifocal lenses from Rainbow CCTV, used in conjunction with medical diagnostics systems from Compumedics, for leading sleep disorder facilities including the University of Michigan and the Mayo Clinic.

The lenses, which are deployed alongside Rainbow's IR illuminators, allow medical staff to monitor factors such as rapid eye movement, walking episodes, automatic behaviour and apnoea during daytime and overnight studies.

The lenses are fitted to monochrome cameras from Panasonic and are set up both in cart-based mode as mobile units and as permanent installations at dedicated centres.

The 3.8mm varifocal lenses feature an automatic day/night mode which corrects the focus shift when moving from white to IR lighting.

A similar combination of lens, camera and illuminator have been successful in monitoring how children with attention deficit disorders respond to visual stimuli.

Bewator on the beach

Bewator equipment has been used to provide security at Thailand's Pattaya Beach resort. The main beach is a majestic three kilometre curve of white sand, shaded with palm trees, and is just a couple of hours from Bangkok.

The Pattaya Beach Monitoring Project came after the area was redeveloped and the authorities at City Hall commissioned a sophisticated CCTV system. Bewator's new Solaris system was the solution of choice.

Project consultant Aramrueng Kitisak said: "We liked the fact that Solaris is easily connected to an existing IP system, that its specification is extremely high, and installation and maintenance are quick and effective."

Bewator installed a total of 44 Solaris domes, along with 16 of the company's more conventional pan and tilt security cameras, controlled from a security control centre and four sub-control rooms.

A year after the initial installation, the system is working well, and local authorities are planning a new phase of CCTV installations in the area. "The equipment functions are very effective and the intuitive nature of the control systems has been very useful," Aramrueng Kitisak said. "There is also the fact that the modular systems can be readily expanded or upgraded if our requirements change in the future.

"The quality of images that has resulted from surveillance has been very good, which has impressed the police in particular. They tell us that troublemakers who are known to them are avoiding the beach, because it is under surveillance."

Safety for Mr Gearbox

Reflex has provided a small business, Mr Gearbox, with new, state of the art security systems.

The company specialises in the supply and fitting of gearboxes on all makes and models of motor vehicle, and expansion forced the owner to move to new, larger workshop premises located on a Sheffield industrial estate. The new location presented a higher security risk to the business and its assets.

Group MD for Reflex, John Pye, said: "We were able to provide an easy-to-use integrated internal and external CCTV and alarm detection system with the latest digital recording, allowing the owner-manager to remotely view the site, 24/7, from anywhere, via a PC. The whole system cost less than £2,000."

Como gets meshed

The municipality of Como in northern Italy recently decided to install a CCTV system using Videomesh wireless technology, developed by Fluidmesh Networks, a Boston-based spin-off from renowned US college MIT.

The Videomesh 2200 is a wireless product with 'intelligent' transmission capabilities. The company says it is "based on advanced mesh networking algorithms" and is able to "optimise the transmission through the optimal path, performing 'intelligent' routing of packets in real time".

Andrea Orioli, chief engineer of WBS, the company hired to design the system, said: "The municipality of Como gave us a complex set of requirements because they needed to install cameras in two different areas of the city centre - on the coast of the lake of Como and in the most central and luxurious street in town, via Vittorio Emanuele.

"Our Videomesh-based CCTV system has an extremely low visual impact but it is clearly a step ahead of what we could have done with a standard Wi-Fi solution in terms of mobility, flexibility and reliability."

Oy! Control that Port

Finnish company Visy Oy has designed a comprehensive vehicle control system at the Port of Helsinki. The system, which uses Derwent's white light Spectrum illuminators, is part of a major upgrade to improve security and efficiency of cargo movements at the port.

When vehicles arrive at the terminal, they pass through Visy's premier solution, the Visy Terminal Gate. The vehicle number plates are recorded by an ANPR a full audit trail of container movements is kept by the port operators.

Home on the Grange

Direct CCTV of Cranford has upgraded the security for the award-winning Rowhill Grange Hotel and Spa in Wilmington, Kent, a favourite venue with celebrities for relaxation and dining.

Set in nine acres, the four-star hotel is one of the most prestigious in the South East, but had only an old analogue system until Direct CCTV's Chris Percy stayed there following his wedding in May and recommended a security review.

The installation is comprised of a 16 camera system with digital recording and is entirely made up of Vantage products - 13 VGC602 colour/mono cameras externally, three VSC480 Spartan Internal Dome cameras, a Vantage VDR016TC DVR and Vantage monitors - all purchased exclusively from Gardiner Security.

"Vantage's competitiveness and straight 'fit for purpose' equipment makes it ideal for so many installations, and Gardiner Security offers same day delivery - that sort of service has seen us more than double our CCTV spend with them," Percy says.

Direct CCTV has been providing a wide range of bespoke security solutions, including access, door entry, communication and networking, mainly in the South East, for three years. The company is moving increasingly into integrated physical and digital systems, combining access control and CCTV.

A Beacon of security

Beacon Display is celebrating 15 years of using Abloy Security's cylinder mechanisms and cam locks to safeguard its bespoke museum displays.

With clients ranging from the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent to the Dinosaur Isle on the Isle of Wight, Beacon Display's cabinets showcase anything from sink plugs to dinosaur skeletons.

The 15-year relationship has produced hundreds of attractive display cases secured by a variety of locks, including T-handle, push-button and conventional cam locks. The constant throughout has been the level of security and reliability afforded by Abloy's high-security mechanisms, says Beacon's James Birch.

"The quality of Abloy's locks is excellent and they are able to meet our deadlines, which is important because we simply can't afford to compromise on security," he says.

Control on screen

Systems integrator Emheas has installed a FusionPro 1RU MultiViewer from Zandar in one of the first permanent disaster regional control centres in Venlo, Holland.

Venlo is a high-risk area located close to the German border. There are 28 cities in the area and large chemical plant.

The centre can support each city in the event of accidents or disasters such as major fires, smoke and chemical hazards, and disease prevention, such as for bird flu. For the project, Visual Display Solutions supplied the MultiViewer to Emheas.

The MultiViewer is configured using four RGB inputs and four video inputs for the display of road maps, computer data, and helicopter images, as well as national and local television at the Regional Command Centre.

Images are displayed on a video wall comprised of a 3x3 array of Clarity video wall cubes, and operators control and manipulate all audio and video sources through a matrix router. Each plasma screen uses a touch panel controller from Visual Display Solutions to control each individual input.

The sound of silence

The Wales and West Housing Association has purchased 50 Deafgard bedside units in order to meet the needs of its deaf or hard of hearing residents who may be in danger of not hearing a fire alarm while they are asleep.

Deafgard is a moveable, wirefree, acoustically-triggered bedside unit that incorporates a high-intensity strobe and a connected vibrator pad. When placed under a pillow as someone sleeps, the unit vibrates to wake the sleeper when the fire alarm sounds.

A flashing strobe and LCD provide visual indication that the fire alarm is sounding, allowing the individual to leave their room to a place of safety.

The WWHA said the Deafgard was selected because of its cost-effectiveness and flexibility, as it is easy to move it to other areas of the property, and even to other properties when required.

Fire put on Ice

Icelandic firm Ark Security has recently installed fire detection systems at five new schools.

In Iceland, the schools system has been decentralised, and local municipalities now manage the schools and are responsible for all funding of the facilities. Ark's latest project was a school at Gardabae. The company equipped it with a fire protection system centred on hundreds of Hochiki ALG-E analogue addressable photoelectric smoke sensors.

These feature Hochiki's 'High Performance Optical Technology', which allows the sensor threshold level to be increased, thus extending sensitivity to a much wider range of combustible materials.

The schoolhouse complex covers 8000 square metres and the system is also supported by Hochiki manual call points with all devices integrated to a Kentec syncro control panel and Focus+ repeater display. In addition, Hochiki I/O interface modules are installed for monitoring and controlling from the loop ancillary equipment such as sprinklers and dampers.

Protecting Irish drugs

Pharmaceutical company Astellas Ireland Co Ltd has invested in a high security master key system from Abloy Security. Based on the Abloy Protec mechanism, the new system is being used to safeguard Astellas' pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Killorglin, Co Kerry.

The solution is based on an innovative master keying arrangement, using standard Abloy Protec locks, each configured so that the site perimeter, production plant and administration facilities can be zoned to allow individual members of staff to access all of the areas in which they are authorised to work, by means of a single key or swipe card.

Senior managers or security staff can access all parts of the plant, while production, office or junior staff are restricted to specific areas.

Banking on partnership

Siemens Building Technology has delivered a 'total security solution' to Fortis Bank, one of the largest banks in Belgium and one of the largest in Europe.

Fortis required a solution that would integrate hundreds of CCTV cameras used to provide surveillance of multiple sites across Belgium. SBT is using NICE Systems to enhance physical security and improve business operations by installing NiceVision digital video recording equipment.

The bank's safety and security general manager, K Matton, said: "We needed an open, user-friendly system that delivers consistently high quality video across the entire organisation, and that will enable us to quickly and easily store, review and act upon surveillance information."

Doors open for Officers

J Durrance and Co has installed a new set of aluminium doors for the prestigious Oxford Street branch of The Officers Club.

It was decided the shopfront should be replaced with a set of aluminium doors that would both reflect the professional look of the store and increase its security. The original wooden doors were beginning to deteriorate, and due to their poor condition, were becoming a security risk.

The new storefront consists of two sets of bi-folding doors, and single swing door that is used as access by staff.

Estate of play

Trellisworks Ltd, in partnership with software specialist Cybertronics, has installed seven JVC VN-C30U network cameras in a complex surveillance system at Country Estates' Calleva Park property, just outside Aldermaston, Berkshire.

Over 130 commercial businesses are monitored in the project. The park is monitored 24 hours a day and monitored in a central control suite. Multiple users can access the system from different locations.

Trellisworks' Bob Haskins said: "JVC cameras incorporate the latest in IP technology and provide us with reliability, durability, and the best in picture quality."

Country Estates' estates manager, Brian Horton, said: "Since the installation and successful trial period, Country estates is able to add cameras in other parks around the country and manage them remotely from our control suite based at Calleva."

Intrepid checks out

Thames Valley University has introduced a new self-issue system for library books at its Paul Hamlyn Learning Resource Centre at its Slough campus, thanks to Intrepid Security Solutions.

The system enables Thames Valley University students to borrow and return most of the 38,670 items in the Paul Hamlyn LRC's collection without the help of library staff.

The borrower is instructed through picture and text to insert their library card into the system's card reader and enter their PIN code. The borrower then places their items inside the system and receives clear confirmation when the loan is registered and the anti-theft tag is de-activated.

When the issuing process is completed, the borrower removes their library card and receives a receipt listing new loans, books at home, reserved books, and any unpaid charges. The same process is used to return books, and any fees incurred for overdue books are shown both on screen and on the receipt.

John Wolstenholme, head of Learning and Research Support at TVU, credits Intrepid with ensuring the smooth running of the system. "It's a very intuitive, robust system which hasn't gone down once since we've had it," he says.

Alarm raised at airport

ADC has been involved in a number of major installations at London Luton airport, and most recently has been involved in Pegasus, the ongoing project for voice alarm/PA systems required for the airport's ambitious expansion plans in the future.

Pegasus Phase 1 incorporated PA/VA for a new pier building and development of the first floor of the existing new terminal building. In total, seven new zones have been completed by ADC. In the corridors and walkways, Community I/05 on-wall and Cloud 4 ceiling loudspeakers were used. In open areas, including passport control, central search, immigration and baggage, ADC employed custom clusters of I/05 loudspeakers.

All of the loudspeakers used at Luton airport are modified by ADC, and conform to BS standards for voice alarm systems.

Fresh surveillance Computerized Management Systems has implemented an IP video surveillance system for Coastal sunbelt Produce, a leading US perishable foods company.

The system was powered by Milestone Systems Xprotect Enterprise software, using network cameras from Axis Communications and Sony. The company is protected from both external and internal theft while employee accountability is heightened.

Shipping and receiving activities are monitored for better handling of supplier issues and higher quality of products delivered. Adherence to proper hygiene procedures in food handling is monitored and enforced. This reduces the number, and cost, of required USDA inspections, boosts quality ratings, and maintains the certification that creates more value in Coastal Sunbelt's product line.

Reading criminology

The University of Reading - one of the most research-intensive universities in the UK - has found video surveillance to be an effective way of detecting and deterring crime without disrupting life for its 15,000 students and 4,000 staff.

Besides 180 fixed cameras, more than 50 domes from Vicon have been installed throughout the university. The Vicon domes cover the main entrances to university halls of residence as well as areas the university has pinpointed as ‘high risk', such as academic buildings which house expensive IT equipment.

Mark Hughes, head of campus security, says the cameras have had a huge impact on crime. "We identified various crime hotspots across the university and introduced a number of security measures which included CCTV," he says. For instance, a combination of CCTV, extra lighting, and bars on windows at some of our halls of residence has virtually knocked dwelling crime on the head."

All video images from the cameras are transmitted back to the university's 24-hour security office. The images are controlled and managed by a Vicon matrix and recorded onto 33 DM Sprite DVRs.

Intelligent council

IP network integrator C>Ways has specified and installed a project which has created a central location for 24/7 manned monitoring and management of a 16-mile surveillance area for Wansbeck District Council.

Wansbeck District Council employs a significant number of IP cameras over the surveillance area, which includes the towns of Ashington, Bedlington and Newbiggin.

It wanted a new system that would be able to transport video footage to multiple locations to enhance their monitoring capabilities. Ways decided to team up with DVTel to provide a solution that utilises the current data network within the region to provide a digital solution.

In addition to central monitoring, two police stations can now monitor video to further improve coordination and response times across the three towns.

Ways decided to use DVTel's intelligent Security Operations Centre platform for the project. Most of the cameras record at 12fps and at 2 CIF. When an operator sees an incident or wants a closer look, the system goes to 25fps.

All video is recorded and 10 days worth of video is stored for quick and easy incident review.

Floating protection

Trelore Alarms received an interesting job request recently - providing CCTV and fire protection equipment for the Princess Selandia. This is a 1950-built Danish ship named after the Danish Queen Ingrid, and permanently moored at the Burrow-in-Furness Town Quay.

It is kitted out as a floating entertainment complex, with casino, restaurant, conference rooms, and the ‘Blue Lagoon' nightclub. Using an eneo CCTV solution from Videor Technical, Trelore installed around 50 plug and play camera systems on the ship's decks, as well as the entrances and exits.

Two-thirds were day/night cameras, with the remainder vandal-proof Fix Domes from eneo's WDDG series. Pictures from the cameras are switched to eneo VMC-15/HR monitors, with four 16-channel eneo DXR1-16/750CD DVRs, capable of recording at 100fps, used for surveillance footage storage.

Peter Trelore said: "Security of the guests and club staff has utmost priority during the ship's rebuild. "Close cooperation with the appropriate security authorities was therefore very important for us and it worked superbly."