1. BUSINESS CONTINUITY DISASTER RECOVERY
SECURITY
UNPLUGGED
Video secures outdoor assets in a variety of ways
By Keith Jentoft
n remote or large-scale outdoor environments where ment. Verified crime-in-progress calls receive a higher sion towers have been targeted by copper thieves, and the
I copper theft and other criminal activities pose as
challenging problems, video surveillance is key to
managing assets and providing companies a means of
priority response.
The idea is to catch criminals red-handed, making
hoods, hats and masks irrelevant. These types of systems
major carriers have been seeking an affordable solution
that is cost effective and easy to deploy. AT&T recently
finished a 12-month pilot program in Texas to combat a
recovery following a disaster. have helped address outdoor security needs in communi- growing copper theft problem that was costing the com-
To outsmart criminals who go to great lengths to dis- cations, utilities and transportation industries. pany thousands of dollars. Thieves have been targeting
guise their appearance, video security, with integrated the copper grounding bars and air conditioners on the
cameras and sensors, aims to apprehend thieves during a THE COMMUNICATION INDUSTRY outside of shelters, at the base of towers and on the
crime. Specifically, night-vision cameras, integrated Protecting tower infrastructure is important, as cell net- inside of grounding halos.
with PIR motion sensors, linked to a 24/7 monitoring works and broadcasting are key components in disaster While the copper stolen may total only a few hun-
station can instantly deliver an e-mail containing a 10- recovery and business continuity in the event of a natu- dred dollars, the cost to repair the infrastructure ranges
second video clip to a site manager and law enforce- ral or manmade disaster. Recently, cell, radio and televi- in the thousands. Working with SNC of Hutchinson,
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2. BUSINESS CONTINUITY DISASTER RECOVERY
Kan., AT&T installed Videofied securi- after installation, there were no reported network,” said Mike Korbuly, vice pres- As copper prices have risen, substa-
ty systems at 25 cell towers to secure thefts or criminal activities at 18 of the 25 ident at SNC. “Other carriers and tower tions have suffered losses of everything
the towers and shelters housing the locations. Five sites reported criminal owners are approaching us now to help from copper grounds on perimeter fence
communications equipment. The solu- activity, but five arrests were made in solve their copper theft problems.” poles to transformer windings to the
tion was entirely wireless and required four of the incidents. large copper grounding grid installed
no AC power. Transmission of the It was clear the Videofied systems PROTECTING UTILITIES under the gravel pad. While some of
alarms and video footage was sent over deterred thefts, since other tenants at the Copper theft also has been a major issue sites are equipped with CCTV, PTZ
the cell network. cell tower sites shared by AT&T contin- for public utilities, where electrical sub- cameras are not cost effective for broad
Before the systems were installed, cell ued to be plagued by copper thefts. stations use thousands of dollars of cop- deployment and have not been effective
tower sites reported losses2:58 PM than
Project3 10/14/08 of more Page 1 “We are now deploying Videofied to per. In many cases, a fence and a locking in providing solid identifications. Major
$100,000 for 2006-2007. Twelve months problem sites across the entire AT&T gate were the only security provided. utilities, including Progress Energy,
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3. BUSINESS CONTINUITY DISASTER RECOVERY
Entergy, Edison, Northeastern Utilities and NSTAR, communicator panel. Some towers have been hit as many as a dozen times,
have installed and tested the new outdoor Videofied and an affordable solution was necessary.
security system. TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Avoiding false alarms was a key issue because the
“Our return on investment on the first installation The Metro Transit System in Washington, D.C., is a sites were remote and fines are expensive. They needed
by Intelligent Access Systems was achieved in three good example of why public transportation needs a solution that could provide video alerts to verify an
days,” said Brian Smith, lead security specialist at copper theft protection. The Metro trains are powered actual intrusion with enough time to send law enforce-
Progress Energy. “We installed our first system and, on by electricity that is delivered over copper wire. ment. And, with no easy power or network access, the
the third day of operation, the system was activated by Securing this copper from theft is critical to keeping remoteness of these sites were difficult for traditional
an intruder who, in turn, was apprehended onsite by the system running efficiently. Metro Transit Police CCTVs. Battery-powered systems using the cell network
local law enforcement. Due to the great success of the had installed hundreds of traditional wired CCTV was a solution.
pilot system, Progress Energy will be deploying more cameras, which provided surveillance in many areas of “In addition to being simple, people need to under-
Videofied units throughout our tri-state enterprise dur- the transit system. stand that this solution sends the video of the intruder
ing the next year.” What they needed, however, was video security that immediately to the monitoring station for dispatch
Ron Oetjen, president of Intelligent Access Systems could be installed immediately to respond to specific over the cell network,” said Don Green of Contact
of North Carolina, a regional security integrator based in threats in real time. Videofied was deployed and is deliv- Security. “Police are responding faster to an actual
Raleigh, N.C., said they have installed five similar secu- ering immediate security in the nation’s capital. crime in progress.”
rity systems at major electrical utility companies. “The Videofied system is ideal. We can set it up New autonomous video security has been successful
“It is an effective solution for our customers at an in less than five minutes with no site preparation, at securing outdoor assets and infrastructure and pre-
attractive price,” Oetjen said. “Our customers are happy, pre-wiring or AC power,” said Kenneth Honick, a detec- venting disruptions in services caused by copper theft.
and we intend to be a leader in this market.” tive with the Metro Transit Police. “The integrated While CCTV and surveillance play an important role,
The typical substation installation uses 10 night vision is important as many areas of concern have simple wireless video security can
cameras/sensors mounted to the substation infrastruc- no lighting.” enhance these systems and deliver
ture. There are no wires, power or communications, so Another area of transportation affected by copper results with cost-effective equipment
cameras and communicators can be mounted anywhere theft is the air traffic control system. The system uses and immediate installations.
for optimal effectiveness. Even with the noisy RF envi- hundreds of radar towers distributed across the country.
ronment of a substation, the wireless system1has a range
Project3 10/14/08 2:58 PM Page FAA remote radar towers have been plagued by copper Keith Jentoft is the CEO of
of hundreds of feet between the cameras and the cell theft, subsequently impairing system performance. Videofied.
Circle 37 on card.
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4. BUSINESS CONTINUITY DISASTER RECOVERY
Power: Standing By
SUSTAINED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES COULD RELY ON GENERATOR POWER AFTER THE STORM
The ability to operate and maintain a suf- planning, affordable generator-based generator’s output needs to meet the facili- put to handle peak demand and provide
ficient level of service and security during backup systems can be tailored to busi- ty’s voltage, phase and kilowatt require- additional capacity to accommodate future
a Project2 10/20/08 an12:37 PM ele- nesses or institutions of all sizes and types.
utility power outage is important Page 1 ments. Analyzing the load is necessary to growth. There are several ways to compute
ment of business protection. With proper When selecting a backup system, the select a system with sufficient kilowatt out- a facility’s electrical load, so estimates may
vary slightly. Air conditioning systems typ-
ically use the greatest amount of electricity,
and electric motors require the most power
when starting. Therefore, those loads
require primary consideration.
Site considerations. Before selecting
a site, check all applicable codes and
ordinances for your state and municipali-
ty. Be sure that adequate space exists, tak-
ing into account setback requirements
from buildings and lot lines. If noise is a
concern, select a sound-attenuated enclo-
sure for the generator and use landscape
features to further absorb sound outputs.
Choice of fuel. Diesel generators
have been widely used for decades.
Although strides have been made in
reducing emissions through cleaner fuel
and more efficient engines, environmen-
tal concerns persist over the need to
store and replenish the fuel. Special per-
mits may be needed, and spill contain-
ment is required. Recent developments
have made gaseous-fueled systems a pre-
ferred alternative for many kinds of
applications. Bi-fuel generators that run
on a combination of diesel and natural gas
are another option for applications where
extended operation is desired.
Equipment options. An automatic
transfer switch system transfers the elec-
trical load between the utility and the
generator. The number, type and capacity
of these switches will depend upon the
configuration of the system, the facility
requirements and the incoming service
amperage.
Multi-generator systems with onboard
paralleling capabilities also are an option.
These modular systems, available in
gaseous and diesel models, combine the
output of two or more generators and offer
many advantages, including built-in
redundancy and greater reliability, since
the units back up each other. The facility’s
most critical circuits are given priority,
giving them the high-
est level of coverage.
Michael Kirchner is
the industrial training
manager at Generac
Power Systems.
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