The new Sinteso Video Fire Controller (VFC) transmits and/or records images from the incident after an alarm or an event is triggered.
This helps fire and security officers identify and analyse the source of the alarm and react to it in the most efficient way, often avoiding unnecessary evacuations, Siemens says.
The company claims that this is “the first time that video surveillance has been directly integrated within fire alarm systems”.
If a fire alarm is activated, live images from CCTV cameras are transmitted for incident verification and evaluation and recorded for subsequent analysis.
Fire alarms activated as a result of mischievous or malicious acts can be a significant drain on fire and rescue services but the Sinteso (VFC) enables immediate verification of the incident when viewed in a security control centre, for example.
This live evaluation of the situation also enables more detailed information for the fire and rescue service to act upon before they are dispatched to an incident.
Subsequent analysis of the film footage with pre- and post-alarm recording allows for the verification of the cause of an event and can also assist with the identification of any offenders.
The VFC is easily installed with direct connection to video surveillance systems and fire control panels via Ethernet and FDnet (Field Device Network) detector bus, making it fully compatible with the Siemens Sinteso range of fire detectors and the Siemens Sistore range of digital video recorders.
The VFC is suitable for a wide range of applications and is particularly appropriate to areas prone to vandalism or arson such as schools, hotels, hostels and airports, as well as areas where fast evaluation of a situation is required, Siemens says.
If damage or tampering of the camera takes place, for instance masking over the lens, a report is sent directly to the fire control panel to immediately alert the operator.
An integrated web function allows access to the VFC to view images from any standard web browser. Protection against unauthorised access is ensured through various password and security user profiles, along with an integrated firewall.
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