The subject of whether or not to use IP signalling for alarm message transfer has been a hot topic for some time. To date, many of the articles produced on this subject have been written by those interested in maintaining the status quo. The people who wish to make IP a ‘Black Art’ that demands specialist knowledge for its effective implementation rather than describe what it really is – a different but useful device in the security ‘tool box’.
To be frank, are we not approaching this issue from the wrong point of view? Shouldn’t we be reviewing what can be positively gained from IP connectivity and integration, rather than continuing to find short-sighted reasons not to implement what’s now a mature, robust and flexible technology?
With 21CN and the increasing use of fibre, now is the time to change track. Provided end users know the true facts about IP, and the circumstances under which it’s use is suitable, no longer does it need to be seen as a ‘Black Art’, but rather a potential ‘magic’ solution.
IP: some basic truths
Some truths about IP. First off, it’s fast. IP is more flexible than legacy systems – it can match the needs of the application. IP is the communications medium, not the message format – securing the message and managing its delivery is the key. IP stand-alone is no stronger than a digital communicator (which may be OK for some risks).
If you accept these fundamental concepts, employ a system and tool kit that reflects these issues and then deploy a solution that can effectively and economically address the concerns, then we can move the IP debate on to a less petty, more constructive level and start making the most of this technological advance.
Why must one treat the use of IP for alarms differently to other forms of alarm communication? It might be stating the obvious, but when discussing alarm signalling in any form it’s vital solutions providers remember that time/speed/availability are all that matter to clients, as well as what happens to the alarm at the receiving end.
The complexities of the network are relevant and interesting to the specialist, but not that important to the client who simply wants their system to ‘do what it says on the box’ (and, preferably, in a cost-effective way).
The first key technical issue to bear in mind when assessing whether or not IP will deliver for a customer is that, unlike e-mail, ATM, web cameras or web pages which are ‘store and forward’, alarm signals-over-IP must travel in seconds to have any real value when it comes to the protection of people and property.
The reason is simple: as the system cannot tell if one message is more important than any other, it must treat every message in the same way to be on the safe side, whether it’s a simple power fail or a PA alarm. In some situations it may have only seconds before the alarm transmission hardware becomes compromised by the intruder or impending disaster. If IP signals cannot travel immediately, they may completely undermine the site’s security in addition to the fire safety strategy.
Situation-specific concerns
The second key issue to consider is that even if the signalling is suitably fast, what happens to an alarm once it has left the property? The Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) can play a crucial role here. The very best offer a complete service, but this comes at a cost. Furthermore, for many clients, installers and service providers alike, there are additional situation-specific concerns that affect alarm management and/or response.
The client may already have an agreed plan to risk assess situations via a pre-determined, complex but effective procedure designed to deal with a wide range of events. In turn, these might require an early intervention by staff, service partners and/or security patrols and may – perhaps as a last resort – necessitate a response by the emergency services.
IP has long been established as a signalling media in Europe. Although the UK has viewed many European norms (or ENs) as mandatory, the Europeans have implemented them with a more open philosophy. Their goal is the safety of the end user and their property rather than just compliance. To be fair, they have not suffered the UK’s history of false alarms, which might explain why they’ve found it easier to adopt this positive approach. Nonetheless, we’d be wise to take our cue from a culture which focuses more on quality and safe outcomes than the problems of compliance.
In the UK, the time is right to take IP signalling to the next level by integrating the alarm signalling element into an end-to-end process – exploiting IP’s ability to combine many functions within a common platform, together with alarm transmission and the management of alarm messages.
Guidance for suitable response
In reality, alarms and the secure premises transceiver (SPT) can be managed and the response to an alarm set out in pre-planned ‘workflows’ which seamlessly guide the operator through detailed procedures to take suitable action. On receipt, an alarm suggests an appropriate response. That response is initiated, or a connection made to the first responders via voice, SMS or VHF (or any other appropriate communication link). Ensuring that the principles of filtering alarms are addressed early on, with the use of integrated solutions, you can make the best of the resources available at any given time.
It’s important not to forget the fact that, for most technical alarms, monitoring systems (and their status) and advising service providers of the appropriate actions is a 9-to-5 task of the set-up, but emergency alarms are a 24/7 task. If not supported by a serious BS 5979 management centre, they are better handled by a commercial BS 5979 ARC.
There are many other forms of IP control or data to be considered. They may well be unrelated to alarm signals, but are equally important to the secure and safe operation of a facility. These too can be delivered and governed by an end-to-end managed alarm signalling platform, and may include environmental systems, security lighting, access control and flood/gas detection.
One could add ‘smart video’ – a solution that can sense a change of state in a surveillance-protected area, and generate an alert by fast analysis of a CCTV image. This is ideal for sites that have an extremely boring scene to be monitored. We don’t want our best people falling asleep watching the equivalent of paint drying. Not good for the client’s risk!
Sophistication on a common hub
Sophisticated solutions can be constructed on a common hub. By using a secure link to a GUI, the client or service provider has access to a web page that can interact with each element of the system on such a hub from any industry standard PC (and, for smaller sites, even a laptop), with potentially significant savings over bespoke alarm receiving software.
How much better is this than ‘simply being the transceiver’ like the legacy systems of the past? Such integration offers secure remote access by job function, with intelligence and workload distributed across a company’s security and facilities management chain.
With such a powerful overview, it’s easy to formulate a clear idea of how one can further leverage the existing investment in legacy hardware and systems to gain the most from it.
Imagine that a fire is detected within your facility. This triggers a video link to confirm the event. Evidence of the fire is transmitted over the web cam, and the on-site team is sent to address the issue as a First Aid fire-fighter or to control and secure the area while the fire service is advised of the exact nature of the blaze – confirmed by the on-site team in one co-ordinated environment.
A lift alarm is triggered. The operator opens a communications channel to the lift and confirms the problem. They then send in the first responders while talking to the occupants and watching them on CCTV, and can even play them their favourite radio station to keep them calm until help arrives.
A key holder logs on to the system to see why he has been contacted, and agrees that a system fault needs to be addressed by the service team. A service request is sent automatically and then followed up in office hours. When the fault is cleared, the hub operator is advised that on-site user training is required. An e-mail is then sent to the line manager to advise them that powering down has caused an alarm and service call.
In a major facility a child is lost. The operator initiates an alert to all the personnel on site. Key individuals with access rights begin reviewing CCTV footage by sector. Back office areas are closed and Emergency Management System (EMS) signage is used to notify the public and general staff. A predefined PA/VA message ‘Inspector Sands’ is used to grab the attention of personnel within the concessions and advise them to be alert at all times. Once the situation is resolved, the same platform asks everyone to ‘stand down’ and thanks them for their help in keeping staff and the public informed.
…but what about standards?
In short, such an IP-based solution will do what it says on the box just like the clients want – and will do so effectively, efficiently and with the power of the Internet deployed to integrate the signalling solution into a single seamless environment from end-to-end.
That being the case, operators and management can better relate to their estate and enhance their protection from risk, while service providers (installers and maintenance specialists, etc) may deliver a more responsive and detailed audit trail that would satisfy the most demanding of inspection bodies, clients or regulators.
