July/August 1991
By Hali B. Browne
Hali B. Browne is a security consultant with the Alert Centre (Rockville, Md.).
Like any other facility storing valuable goods and cash, scrap plants can be targets for theft and must protect themselves against robbery. The obvious way to do this is to install an electronic security system.
There is, however, no obvious type or design of security system to meet the needs of every scrap plant. Every facility--and the people that operate it--is different and, therefore, must have its security needs analyzed individually.
Security system vendors should be more than happy to help you analyze your facility’s needs. The key is to turn to a reputable firm that offers flexible designs (if the company's offerings are limited, its analysis of your needs may be too) and reliable service (recent expansions in the security industry have prompted many companies to cut prices and reduce services). References are a good way to determine if a company can meet these criteria.
Security is not a new concept in the scrap industry, but some traditional measures can be complemented by electronic systems. Most scrap plants already have a proven method of security: fences. The defense they offer can be increased manyfold when combined with an electronic intrusion detection system. Another important form of security that is increasingly becoming standard at scrap facilities--bullet-resistant shielding protecting offices and scale houses--can be made more effective when integrated with an emergency panic button (like those in banks and supermarkets), particularly if the system is monitored by a central station that dispatches the proper authorities when alarm signals are received.
Wired or Not?
One of the first decisions that must be made in choosing a new electronic security system is whether it will be hard-wired, wireless, or a combination of the two.
The hard-wired approach--whereby data- and power-transmission wires are run between each protection zone and the central processing unit (CPU), the system's brain--is preferred by some because the technology is tried-and-true. After initial installation, however, it is often difficult to run additional wires, which may be necessary to allow the system to grow with your plant. An expanded office or warehouse, for example, may need different protection than the original system design offers and a hard-wired system may not have the flexibility for such change.
Problems may also arise with a hardwired system if you intend to protect your plant's exterior, since securing this area with a wired system would require that in a conduit. This adds to the installation time required, already a common complaint about hard-wired systems. In a scrap facility needing protection of the plant, office/scale house, and warehouse, hard-wired installation could take up to three weeks.
Another disadvantage to hard-wired systems is that economics often dictate that the wiring be looped, with each protection zone (such as a door or window) wired to those next to it. The drawbacks of this situation become apparent when your system requires service. Even though only one zone may be malfunctioning, looped wiring may mean that none of the system can be armed without causing a false alarm. This means that if the malfunction occurs as you're ready to leave for the evening, you'll either be forced to wait for a service technician or left without protection. (Not all companies guarantee 24-hour servicing, so it's particularly important to check if you're considering a hard-wired system.)
On the other hand, if one zone of a differentiated zoning system (a major feature of wireless security) needed service, that zone could be bypassed when arming the system. Wireless systems, which use radio frequencies to transmit information from protection zones to the CPU, have come a long way since their inception. Not too many years ago, wireless (sometimes called RF) security systems were more hassle than they were worth due to their frequent false alarms and high rate of battery use. Today's wireless systems can identify and solve these problems long before damage or loss of protection can occur. This is the result of "supervised" technology, which means that each piece of auxiliary equipment (including the sensors that guard each zone) checks in on a regular (usually hourly) basis with the CPU to report memory, battery, and operating status. If the auxiliary equipment reports any problems or fails to report on a timely basis, the CPU will transmit that information to the system operator and, if the system is monitored, to the monitoring company.
Another frequent objection to wireless systems--interference from other radio frequency devices--has been alleviated in recent years by the Federal Communication Commission granting licenses on the individual frequencies used by different product manufacturers. No longer will a garage door opener trigger a false alarm in a security system. The problem of excessive battery use has been solved by converting to long-lasting lithium power cells that need to be replaced once every five years.
In general, wireless systems offer greater flexibility in both design and installation than hard-wired systems for the simple reason that a facility's layout and construction pose no problems when running wires is no longer a concern. Wireless systems also usually require less installation time, taking one to two days to install a system that would need three weeks' installation in a hard-wired system. The big investment in a wireless system is in the technology, whereas a large labor investment is made with a hard-wired system.
Despite the advances made in wireless security technology, many people feel more comfortable using a hard-wired system because of its proven performance. If this is your inclination, but you'd still like to take advantage of some of the flexibility offered by wireless systems, you may want to consider a combination security system. You could, for example, specify hard-wired protection of your office and warehouse while calling for a wireless system for the outdoor areas of the plant.
Perimeter and Interior Considerations
The next step in choosing a system is examining the actual design to select the equipment that will best balance your perimeter and interior security needs.
Since 95 percent of all burglaries occur through a door, perimeter protection should be reviewed carefully. Door entry-and window entry-is usually detected through the use of magnetic contacts. When the door is opened, the magnet attached to the door and the contact attached to the door frame separate and, if the system is armed, send a signal to the CPU. This signal trips a siren, light, or other audio or visual warning and, if the system is so equipped, trips the digital dialer, which calls the central monitoring station that dispatches the police and/or other designated individuals.
In a scrap plant, where some exterior doors may be of the heavy, overhead "garage" type, some special considerations must be examined. Since the magnet and contact must be close enough to be in a common magnetic field to work, the logical installation on these types of doors is to place the contact on the floor and the magnet on the door. Because the area of the floor where the contact is installed is prone to heavy traffic, however, an armored shield would be required to protect the wires beneath it. The security company you decide to work with should pay attention to these small but critical details that will determine the usability of your system.
Interior protection is designed to catch intruders that have somehow gained entry to your premises. In the past, magnetic interior door-entry detection and pressure-sensitive floor mats were the most common interior security devices. Current technology, however, has generally replaced the latter with passive infrared motion detectors, which are now the most reliable interior intrusion detection method. Motion detectors are also some of the most cost-effective security devices, as a single detector can protect approximately 45 feet in front of it and span a 90-degree angle of coverage. If you need a longer, narrower band of protection for an area such as a hallway, a different infrared lens can be inserted to customize the detection ability.
Passive infrared motion detectors are ideal for warehouses because they protect a great deal of space in an area vulnerable to both obvious entries (doors and windows) and unusual accesses, such as through a ceiling or wall. Infrared technology alone, however, may not be the best choice in a warehouse area in which wind and temperature changes could cause a passive infrared detector to false alarm. In this situation, a dual technology combining infrared and microwave sensors should be used. With such a system, both the infrared and microwave devices must be violated for the system to alarm.
Access Control
You may want your interior protection to allow certain areas-such as the scale house or an office suite-to be secured throughout the day while others are still accessible. The easiest and most economical form of access control is installation of a subcontroller. As part of a larger system, a subcontroller allows independent control (arming and disarming) of a combination of sensors in the area in which you wish to restrict access. This setup is most useful when there are fewer employees with access to the subunit than there are to the main system. Unlike two separate systems, a subcontroller "borrows" its output equipment (such as sirens, lights, and a digital dialer) from the main CPU, saving you money.
If access control is of extreme importance, additional measures may be necessary. If you are willing and able to invest both in the installation and monthly fees for computer support, a card access system provides the highest level of access security. In its most basic installation, a card access system consists of access cards, one or more card readers, a micronode, and a door strike. Users are issued specially coded cards that are swiped through the card reader. The reader identifies the card holder and sends this information to the micronode, which serves as both a data base and an output module. If the card holder is allowed access to that particular site and at that particular time, the micronode trips the door strike, which releases the door for a specified period of time.
Card access is the best defense against internal loss, but it's not cheap (systems range from $2,500 to $25,000) and does not substitute for perimeter protection.
Including Fire Protection
While you're examining how to protect your business against theft, you may want to consider how to guard it against fire loss as part of the same system. Local ordinances may dictate the type of fire control system that must be used at your plant, but these may not satisfy your facility's needs. In many instances, for example, local fire codes are based around the question of how to evacuate the premises when a fire gets out of control; they don't necessarily address how to detect a fire or potential fire before it gets out of control and necessitates evacuation.
Smoke sensors work well in an office, but may be too sensitive in areas near a furnace, alarming at normal exhaust. Heat sensors are useful in such areas since they can be set to detect fires in two ways: when the temperature reaches a certain level or when the rate at which the temperature rises is greater than the norm programmed. A combination of smoke and heat sensors in areas where both can be tolerated without false alarm will provide the best early fire detection system and can save lives as well as your business.
Monitoring the System
All of these system components can be local or monitored. A local system notifies you (and an intruder and your neighbors) via sirens, strobe lights, and annunciators (sirens that sound like human voices) when an alarm condition exists. If the alarm is tripped during business hours, you will immediately be aware of the condition. Most burglaries, however, occur after the workday when you are not in the office and cannot hear the local alarm. This is an important reason to consider 24-hour-per-day central station monitoring.
Every security company with a central station has its own procedures for monitoring alarms and dispatching authorities, but the general scenario goes something like this: Upon receiving an alarm signal from your system's CPU, the central station dispatcher calls the premises to confirm the alarm. If no responsible party is available to confirm or cancel the alarm, the proper authorities are dispatched and your designated employees are notified at home of the situation. If a panic alarm is received, the premises are not called and the police are instructed to respond silently since there is always the potential for a hostage situation. These procedures can usually be varied according to the special instructions you give the security monitoring company.
Central station monitoring can accomplish more than quickly notifying and dispatching the proper authorities. For one thing, this service can reduce insurance premiums by up to 20 percent (though some insurance companies require a monitored system to be installed prior to initial coverage). Monitoring also can be used to keep track of system opening and closing times. Opening/closing reports are usually sent weekly or monthly to a designated owner or manager and detail information such as who operated the system and at what times. At a cost of roughly $10 to $20 per month, this can be a relatively inexpensive method of internal loss prevention. If you're more concerned with the timing of your business's opening and closing, the central station should be able to notify you when the system is not armed or disarmed by specified times.
When choosing a monitoring company, you should look for the qualities that give you the greatest comfort. Some characteristics that distinguish companies are whether the monitoring facility is located in your local area or in a distant jurisdiction, whether it is owned and operated by the servicing dealer or by a subcontractor, and whether it has a backup station available to ensure continuous service in case of power or phone interruption.
The Bottom Line
All of the information presented here should lay the groundwork for helping you determine what company and type of system is best for you, but the deciding factor often is cost. A basic but complete system can range from $900 to $4,000 to purchase the equipment and install it, with an additional $20 to $45 monthly charge for monitoring, service, and maintenance, The cost of a high-end system can increase incrementally with the upgrades chosen.
Many security companies offer alternative payment methods. Financing the purchase through traditional financing methods is one option, but leasing the equipment makes more sense for most companies. For a minimal, one-time installation fee of approximately $200 to $500 and a monthly fee ranging from $45 to $150, you should be able to lease a basic system-including the equipment, monitoring, and maintenance.
Leasing can provide an additional advantage--the ability to upgrade control panels and/or auxiliary equipment as technology improves for a small installation fee. Whether a security company is willing to lease its equipment is an indication of its commitment to remain in business, a serious consideration in the security industry. If a company does not offer leasing arrangements, that may be a clue that it is not planning on staying in business and the firm may encourage you to purchase equipment it has no intention of maintaining.
Above all, the decisions you make in selecting a security company and system should make you feel comfortable. How can you feel secure if you don't have a system that does what you want it to do and a vendor that will satisfy those needs? •
Like any other facility storing valuable goods and cash, scrap plants can be targets for theft and must protect themselves against robbery. The obvious way to do this is to install an electronic security system.