No matter how you define security integration, numerous organizations are tying together diverse security equipment in ways that are both innovative and practical. This first in a series of Innovations articles stress applications and technology breakthroughs.

Street Patrols and Defibrillators

Security executives and police officers know that not all medical emergencies happen in convenient locations. Medtronic Physio-Control just introduced a rugged automated external defibrillator (AED) called the LIFEPAK 500 DPS. The new AED has been tested to military specifications to operate at higher altitudes and withstand shock, vibration, dust, fog and salt.

There are success stories due to AEDs. Take Mari Ann Wearda, for example. She is alive today because the policeman responder was equipped with an AED in his patrol car. She collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest while pulling up to a stoplight at an intersection of two highways.

More than 350,000 LIFEPAK devices have been distributed worldwide. The LIFEPAK 500 DPS is fully compatible with LIFEPAK defibrillator/ monitors, used by 80 percent of the emergency medical services.

Says Gregory Dunnavant, MD, medical director of the California Highway Patrol, “Sudden cardiac arrest is an extremely time-critical and usually fatal emergency to which law enforcement officers are frequently the first responders. Police-deployed AEDs have saved lives, and with intelligent implementation of this technology by police agencies, I believe many more lives can be saved.”

According to a study in the medical journal, Circulation, when Miami-Dade County police were equipped with AEDs, response time was cut by almost three minutes and survival rates nearly doubled from 9 percent to 17 percent. A joint position statement by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Fire Chiefs endorsed the use of AEDs by law enforcement personnel. According to Bill Pratt of Medtronics, AED use adds only an hour to basic training or can be conducted through a refresher course.

ID with Hand Biometrics

About 500 users at Troy Beaumont Hospital in Michigan use Recognition Systems’ HandKey readers to positively identify users by the shape and size of their hands to control access to high-security areas. All employees, including doctors, nurses, administrators and housekeeping staff, use the biometric readers.

Instead of verifying a card or code, the HandKey reader verifies the person who is at the entrance. Users enter their unique ID number on the HandKey’s keypad and present their hands to gain entry. Since implementing the biometric solution, Beaumont Hospital has realized a significant improvement in accountability.

“We wanted a system that would provide a higher level of security to prevent entry by unauthorized individuals,” says Beaumont Hospital’s Chris Hengstebeck, director of security and parking and its safety officer. “We primarily use hand geometry readers instead of card readers because they provide both high security and ease of access for our physicians.”

The HandKey readers are networked to a Software House Secure 800 system. Hengstebeck can program the HandKeys as well as his proximity and magnetic stripe systems. At a moment’s request, he can query the system to see who has been at a specific HandKey reader and when.

Sensor, Tripod, Monitor in Integrated Detection Package

Thousands of MilPAC 385 portable intrusion detection transceivers from Southwest Microwave are actively protecting U.S. soldiers and temporary military installations worldwide. These relocate-able sensors fit a wide variety of applications to guard perimeters and vital assets. The transceivers act as the technological equivalent of perimeter sentries and handle extreme weather conditions.

“Everything’s in one package,” says Gus Fitch of Southwest Microwave. “The MilPAC 385 sensor weighs about 45 pounds and it’s single-ended so one person can set it up relatively easily. Just pull out the tripod, point the sensor in the right direction and you’re about done.” The MilPAC 385 consists of a microwave sensor, a light, heavy-duty aluminum tripod and a monitor package. The monitor package consists of a radio frequency (RF) unit to transmit alarms, a meter for sensitivity testing and a rechargeable battery. All of the equipment fits into a fiber carrying case for convenience and rapid deployment.

Integrating Video and the Web

At Kutter Pet Care Center, security video has gone to the dogs and cats

Using the VB-C10 network camera from Canon U.S.A. Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc., the facility for pets monitors its patients around the clock with computer-based viewing from down the hall or miles away via the Internet.

“We went with the VB-C10 because we needed a clear, concise picture where we could zoom right down to a toenail,” says Lori Kutter, hospital administrator of Kutter Pet Care. “Our critical care units are four across and three high. The flexibility of the camera allows us to look into each individual unit.”

Total remote control is through VBAdministration Tools software. Adds Kutter, “The camera system we picked had to be easy to use, and I can just click on it on my desktop and it’s right there. Plus, service is a big issue for us, and Canon has a reputation for reliability. We know we will be supported.” With a built-in Web server and FTP server for instant connectivity to the Internet or a LAN, the camera is the all-in-one solution for live, interactive imaging. With 16X optical zoom and sophisticated pan, tilt and zoom control, it can transmit live images up to 30 frames per second. The network camera offers a panorama creation tool, 8 preset angles, image capture and storage along with the ability to transmit video to 20 clients simultaneously.