The Story
Faced with an archaic system that was proving hard to expand, lacked variety, and had become cost prohibitive to maintain, Red Stag Timber were faced with an unenviable task – to replace a live security system on a large industrial site with no stoppages. In consultation with local integrators Nutech Security, a two-part plan was made to deliver a unified solution that would provide expandable monitoring capabilities, and secure but flexible access. Tim Bealing, Environmental and Security Coordinator at Red Stag Timber, has been in the security role for over a decade, and recalls the moment he decided on ICT over other security systems. "Nathan from Nutech told me, 'You won't regret it', and I haven't."
A plan for progress
Bealing explains that the two main functions required of the system at Red Stag Timber dictated how the install would move. "We need secure but flexible access control, and to monitor our fire detection systems and other alarms across the site."
"We started with the access and went through one door, or gate, at a time. It was a simple matter of changing the readers and reader expanders and adding controls."
Nutech Security did the hardware install, and Bealing followed behind with the programming. "I learned quickly as the system is quite easy to program, and it meant we got things done a lot quicker, so it's a good partnership", he says.
Following this, was the replacement of the alarm monitoring and updating the reporting systems – a simple job thanks to Protege GX. Despite the complexities of working on a large, live site, Bealing says, "The entire process was completed in under two years without ever causing any stoppages or issues."
Visuals aid safety and navigation
Red Stag has additional security staff and a team of 24/7 contract guards, so key requirements of the new system were to provide visual functionality and be simple to manage. Protege GX, with its custom floor plans, ticks both boxes.
"Using an aerial photo as a map base makes it very visual so it's easy for them to see exactly where something's going on. The interface has icons for doors and smoke detectors and all sorts of things. We can drill down and see exactly where an alarm is going off," says Bealing.
"Protege GX is so easy to manipulate, the team can zoom in on any area. If it's a smoke detector, they'll see a flashing icon of a smoke detector, or they can right-click to open a door. Since it's based off a map, there's no confusion, they don't even have to think about where they are."
In a sawmill, the constant danger of fire means safety is paramount. According to Bealing, "We have Pertronic panels and the most modern fire systems that you can buy these days." Relays allow an interface with Protege GX that gives the onsite security an early heads-up. "If a panel activates, or something was to catch fire, they have the information to go to the place that's causing the issue or even direct the fire brigade there," says Bealing.
Programmable functions ease pressure
Looking for more customization, Red Stag uses programmable functions to create a better experience for staff. These trigger an action when a particular event occurs – such as automatically arming areas. But more importantly, Bealing explains they are also used to take the pressure off the onsite security team.
"If we have an emergency, the contract guard is usually on their own. I like to make things easy by giving them one thing to do. With programable functions, they can unlock all the doors and gates that the emergency services need to get through by clicking a single icon."
Access in all environments
In large-scale industrial environments, it's crucial that security always knows exactly who is on site. ICT tSec readers with keypads help enable this with visitors in the middle of the night who use a PIN to get in and out – such as a husband or wife who drops off dinner for a nightshift worker.
"As you can imagine, about half of our tSec readers are outside in the sun and rain – in all sorts of environments. I haven't had a failure yet, which is great," says Bealing.
"We also use Protege GX to secure mobile plant on site. Using access levels tied to training and inductions, I can control the key lockers where the harness and key for a vehicle are stored. And I add reminders and an expiry to the access level for the appropriate time to meet health and safety requirements."
