Remote Control
TIC - The Industrial Company Helps Lafayette
Do More With Less

In our technology driven society, we’re always looking for added convenience. Whether it is quickly and easily recording television programs, communicating with people all over the country with the click of a mouse, or even making coffee automatically, technology has brought us many tools that help make our lives more convenient.

Security technology is also following this trend in a big way. As perimeter security technology becomes more and more advanced, it is a lot easier to control and monitor these systems remotely.

“A lot more owners want to be able to remotely view everything and even completely control their facilities from a remote location,Ó says Richard Cleveland of The Industrial Company (TIC), a heavy industrial EPC construction company in Kingwood, Texas. "This is especially essential to large corporations and municipalities.”

A good example of this is a project Cleveland and his firm just completed for Lafayette Utilities System, a subsidiary of Lafayette Consolidated Government in Louisiana.

“For this specific project we're basically putting in two power-producing gas turbines at 50 megawatts each for Lafayette Consolidated Government," says Cleveland. "With that, we're installing the gas turbines and auxiliary equipment as well as all the security hardware and software for the owner to be able to manage the facility remotely.”

Lafayette Utilities System is a large utility that offers Lafayette residents electric, water, and wastewater services. With more than 55,000 retail customers, 800 miles of primary distribution line and an annual peak of about 411 megawatts, it is critical that the utility have state-of-the-art perimeter security systems.

Long-Term Performance
As the engineer and builder of the Lafayette Utilities project, The Industrial Group was tapped to handle the perimeter security and access control systems as well. Due to the size and scope of this power-generating station, the longevity of the system was an important consideration.

“When you’re dealing with a facility this size, you definitely want to make sure the owner has something they’ll be happy with for years to come,” explains Cleveland. “We’ve designed a 20-year lifespan project. When the owner’s willing to invest in the neighborhood of $50 million, they’re not going to replace this facility in five years.”

Along with lifespan, Cleveland and his team work diligently to ensure that the system meets all of the facility’s needs. “We try to determine their needs and ascertain what their exact requirements are—what do they want to see specifically,” Cleveland stresses. “We recommend perimeter intrusion to make sure no one can get into the site undetected. We monitor the fence line with cameras and we strategically locate those cameras to also be able to see the entry and egress points of the facility.”

After The Industrial Group created a proposal, they presented it to the owner of Lafayette Utilities. Then, they commenced the construction. “What we have is a complete plant control system, a PCS system and we integrated security alarms,” Cleveland says.

Remote Monitoring Built Right In
Because remote monitoring was so important to Lafayette Utilities System, TIC made sure that everything was configured to for easy access off-site.

“It was a requirement of theirs, so we definitely made it happen,” Cleveland explains. “They connect via a private network over fiber. And, everything is done remotely—the cameras, gates—everything.”

TIC worked closely with Mickey Bellot, a prominent security systems integrator from Royal Security, on the installation of the security system. Southwest Microwave’s INTREPID MicroPoint system was an integral component. TIC installed the INTREPID fence-tied intrusion detection system and integrated it into the camera system as well.

“Basically, we have the INTREPID intrusion system, which will notify and alarm the cameras and then the cameras automatically point to that location,” Cleveland says. “So the alarms are also fed through dry contacts into the PCS system that will alarm the specific location.”

Doing More With Less
Integrating the INTREPID system with the other components of the system wasn’t difficult at all for Cleveland. The INTREPID system even allowed the installers to cut down the camera count from 12 to four.

“We were able to do that by strategically locating the cameras,” continues Cleveland. “We didn’t try to necessarily utilize existing lighting poles. Everything is pan/tilt/zoom.”

Cleveland appreciates the fact that the INTREPID system is so precise. This fence-tied detection system locates disturbances along the fence to within three meters (10 feet). This precision location technology makes it easy for the pan-tilt-zoom cameras to point to a potential intruder automatically.

“Also, when someone’s at the gate and the gate opens, the closest camera automatically pans over to the gate,” Cleveland says. “It’s pretty efficient.”

Another aspect of the Southwest Microwave technology that attracted Cleveland to the system is the reduced nuisance alarm rate. “We haven’t had a tremendous amount of nuisance alarms,” he says. “The system is so customizable that you can configure out a lot of those nuisance alarms. Being able to have sensitivity adjustment like that is great.”

Excellent Feedback
Cleveland and TIC have been able to forge a partnership of sorts with Lafayette Utilities System. The utility is able to come to TIC with their desires and requirements and the company is able to execute on that plan within predetermined parameters.

“It’s essential to have that kind of relationship,” says Cleveland. “In the market we’re in, it’s an absolute necessity.”

The feedback Cleveland has received from Lafayette Utilities on the project has been outstanding. “They’ve been quite happy with the performance of the security system and the remote monitoring component,” he says. “As a matter of fact, I’m planning on implementing an identical security structure on another facility for the same owner.”

Truly, high technology has brought about many changes in our lives that have resulted in increased convenience. Technologically advanced security systems like the one installed at Lafayette Utilities provide the ultimate in convenience and customization. When critical infrastructures like utilities are at stake, the technology is vital to a completely secure system.