Interfacing to Related Systems
Abstract
This chapter includes information on building system interfaces and system control, as well as interfaces to different types of building systems, including elevators and escalators, building automation systems, telephone systems, public address systems, parking control systems, fuel management systems, and physical security information management systems.
Introduction
This chapter includes information on building system interfaces and system control, as well as interfaces to different types of building systems, including elevators and escalators, building automation systems, telephone systems, public address systems, parking control systems, fuel management systems, and physical security information management systems.
Building System Interfaces and System Control
By interfacing the security system to other building systems, it is possible to control lights, doors, ventilation systems, announcement systems, irrigation systems, elevators, and other building systems to the overall benefit of the security of an organization’s assets and safety of its users. Building system interfaces are of two types: information inputs and control outputs.
This chapter will also cover Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) systems, what they can do, how they work, what they cost and when to use one.
Information Inputs
Other building systems can provide information to the security guard force. For example, when an office building occupant places a 911 call to emergency services (police, fire, or ambulance), that call can be logged on the alarm/access control system, the location of the desk from which the call originates can be displayed on an alarm map, and the call can be recorded on the audio track of the digital video system and announced at the security console.
This prepares the security force to be the first responder to the desk where the emergency is occurring, rendering appropriate assistance. It also enables the force to greet members of the responding public agency and guide them quickly to the appropriate location. All this places facility ownership in the enviable position of being informed and truly helpful in a timely fashion, with all the facts in hand from the phone call.
Control Outputs
The ability to control the environment to the benefit of the users’ safety and security has profound effects on the welfare of the client, and it is a service of real value to the client’s constituents.
A good example is that of irrigation systems. Upon triggering a perimeter alarm, if an intruder is proceeding across a grassy area, the intent of the intruder can be determined quickly by the remote triggering of the irrigation system. Only the most determined intruder will proceed across a large grassy area toward a target while in the embrace of a sprinkler system when a shorter path to escape is available.
Imagination
The use of building interfaces is limited only by the designer’s imagination. Wherever it can be imagined that a process could be facilitated by hand, it is probably possible to place that process under remote control from the console.
More on Building System Interfaces
Fire Alarm Systems
In most cases, the security system is not rated as a fire alarm system and should not be used as such. However, for large buildings and facilities, it is useful to use the security system as a secondary annunciator for the fire alarm system. This does not replace the fire alarm system as a primary annunciator.
Usually, the fire alarm annunciation panel will be located in a fire control room that is convenient to the fire department when it accesses the building. The fire control room may not be convenient to the security control room.
A useful interface between the two systems involves placing a summary or secondary lamp annunciator within the security command center (this fulfills the requirement that the primary annunciator is the fire alarm system) and also interfacing the fire alarm system to the security system such that any alarm from the fire alarm system will be displayed on the security graphic maps.
By interfacing the fire alarm system to the security system in this manner, it is assured that the code requirements are fulfilled while at the same time allowing for the display of fire alarms on a single graphical user interface map that displays all other types of alarms.
Fire/Life Safety Interfaces
When a fire alarm occurs within a high-rise building, it is recommended practice to pressurize the fire stairwells so that smoke cannot infiltrate the stairs while the occupants are using them to exit. A problem is that very often when this protective system is needed the most, it is found that someone has propped a stairwell door open, rendering the safety system inoperable.
By combining the fire/life safety system with the security system, and creating a Boolean algebra logic system, the security console officer can instantly determine if a door has been propped or is not reclosing after it was opened. This is done by coupling the fire alarm system input with the inputs of door position switches in the fire stairwell and displaying these on a map that specifically shows all the fire stairwell doors in a riser. When the stairwell is in use for a fire and someone props a door open, the security staff can quickly dispatch to that location, preventing a buildup of potentially fatal smoke within the stairwell.
This process can also be automated by placing magnetic holders on the fire stairwell doors so that if anyone does prop them open, they can be easily closed after the door prop alarm engages. This is an optimal implementation allowing instant release of the door remotely from the console, preserving the life-saving value of the system.
Elevators and Escalators
Access Control
Access control in elevators is a valuable function in any multi-floor building. There are four basic types of elevator access control systems.
Hall Call Control
Hall call readers allow access to the hall call pushbuttons in the elevator lobby. This is very useful for parking structure elevator lobbies and elevators that are intended to serve a specific group, such as staff elevators in a hospital or educational institution. Hall call readers are also useful to prevent vandalism to elevators in areas where pedestrian access to the elevators cannot be prevented, such as in a parking structure.
Floor-by-Floor Control
Floor-by-floor control combines a card reader within the elevator car with control over the individual floor select buttons to ensure that the cardholder is allowed to go only to the floors to which he or she has access privileges.
Scheduled Operation
Because any access control system can be placed on a schedule of operation, the elevator can be placed on free access during normal building hours and on access control during off-hours.
Remote Operation from the Console
The ultimate implementation of elevator access control is direct control over the floor select buttons by the security console officer. This method ensures that visitors to the building after hours do indeed get off on the floor they stated as their intent. This is particularly useful in residential high-rise buildings, where unauthorized visitors can create significant liability for the building owner.
Emergency Operation
Elevators
During emergencies, all elevators can be programmed for fire recall, bringing all elevators down to the lobby level. This can be especially useful in areas where demonstrations or swarming attacks in the lobby could occur because it ensures that the elevators cannot be used to infiltrate the building.
Escalators
Similarly, escalators can be placed into a down-only mode after a short pause to allow those on board to exit. This creates a barrier to rising through the building and helps large numbers to exit down.
Building Automation Systems
Building automation system integration to the security system can have numerous benefits.
HVAC
Very popular in certain locales, the integration of access control and HVAC systems provides users of tenant spaces with a convenient way to activate air-conditioning service during hours when it would normally be off.
The basic implementation of the system includes a card reader for each floor and a zone select button for each of several HVAC zones for that floor. The card reader enables the appropriate zone, much like the floor select buttons of the elevator access control system. Each pressing of the HVAC buttons provides for a fixed time period of HVAC service, typically two hours. Often, these services are coupled with after-hours HVAC usage accounting, facilitating a monthly charge for the services that would otherwise not be available.
More elegant versions of this system incorporate telephone access to activate the HVAC services. This is especially useful because the office can be cooled down prior to arrival when a call is made from a car on the way to the office. Access control identification in these cases is based on a user password or pass-number entered into the phone. This system can also light corridors at night that would otherwise be darkened, making working late at night much more pleasant.
Lighting
It can be disturbing to go to one’s office late at night when the area is unoccupied and dark. However, by coupling together the parking lot/structure access control system with the building automation system, it is possible to light the parking structure upon entry of the car and then light a path from the parking area to the user’s office area. Presentation of the user’s card to a reader in the elevator lobby can also light the return path to the parking structure.
Lighting can also be automated in response to alarms, particularly perimeter alarms to ward off intrusions. Finally, in reactive electronic automated protection systems (REAPS), lighting can be extinguished, leaving the intruder in total darkness while the security officer can see the intruder through infrared illuminated video cameras. This function should only be used in unoccupied structures and in environments where the intruder’s presence constitutes great danger to the community (such as in a suspension bridge anchorage building), and then a variance must be obtained to perform this function.
Signage
There is little more frustrating than to enter a parking structure only to drive every level and never find a parking space. The security system that controls access to a parking lot or structure can also be used to count up and down to manage the capacity of the structure.
By linking an up/down counter to the access control system, lighted signage can inform potential users that the parking structure is full, saving them time. The building automation system makes a useful up/down counter for access control systems that are not so enabled.
Irrigation
A REAPS technology, irrigation systems are often controlled by the building automation system. As stated previously, irrigation systems are a useful tool in augmenting perimeter security.
Deluge Fire Sprinkler Control (Another Reaps Technology)
For any environment such as an outdoor shopping mall, where competing gangs of criminal youths could engage in gunfire, nothing can disperse a crowd immediately quite like 10,000 gallons of water in 60 seconds. Afterward, although people are most likely to be upset and drenched, the gunfire will probably have stopped and the perpetrators will likely have fled, thus dissipating the danger and protecting the innocent public.
Coupled with gunshot recognition software, pan/tilt cameras can instantly zoom in on the offender, providing visual verification of the condition requiring action.
Deluge activation systems should only be installed after careful consideration and advice from legal counsel, but they may be appropriate for any venue where there is a potential or history of gunfire in public spaces.
PABX Interfaces
PABX systems facilitate the connection of a number of analog or digital station sets to a central switch. The PABX switch will accommodate a number of central office telephone lines (from several to hundreds) and a number of telephone station sets (from six to thousands). The PABX switch routes incoming calls to the correct extension and routes outgoing calls to an available central office line.
Additional features of PABX switches may include direct inward dialing (DID), so that certain extensions can be dialed directly from the outside without going through the switch; an automated attendant; call waiting; voice mail; and many other unique features. Internal intercom functions are usually standard.
Station sets may be simple or complicated. Simple station sets may look like a home phone, whereas more complicated sets may display time/date and incoming caller ID, have many speed-dial buttons, and show the line status of frequently called internal numbers. An operator’s station set may display the status of every extension in the system either by a field of lamps and select buttons or in software.
PABX systems are normally controlled by a dedicated computer located in the main telephone closet. PABX systems are capable of sophisticated interfaces to other systems, including security systems.
The security designer can use the PABX system as a security intercom system by utilizing door stations in lieu of standard station sets (depending on the manufacturer and model of the PABX system).
For almost every installation, it is important for the security console to be equipped with a direct central office telephone that is not routed through the PABX switch; this acts as an emergency communication link in case of total power or equipment failure.
Voice Over IP Systems
PABX switch systems are rapidly being replaced by voice over IP (VoIP) systems. VoIP systems do not rely on central office telephone lines for their connection to the telephone company. Rather, they utilize the Internet for the connection.
The telephone station sets may be either conventional sets with a VoIP converter or network devices.
VoIP phone systems are extremely flexible because all of their functions operate in software. However, they suffer from two major potential problems relating to the security of the organization they serve. VoIP systems are subject to Internet outages, which are much more common than central office line outages, in which case the telephone lines operate on battery power from the central office. With central office lines, if electrical power fails, it is likely that the telephone lines will still work. This is not the case with VoIP phones. Additionally, VoIP phone systems are subject to intrusion by skilled hackers, making communications on a VoIP phone extremely unsecure.
VoIP phones are a natural for integration with other systems, although those interfaces have yet to be developed by the industry. VoIP systems should easily accommodate integration with IP-based security intercoms and with pagers. Digital two-way radios are also a natural point of integration. I expect to see such integration in the near future.
Public Address Systems
It is often useful to interface the C3 console to a public address system in order to make announcements. By using the microphone of the C3 console, it is one less system to keep track of at the security command center.
For single-channel (all-call) paging systems, this interface is straightforward. Simply provide an audio output from a codec into the line-level input of the paging amplifier. The output control of the codec will control the push-to-talk input of the paging amplifier.
Multi-channel paging amplifiers will have a series of pushbuttons according to the zone to be paged. One dry contact for each zone will be needed. These can be provided by the alarm/access control system or an output relay interface panel from the digital video system, if it is so capable.
Some paging systems are actually a subset of an intercom or telephone system. These require an interface appropriate to the type of system. There is no single interface that will work with all such systems.
Parking Control Systems
Parking control systems are a common point of integration. In the simplest form, the integration may involve controlling gates in response to a card reader. In more complex cases, the integration may include counting cars, lighted automated signage, fee systems, and vehicle tag access control systems. Each element should be taken on its own, always considering the complete system picture, not just the small elements.
Fuel Management Systems
Fuel management systems are a subset of access control that will permit access to a fuel pump in response to presentation of a valid access card at the pump. In more elegant systems, the database may also be linked to fuel usage. In some advanced alarm/access control systems, this feature is available.
PSIM systems
Thanks to both Bob Banerjee, PhD (NICE Systems) and Charles Goslin, CPP/CISSP (Butchko, Inc.) for some of the content in this section.
Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) systems are conceivably capable of making an ordinary security system operate like something out of Star Wars. The earliest form of something like PSIM systems dates back to the early 1990s when large military contractors began to use Command, Control, and Communications (C3) consoles to integrate and control their large security systems. Earliest PSIM systems blended the C3 concept with ideas from battlefield command and control systems from the U.S., Soviet, and Israeli militaries that were capable of providing wartime decision makers with real situational awareness and the ability to decide what to do, based upon real-time information about the enemy and the actual availability and readiness of their own military assets. Military battlefield command and control systems gather data about the environment, the organization’s own security assets (what man and machine capabilities and training are located where and their immediate state of readiness to respond to a threat), and also continuous detection about enemy patrols and intrusions (again, what and where and a quick determination of the nature of the threat—capabilities, intent, and so on) The earliest PSIM systems provide only those tools. Today, better PSIM can also be programmed to provide decision making assistance (e.g., what is the threat likely to do, what security assets are best to deploy)
At their simplest, PSIM systems integrate sensors of all types and process the data presented by the sensors into an overall “situational awareness” view so that console operators can decide how to react to emerging incidents. A truly well-designed and implemented PSIM system can help assure success and help mitigate consequences for any kind of incident from a medical incident to a full-on terrorist attack. Additionally, PSIM can assist with training programs and record-keeping, linking that to incident response so that the most trained personnel are presented as primary assets to assign for a given type of incident. Perhaps more importantly, PSIM systems can help implement common Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across a campus or an entire enterprise, thus lowering the organization’s liability, adapting real-time responses to evolving threats, recording every action and outcome for 360-degree incident debriefing, learning from mistakes as part of a continuous improvement cycle, and helping ensure business continuity and regulatory compliance. PSIM systems can also assist the organization’s security to generate real-time program metrics and analyze those metrics in order to improve the security unit’s return on investment (ROI) for the organization. Finally, PSIM is capable of enhancing an organization’s safety program and even helping to manage the organization’s operations program.
PSIM systems have four main components:
- Sensors and sensor interfaces including cameras, alarms, environmental sensors, guards-on-duty (time clock interface), real-time dynamic adjustments of threat level setting, intelligent video system outputs, time of day, day of week, communications systems and other sensor inputs, limited only by the designers’ imagination and the organization’s budget.
- Data
Data: Real-time and historical sensor data and historical incident data
Rules: Threat-level rules, incident response rules
Automated and manual reports (e.g., historical, trends, asset utilization)
Data visualization tools
- Logic-driven decision engine (SQL, etc.)
- Human interface
Administrative workstations
A given incident may present to different users in different ways. For example, an incident that rises above a certain threshold may alert a security director on a smartphone while he or she is on vacation and provide a choice (through the smartphone) as to how involved he or she wishes to be in the incident going forward (show me the resolution, include me in decisions, don’t bother me). At the same time, the full picture is being presented to console operators and on-duty supervisors, including relevant cameras (immediate vicinity and egress cameras), with analysis (this looks like a robbery with weapons/no weapons) and available assets for response (e.g., guards, lockdown, public address system announcement to the area of the incident, evacuation plan for adjacent areas).
Well-developed PSIM systems can actually predict security incidents. Major police departments in the United States are beginning to use PSIM systems in the prediction of crime to identify where, when, and what types of crimes are likely to occur, so that police departments can position patrol units in the exact geographical centers of the areas of likely crime exactly when the crime is predicted. Stunning improvements in criminal capture rates have been realized, and overall crime has been lowered due to the immediate presence of a police patrol at or near the center of the crime prediction area.
While most security professionals view PSIM as a wonderful (if expensive) industry offering, few are aware that PSIM costs can be amortized across a wide array of other organizational business units such as:
- Airport/Rail operations (really any type of business process operations)
- Emergency response and business continuity
- Training departments (all types of business training across all business units)
- Public relations departments (incidents and responses)
- Risk analysis departments
- Sales and marketing (what’s selling where, when, and to whom)
- Financial data trends and visualization
- Boardroom (C-level decisions based upon business unit ROI)
PSIM is a very powerful tool that will see more and more use in and outside of the security department as time goes on.
Summary
Integrated security systems really begin to perform miraculous functions when they are interfaced to other building systems. Interfaces are of two types: information inputs and control outputs. Common integration elements include:
Remote secondary annunciation (observe local codes)
Fire/life safety interfaces
• Elevators and escalators
Hall call control
Floor-by-floor control
Scheduled operation
Remote operation from the console
Emergency operation
• Building automation systems
HVAC for convenience
HVAC for fire/life safety support
Lighting control
Signage
Parking control up/down counters
• Irrigation systems
• Deluge fire sprinkler control systems
• PABX interfaces and VoIP systems
• Public address systems
• Parking control systems
• Fuel management systems
Physical Security Information Management (PSIM) systems provide security departments with a very powerful tool to predict, detect, and manage security, safety, and emergency incidents.
Questions and Answers
1. In most cases, the security system:
a. Is the best choice for monitoring a fire alarm system
b. Is the worst choice for monitoring a fire alarm system
c. Is rated as a fire alarm system and can be used as such
d. Is not rated as a fire alarm system and should not be used as such
2. However, for large buildings and facilities, it is useful to use the security system
a. Only for security and never for secondary fire monitoring purposes
b. Instead of a fire alarm system
c. As a secondary annunciator for the fire alarm system
d. None of the above
3. By combining the fire/life safety system with the security system and creating a Boolean algebra logic system, the security console officer can instantly determine:
a. If the stairwell is on fire
b. If a door has been propped or is not reclosing after it was opened
c. If the stairwell is being used for smoking
d. None of the above
4. There are ___ basic types of elevator access control systems.
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five
5. The integration of access control and HVAC systems provides users of tenant spaces with a _______________________ during hours when it would normally be off.
a. Convenient way to activate air-conditioning service
b. Convenient way to exit the building
c. Convenient way to make hot coffee
d. None of the above
6. By coupling together the parking lot/structure access control system with the building automation system, it is possible to _______________ and then (continued on question 7):
a. Turn on air conditioning in the parking structure
b. Light the parking structure upon entry of the car
c. Use the sprinkler system to give the car a wash
d. None of the above
7. By coupling together the parking lot/structure access control system with the building automation system, it is possible to (answer to question 6) and then:
a. Use the sprinkler system to give the car a wash.
b. Call a guard to walk the visitor to his or her office.
c. Light a path from the parking area to the user’s office area.
d. None of the above.
8. Coupled with gunshot recognition software,
a. The security unit can return fire.
b. Guards can run into the zone of fire.
c. Pan/tilt cameras can instantly zoom in on the offender, providing visual verification of the condition requiring action.
d. None of the above.
9. Fuel management systems are a subset of access control that will permit:
a. Fuel pumps to run dependently
b. Fuel to be dispensed into glass containers
c. Access to the restrooms at the fueling station
d. None of the above
10. At their simplest, PSIM systems integrate sensors of all types and process the data presented by the sensors into an overall ______________ so that console operators can decide how to react to emerging incidents.
a. “Situational Awareness” view
b. Automatic weapons system
c. Guard tour reporting system
d. None of the above
Answers: 1: d, 2: c, 3: b, 4: c, 5: a, 6: b, 7: c, 8: c, 9: d, 10: a