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Airport Security Improved By Real-Time Video and Wireless Access to Police Records

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 September 2008, 09:00 CDT

Airport officials at Page Municipal Airport and police in Page, Ariz. can now respond quicker to potential emergencies by viewing live video from cameras located throughout the airport and by accessing police records from remote locations. Durham Communications Inc., provider of public safety communications systems, and Firetide Inc., a developer of wireless mesh and access networks, deployed a wireless mesh network that supports video surveillance, access control and a connection to the central command center for remote police officers. The new wireless network will help city officials keep airport assets and over 60,000 tourists who are expected to travel through the airport this year safe.

With roughly 10,000 residents and beautiful views of Lake Powel and near-by canyons, the City of Page routinely handles large influxes of tourists through the city airport. This summer vacation season, the city expects 15 percent more tourists than last year. City officials turned to a wireless mesh network to give police and airport employees tools to increase presence, improve response time and deter crime related to large crowds.

"When the airport was awarded a grant to improve and maintain the facilities, it was a logical choice to build a wireless infrastructure in order to give our police and airport staff new tools to increase public safety," said Michael Bergner, information technology manager for the City of Page. "We were already considering Firetide mesh to provide data connectivity for city workers, and when Durham Communications chose Firetide to power video surveillance, it was a clear decision."

Airport officials are able to view live footage from 15 surveillance cameras placed at high-traffic areas within the airport. Video is streamed in real-time to operations centers in both the airport and the police station roughly 1.5 miles away, where police are able to view the live footage and respond quickly to potentially harmful situations. Police also have access to the wireless data network, allowing them to securely access city records from remote locations. Page city officials are considering extending the mesh network for monitoring water and wastewater plants, as well as aiding covert police work.

"Had we gone with a fiber-based solution, the cost of trenching and installing the network would have been at least five times as much," said Jim Garrett, account manager for Durham Communications. "We accomplished this by eliminating the tedious and expensive process of traditional trenching, conduit, and data line installation. Not only are the cost savings significant but the time savings are equally impressive. Traditional trenching can take up to 10 times as long compared to Firetide's wireless solution."

Firetide HotPort wireless nodes stream video footage from surveillance cameras to command centers in the airport and in the Page Police Department. Video footage is stored for 30 days at the airport for later review before being transferred to CDs for permanent archival if needed. The wireless network is connected to the city-owned-and-operated network, allowing police officials to access city records from remote locations. An additional wireless mesh network supports an application that grants card access to four gates at the airport -- two for vehicle access and two for airport personnel access.

"Wireless mesh is gaining momentum as large and small municipalities discover it as a secure and affordable infrastructure for video surveillance, first responder communications and other municipal services," said Bo Larsson, chief executive officer of Firetide. "Supporting multiple applications in situations where reliability and flexibility are paramount is where Firetide's mesh networks thrive."

About Firetide

Firetide is a leading provider of wireless mesh and access networks that enable concurrent video, voice, and data for municipal, public safety, and enterprise applications. Firetide HotPort(R) mesh nodes and HotPoint(R) access points provide a reliable high performance wireless infrastructure and access solution for video surveillance, Internet access, public safety networks and temporary networks wherever rapid deployment, mobility and ease of installation are required. Headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., Firetide is a privately held company with worldwide product distribution. www.firetide.com.

About Durham Communications Inc

Durham Communications Inc has been in business for over 62 years with over 300 installations worldwide. The company is based in Phoenix, AZ, and is a leader in installation, integration of Firetide wireless mesh networks, access control, and public safety communications equipment.

Source: Business Wire

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