Backup Power Is Critical
Power protection is a sometimes forgotten
aspect of keeping a campus safe during a
power outage caused by either a man-made
or natural disaster. When a student, faculty
member or administrator enters a campus
facility, there is a presumption that all systems
designed for keeping everyone safe are working,
even during a power outage.
Network servers and workstations are the
first things that typically come to mind for most
administrators when it comes to backup power,
but other critical systems cannot be overlooked.
When a power outage occurs, a campus
security system is perhaps the most important
system to have protected by a battery backup,
or uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Security
cameras, video recorders, access control
systems, fire alarm systems and emergency
communications are absolutely critical for
ensuring campus safety. If these systems do
not have appropriate power backup, security
vulnerabilities are huge and liabilities are
magnified. The good news is that most of this
security hardware can have appropriate battery
backup at a cost-effective price.
One of the most important questions to consider
in security system power protection is how
long should all aspects of the security system stay
up and running? Is one hour sufficient? Are four
or more hours enough? The length of backup battery
time required by a campus can be debated
and may vary from campus to campus, but the
importance of ensuring safety is undeniable.
Many different types of power protection
solutions are available, including systems that
allow the addition of external battery packs to
extend power backup from minutes to hours.
Campuses invest large amounts of money in
security systems, but if a proper power backup
system is not included, the investment will be of
little value during a power outage. Hot tip: Ask
whoever is in charge of security if your campus is
appropriately covered with backup power.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
About the Author
Bill Allen is the director of Marketing with Minuteman Power Technologies. He can be reached at 800-238-7272.