CCTV, or video surveillance, plays a critical role in modern property management and asset protection.
Facility management for plants, warehouses, construction sites, factories, and most operations, benefit from a high-quality CCTV system and the many positive outcomes it can create.
So what are the primary functions of video surveillance?
From perimeter protection to emergency and disaster plan testing, the reality is that without effective video monitoring in place, you’re open to much higher levels of risk and loss.
A good CCTV video surveillance system monitors and records whatever goes on in your facility with a wide range of positive effects, from improving safety to assisting your security team.
The Main Roles of CCTV
The two main applications of CCTV in asset protection that we’re looking at today are:
1) using video surveillance to protect your perimeter and
2) using CCTV as part of your emergency and disaster plan.
While CCTV undeniably improves the strength of your perimeter security, the number of ways you benefit from it during an emergency or disaster really drives home the need for (and value of) a reliable surveillance system.
CCTV as Perimeter Protection
The primary role of CCTV in asset protection is as part of a perimeter protection strategy. This is particularly useful joined with other intrusion detection technology like perimeter alarms.
Combining CCTV, motion detection access control alarms, and central or local guard station alarms give you strong perimeter security for any breach.
Outcomes of Adding CCTV to your Perimeter Plan
1. CCTV Improves Security Guard Efficiency
- Real-time cameras can alert your guard to unauthorized entry as soon as it happens.
- Cameras identify for guards where exactly a breach has occurred.
- Your security guards or police officers can track intruder location with real-time camera surveillance.
- Video information improves response time, helping guards detect and apprehend intruders quickly.
- Additional knowledge from CCTV monitors increases guard safety.
2. CCTV Documents Occurrences
- Your system can record and store footage for further review (cloud storage or local storage)
- Security footage can be used to assess your perimeter weaknesses or intruder patterns to create improvements
- Recorded CCTV camera feeds are reliable evidence in the prosecution of criminals and filing insurance claims.
CCTV for Emergency and Disaster Plans
Perhaps the most value many see from their CCTV is the role it can play in emergency and disaster situations. From monitoring dangerous emergency zones from a safe distance to practicing your emergency preparedness protocol during safe conditions, your mobile video surveillance system makes you much safer in the event of an emergency.
Outcomes of Using CCTV as Part of Emergency and Disaster Plans
1. CCTV Protects Human Life and Minimizes Injury
- Allows security officials to see into remote areas and monitor what happens.
- Provides an opportunity to identify and triage the most critical or dangerous areas.
- Identifies hazards and injuries quickly.
- Shows you when and where machinery, processes, and areas need to be shut down, contained, or maintained.
- Helps response teams get where they’re needed quickly.
- Informs decisions on removing people or providing protective equipment.
- Helps security officers identify safe and controlled areas to get people to safety.
- Monitors safe areas for continued safety and change.
- Visually confirm appropriate actions are taken in remote locations.
2. CCTV Reduces Exposure of Assets and Optimizes Loss Control
- Identifies damaging conditions quickly to reduce the exposure of physical assets to oncoming disasters like fire or flood.
- Helps prevent and asses lost goods – whether from damage or removal by intruders or unauthorized personnel.
- Documents equipment and assets that were in place prior to disaster for comparison afterward.
- Documents the locations and activities of people on-site before, during, and after an emergency event.
- Help identify causes of loss and assess damages done.
3. CCTV Speeds Up Time To Restored Operations
- Minimizes the impact of a disaster or emergency.
- Improves management and security personnel’s ability to assess and respond.
- Provides visual cues for whether additional emergencies are imminent.
- Visually confirms whether and procedures and processes are back to normal in unaffected or restored areas.
4. CCTV Documents Emergency Situations
- Improves planning, insurance, and evaluation with real-time footage.
- Saves money through documentation of lost or damaged goods, and personnel death or injury.
- Serves as reliable evidence for insurance claims and legal proceedings.
- Proves your responsibility in enacting the emergency preparedness plan timely.
5. CCTV Improves Your Emergency and Disaster Plan
- Provides a reliable way to review your emergency and disaster preparedness plan
- Identifies those who may need more training in plan protocol.
- It enables you to see shortcomings in plan design.
- Empowers you show those involved what they did correctly and incorrectly.
- Allows you to share a real-time run of your emergency response plan with relevant parties like those in the role of security director
- Gives security professionals an advanced starting point for improving your plan.
- Promotes better preparedness.
Recap: The Top Three Functions of Video Surveillance Systems
Prevent Loss of Life and Goods
For protecting your people, in safe times of normal operations, as well as in unexpected disasters, nothing will prove more useful than reliable remote monitoring surveillance cameras. To be able to see what is happening from a safe distance allows you to direct personnel as needed to minimize damage to your assets.
Prepare Better for Disasters
A plan isn’t proven effective unless it has been tried, tested, and tried again.
Use the security camera footage from real disaster events to help prepare for whatever may come. Use the recorded footage of your emergency preparedness test runs to prepare even more. And keep on repeating the process to improve your responses and think through potential unexpected events.
Video camera surveillance allows you to identify and improve areas you may have never caught otherwise.
Prove Claims
Insurance claims and lawsuits from an accident, emergency, or natural disaster can, in some instances, be more tumultuous or devastating than the event itself. With an effective video surveillance system in place, you have the peace of mind knowing there’s clear proof of whatever happened.
The case for CCTV is clear. Don’t skimp on such an integral component to site safety, security, and preparedness. Remember: It’s not just monitoring. Effective remote video surveillance saves lives and protects businesses.
References: Kruegel, Herman. CCTV Surveillance: Video Practices and Technology. 1994.
