Lumber yards are prime targets for theft and vandalism and a common site of accidents that can impact personnel and product. The addition of superior video surveillance to a yard can significantly improve its security while dramatically reducing its risk profile. Make no mistake: Lumber yards are bigger targets today than they’ve ever been.
Site managers need to accept the traditional security problems inherent in lumber yards while paying close attention to contemporary developments that can lead to a higher probability of theft. This guide will highlight dangers old and new while explaining the high security value of a mobile video surveillance system.
The Prime Reasons Lumber Yards Need Video Security
Lumber yards are vast spaces full of valuable material, so security will always be a concern. It’s wise to understand the risks so you can assess the proper security approach. Here are some reasons to consider video security:
1. Rampant Theft
Lumber yards are linked to construction sites, and as such, they suffer from the same theft-induced pains. Thieves are causing the sector to lose over $1 billion a year in direct and indirect costs, and they know that lumber yards provide a lucrative and often wide-open target as a construction industry supplier. Criminal actions aren’t the only risk to lumber yards, however, with two other factors adding significantly to the need for dedicated video surveillance:
2. Accidents Are Common
Lumber yards contain heavy planks laid low at ground level or stacked high in an area where staff frequently move around on foot or in vehicles to load and unload product. A lumber yard is also a highly combustible environment, and there’s a high potential for vehicle collisions, smoke/fire-related injuries, and other injuries.
3. There’s a Lumber Shortage
Lumber yards are already finding products harder to come by without adding the worry of losing inventory to thieves. Many criminals prioritize a material that is in short supply, knowing that the asking price will go up. This is precisely what’s happening in 2021, with lumber prices breaking records and experiencing a 345% price rise in only a year.
Human error, criminal intent, and market forces can seem like an intimidating combination for any lumber yard. Managers must do everything they can to ensure they’re protecting their people and their product from the risks of all three. They can achieve this by introducing mobile video security units, which can play a decisive part in mitigating or preventing site-specific dangers.
The Added Values of a Mobile Video Surveillance System
Comprehensive lumber yard security requires a broad perspective that incorporates all potential sources of harm. These can be deliberate or accidental and take the form of physical or elemental threats.
Rugged and tamperproof mobile surveillance units are designed to scrutinize lumber yards for any signs of these potentially devastating occurrences and take quick action to address them. Here are a few benefits of this approach:
1. Remote Monitoring by Security Pros
Mobile video surveillance is typically connected to Video Surveillance Agents (VSAs), often with training in law enforcement, the military, or public safety communications. These pros scan lumber yards for actual or potential security incidents and accidents. They can then quickly interact with intruders, contact on-site personnel, and alert off-site authorities.
2. Video Surveillance Can Detect Fires
There is one thief that few yards prioritize, yet it can decimate a site if given a chance. This thief is fire, and lumber yards must keep an extra-watchful eye on places where it might start. Monitored video surveillance in conjunction with the WES3 system provides wireless fire and smoke detection technology that delivers advanced emergency and evacuation alarms and even assists in requesting medical attention.
3. Tailored and Interactive Security Solutions
Mobile security systems are created specifically for your location to meet the unique demands of your specific lumber yard layout and hours of operation. These solutions also allow site managers and other authorized staff to log into the video feed at any time through their mobile devices to get immediate information from the operations center.
4. Powered Up Lumber Yard Security
Mobile security units are highly reliable because they can connect to on-site power supplies or generator battery charged units or use solar power if no other source is readily available. Units can also operate under their own power while providing independent internet connections to maintain wireless security feeds.
5. Timely Observation and Record-Keeping
Video feeds are monitored closely over the most critical periods for lumber yard security, typically falling in the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. window. Systems also monitor yards 24 hours a day and save recorded footage for several weeks. This can prove to be an excellent aid in establishing and prosecuting a case of theft, illegal entry, or vandalism.
6. Quick and Cost-Effective Setup
Security professionals can set up mobile video units in your lumber yard within minutes and won’t tie you down to long-term contracts. They can be rented daily, weekly, or monthly and provide affordable solutions that are much cheaper than hiring in-person guards to patrol a site.
7. Thieves Have Nowhere to Hide
Lumber yards can be something of a labyrinth – an ideal layout for thieves to operate unseen or run and hide when security approaches on foot. Mobile trailers can deploy multiple 360-degree cameras on tall mounts to provide superior surveillance views stretching to 1,200 feet.
These benefits come from a single source that doesn’t just give potential intruders and thieves a headache. Taking a proactive security stance also develops better relationships with insurers, because you can prove that you are doing all you can to safeguard your location. Speaking with site security professionals ensures your lumber yard gets a tailored solution that optimizes sightlines and safety.
Contact Our Site Security Experts With Any Questions
Lumber yards have always had built-in security vulnerabilities that demand effective security solutions. You deserve to operate in confidence and comfort – which are two things Mobile Video Guard can provide.
We specialize in customized remote-monitored video surveillance that will make everyone and everything in your lumber yard much safer. Contact our team and speak to an expert today.
