BY PAUL GROSSMAN,
ACCESS CONTROLS INTERNATIONAL
Windsor Park Cooperative Apartments has added new state-of-the-art safety and security systems to enhance the comfort and protection of the owners and occupants at their first-class forty building complex. These systems include early warning boiler alert, stairwell intrusion alert, digital monitoring and electronic access control.
Boiler rooms at high-rise residential properties are vulnerable to equipment failure, water damage and theft of valuable equipment. The boiler system is one of the building’s most valuable assets. Loss of heat and hot water can be devastating to all its occupants.
Windsor Park has addressed these concerns with the installation of a early warning boiler alert system throughout the complex. Each boiler is equipped with individual sensors that monitor high/low water temperature set points, the presence of smoke in the chamber, the switching on of the boiler safety alert, high water levels in the sump area and unauthorized intrusion. Any equipment malfunction, security or safety emergency is instantly relayed to a central monitoring station in the maintenance/security headquarters utilizing a wireless digital monitoring network.
Using the wireless monitoring network, the boiler system is automated in digital format and depicted on a computer screen showing exact location and type of problem. Simultaneously, a printout is generated with a time/date stamp and a wide area-paging signal is automatically transmitted to designated security/maintenance personnel to enable a rapid response.
Rooftop doors must be unlocked to comply with fire code regulations. This often results in unauthorized access to the rooftops which pose real safety and liability risks for the building’s owners and occupants.
Windsor Park has taken action to minimize these risks by installing rooftop intrusion alert systems for all forty of its rooftops. Each building has a motion sensing alert system that is installed at the highest point of a rooftop stairwell, detects unauthorized passage and immediately relays a location specific alarm using the wireless digital monitoring network. Authorized personnel can use a small remote control to shunt and re-arm the alarm and by locating the sensors at the highest point, the threat of vandalism is minimized.
Common area access at high-rise residential buildings can be very difficult to control where traditional locks and keys are used. This poses concerns for the safety and comfort of owners and occupants when all keys cannot be accounted for or an annoying expense if locks are changed when keys are lost, stolen or not returned.
Windsor Park has eliminated these safety and expense issues by installing electronic access control systems in all buildings and parking garages. Using PIN based credentials ("electronic keys") and readers with a computer based authorized access database, they can now ensure that lost, stolen and non-returned credentials will no longer be able to gain access to the premises. Adding or deleting credentials for move-ins and move-outs can be accomplished in minutes and at minimal cost and they also get an audit trail of all access activity.
"We are extremely pleased with the addition of these very effective systems", says Michael Fiore, Director of Maintenance at Windsor Park, "We have already saved money and prevented inconvenience for our owners and expect to realize benefits for many years to come."
For more information on the systems at Windsor Park please contact Mr. Michael Fiore, Director of Maintenance at 718-465-4350. For more information on Access Controls International please call 888-810-6060.