23 Aug 2010

CBC’s range of PTZ and dome cameras secure the Heugh Gun Battery Museum’s exhibits
Two Ganz ZCDT4312 vandal-resistant dome cameras have been deployed at the Museum
Leading surveillance solutions provider CBC (Europe) has been called in to protect a range of exciting military exhibits at an expanding visitor attraction in the north-east of England. CBC systems including its Ganz C-Allview camera have been installed to help secure the Heugh Gun Battery Museum in Hartlepool, a faithfully restored 19th century coastal defence battery.

Heugh Gun Battery's exhibits include over 15 artillery pieces ranging from small portable weapons to large naval guns. Many of these are classics, like the museum's 25-pounder, Bofors and 5.5-inch Howitzer weapons. The site was involved in ship-to-shore combat during both World Wars and the Heugh Gun Battery Trust now looks after it, working in conjunction with Hartlepool Borough Council, English Heritage and the North East Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).

Having won a contract to provide on-site security, north of England regional installer Euro Security conducted a risk assessment and environmental survey before calling in CBC to advise on the best surveillance solutions for the Museum's internal and external areas. Euro Security's Director Jonathan Nattrass explains that nine of CBC's high-resolution Ganz NH258 day/night cameras have been specified to carry out internal monitoring, making use of their 540TVL colour daytime images in conjunction with the cameras' sharp black and white pictures at night. Additionally, two of CBC's Ganz ZCDT4312 vandal-resistant dome cameras have been deployed.

For external views, particular measures were required to deal with the locally harsh environmental conditions faced at Heugh Gun Battery's coastal position. Mr Nattrass explains that salty seawater must be combated, while the site can also be particularly cold during the winter. These factors led CBC's Business Development Manager (North), Steve Dunning, to recommend the company's C-Allview system as an appropriate long-term solution.

These high-speed rugged PTZ cameras, which are sealed to IP67, are designed for installation in harsh and challenging environments. Their vandal-resistant features include bodies cast from aluminium, which are hard anodised and powder coated to protect them from scratching, oxidation or attack from solvents. Operationally, C-Allview offers resolution up to 520TVL and a useful maximum 36x optical zoom.

"Euro Security always uses CBC equipment whenever possible, because we find it provides consistently good images and proves reliable in operation," Jonathan Nattrass adds. "The company also supplies extremely good technical support and back-up support and we have been particularly impressed by the help Steve Dunning has given us - he deserves special praise for bending over backwards on our behalf."

The CBC Ganz cameras at Heugh Gun Battery Museum are part of a digital recording and remote transmission BS8418 detector-activated system, which is monitored by operators within Hartlepool Borough Council's alarm receiving centre.

This project marks the latest collaboration between CBC and Euro Security, following the companies' collaboration to protect Hartlepool Marina, one of Europe's leading marina locations, with its numerous shops, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions as well as more than 500 fully serviced pontoon and quayside berths.

"Our C-Allview cameras are now widely used in a variety of applications such as town centres and public areas, as well as in remote rural sites and difficult coastal locations such as this one," comments John Downie, National Sales & Marketing Manager for CBC (Europe).