Eight 12~240mm and four 10-140mm Pentax zoom lenses have been installed at one of Dublin's most advanced medical centres, as part of the security and general management system at Beaumont Hospital. The 620-bed facility occupies a 37-acre site with a diverse range of surveillance requirements that include access control, car parks, public safety and general asset management.
Not only is Beaumont Hospital the principal undergraduate and post graduate medical training and research centre for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, it fulfils a key role in the delivery of 24-hour continuous call emergency service for a catchment area comprising some 250,000 members of Dublin's Northside community. With the closure of two of Dublin's key hospitals in the late ‘70s (The Charitable Infirmary and St Laurence's) there had been a deficit in the city's A&E services, as three of the city's five hospitals were then located in the Southside.
The opening of the Beaumont in 1987 re-established the balance. Today, it is also the National Referral Centre for neurosurgical patients, Renal & Pancreatic Transplantation and Cochlear Implantation, as well as a Regional Treatment Centre for Ear, Nose and Throat and Gastroenterology patients.
With such a high profile, safety and security is a major concern and the decision was taken in 2001 to improve the security systems within the Hospital to a high standard. The project was to include Access Control throughout the site and comprehensive CCTV system allowing Security personnel clear vision of all car parks and sensitive areas throughout the Hospital campus.
The overall technical authority for the Hospital security systems was awarded to Atkins Telecoms. Atkins worked closely with Beaumont Hospital Security staff through required capture and design exercises to produce a detailed technical specification for Tender purposes. Following a detailed evaluation of all tender responses the contract was awarded to Baydale Control Systems, Atkins were retained for the duration of the installation to provide Contract Administration and Technical Consultancy.
"When the tender document specifies that level of quality and reliability we don't have to think twice", says Andy Ward of Baydale Control Systems. "It often happens that installers who support the use of components that save costs instead of doing the best job possible aren't thinking of whole life costs. Fortunately together with Atkins it was possible to ensure the highest quality. Baydale Control Systems is also responsible for the maintenance of the system and the use of quality components such as lenses means that firstly the client has less downtime - if any - and we have fewer callouts".
The 12~240mm lens is the most popular 20X motorized zoom lens for town and city centre surveillance systems, where large and generally unobstructed public space can be monitored by fewer cameras (thus bringing cost savings) - owing to the long focal length, reliability and resolution quality of the Pentax lens in particular.
Pentax lenses are the prevalent choice throughout Britain's premier urban surveillance schemes and they are already to be found in key zones of Dublin itself, most notably the Temple Bar area. This part of the capital is a world famous tourist destination, much favoured for the 17 pubs, 66 restaurants and 60 or so retail outlets that operate within just one square kilometre.
The Pentax 12-240mm zoom lens has proved its pedigree in many surveillance systems around the country including London's congestion charging where a special version with 2-second end-to-end high-speed zoom speed is utilised. The excellent resolution of the lens (1200 TV lines during the day and 765 in the darkest night) and its high spectral transmission not to mention its proven reliability makes it the first choice in quality CCTV systems.
