New York fire stations and municipal buildings secured with Panasonic surveillance cameras

Panasonic video surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the state of New York

Hello Alert Inc., a Babylon, New York security systems dealer, has installed thousands of  Panasonic video surveillance cameras throughout the state of New York to provide surveillance of various municipal buildings, jails and approximately 50 fire houses in multiple jurisdictions on Long Island.

Lorraine Roberts, president of Hello Alert, which holds a NY state contract for security systems and solutions, is a big believer in Panasonic cameras. "Reliability and durability are excellent, and that's why I sell so many," she said.

Roberts buys the Panasonic cameras from distributor Tri-Ed/Northern Video Distribution Center located in Cranbury, NJ. She said that her Account Manager Ken Collins has recommended the best cameras for the various applications. Over the years, Roberts has installed Panasonic box cameras, pan-tilt-zoom models, and IP cameras, estimated at 3,000 cameras in all.

Roberts said she especially likes the Panasonic domes, including the WV-CW504 series of vandal-resistant fixed dome cameras featuring Adaptive Black Stretch (ABS), intelligent Video Motion Detection (i-VMD) and Auto Back Focus (ABF). "It gives you a wide angle and a lot of coverage," she said. "The picture is beautiful, and it's a very easy camera to install."

A typical fire district where Roberts installs Panasonic cameras might encompass several fire stations, including a headquarters and multiple sub-stations that cover a certain geographic area. Local digital video recorders (DVRs) preserve video of whatever happens at the stations, and video signals routed back to headquarters enable operators to watch who is entering certain buildings or attempting a break-in. Surveillance protects the facilities from vandalism and prevents damage to the expensive fire equipment stored at the various locations. Camera views also allow operators to identify delivery people and "buzz" them in.

"I truly believe in Panasonic," said Ms. Roberts. "I have cameras that have been installed for up to 11 years, and they are still running. They are durable, reliable and worth every penny. That camera has to run 24 hours, all day and all night for 365 days a year. In the case of a power surge, the cameras come right back on."

The dependability of Panasonic cameras also helps Roberts avoid the added costs of responding to service calls and ensures repeat business, she said. "I have been with my districts for a very long time,"  Roberts said.

Cameras provided by Panasonic System Networks Company of America include a new line of i-Pro SmartHD network cameras featuring high-definition (HD) image quality and exquisite color reproduction using lower bandwidth. Panasonic cameras incorporate the UniPhier System LSI chip (H.264 high-profile standard format) to combine HD video and real-time video streaming (up to 30 images per second) at a lower data size. A new 1.3-megapixel MOS image sensor enables high sensitivity (0.3 lux in color) and lower power consumption. The new camera series includes both IP box cameras and fixed IP domes.