Getting domesticated

I have always advocated legislation and regulation to ensure that the highest standards of alarm installation continue to be met and that the security industry is seen as a truly prominent and professional service sector.

Having said that, I also know from bitter experience that many potential domestic customers have fought shy of having an intruder alarm installed because they are concerned about its cost effectiveness.

The same people have worried about what they see as the complexities of using a sophisticated intruder alarm, the problems it could give to neighbours if it were to false alarm and the ongoing burden of exhaustive maintenance.

Equally, homeowners, without exception, simply do not want an outsider in their homes to carry out extensive installation work.

What then strikes me is that there are three fundamental issues here - cost, system complexity and home disruption. However we also know for certain that the bottom end of the domestic market is vast and that everyone to some extent or another does value residential security.

So we need to ask ourselves where do we go from here and, more to the point, how do we address and tap such a market within the guise of EN50131?

Well, the reality is that we can now forge into this sector much more effectively because of the clearly defined installation system criteria within the Euro Norms which is a result of the formal recognition of Grade 1 systems.

What is Grade 1?

Grade 1 is a low risk system advocated for those installations in which we expect an intruder to have a limited knowledge of intruder alarms and be restricted to having a limited range of easily available tools.

Rightly or wrongly Grade 1 may also be seen as DIY or kit form. But, then again, what is low risk?

In the first instance we need to look at how we actually do the risk assessment to clear our thoughts on the referral to Grade 1 and the term 'low risk'.

Please remember that the procedures we follow for the risk assessment and the system design proposal are always to be the same no matter what preconceived ideas we may have as to what the outcome and likely grade will be.

Also we need to follow the same high quality installation practices for the siting of equipment plus the planning and system installation etc no matter what grade is invoked.

To do the risk assessment we should proceed as illustrated in fact file below

We can now forge into this sector much more effectively because of the clearly defined installation criteria ...

Using the full ABC risk assessment parameters for Area, Building/boundaries and Contents, it may well be found that the premises to be protected are in an area of low risk history classification, the building has good perimeter protection and relatively speaking there are no high value goods present.

Take, as an example, a home which is overlooked by other residential properties, has only standard access roads, and a building design of good quality perimeter deterrents offered by double glazing and high specification doors and is not a specific target in relation to its mainstream household contents. Do not disregard apartment blocks as most fall into such a similar risk category.

Minimum supervision levels.

Having considered the risk level of the premises, building location and design we can then turn our attention to the minimum supervision levels that are required within EN50131.

'Supervision' relates to the detection techniques and the devices employed but, for practical reasons, only guidance can be given within the EN Standard. This involves surveying for the detection devices to be employed on such openings as doors and windows, trap by movement detection and the sensing of penetration through the building fabric.

As we reach the higher Grade 4 there is a need for penetration detection devices to be installed on walls, ceilings and floors etc with comprehensive trap and opening detection.

However, it should be noted that supervision for Grade 1 intruder and hold-up alarm systems is limited to only those openings of specific risk and only marginal trap protection is needed.

Therefore, for an installation risk assessed as Grade 1 there is no need to employ high degrees of detection, which means the installation can be very much limited in terms of man hours and system interconnections with a huge reduction in fitting costs, final system complexity and domestic disruption.

On-board control

Also using on board control equipment, only complying with Grade 1, means that remote keypads with their inherently higher levels of security, generally associated with Grade 2 onwards, do not need to be fitted.

So let us consider the recommendations within EN50131 for the minimum levels of supervision of Grade 1. The best way to do this is to do a comparison with Grade 2 as we are very much familiar with the latter.

Chart 1 indicates that for Grade 1 the installer need only show an interest in and subsequently only protect doors that are considered a specific risk or any particular trap positions. Other doors and areas do not need protection.

Chart 2 shows where tamper detection is to be applied as this has a big influence on the supervision and on the wiring and terminating. Both Grade 1 and Grade 2 systems allow tampers to be user reset. It follows that the system complexity and inherent cost can be easily controlled for those systems that are risk assessed as being to Grade 1 because the requirements are far less demanding than those of Grade 2. Therefore system setting, part setting and other operational functions become much more understandable to both the younger and older generation of system users. The infirm and nervous user also benefit from a less complex network.

Working within the ENs we can expand and add to our portfolio of easy new domestic business – without having to compromise our existing operations ...

In terms of power supplies Grade 1 and 2 systems are actually the same (12 hour standby capacity) but this, as we know, is an equipment consideration and Grade 1 systems of themselves have a lesser power consumption. In addition event recording is optional with no retention time.

In terms of sounders or signalling, Grade 1 systems need only two warning devices or a traditional self powered warning device. An option can be a signalling system with 24 hour reporting. Basic plug-in speech diallers to the telephone line can easily be added as an option. The traditional self powered warning device mounted in a prominent external position is a huge deterrent in itself and gives no portrayal of the low risk system grade or the level of protection. Remember that the system grade is that of the lowest sub grade so various graded components can be used in any installation.

A concluding opinion ...

BS 4737 is now history and so is the high security BS 7042 together with BS 6799 which covered wire free systems since EN50131 embraces all forms of interconnections.

BS 6707 originally catered for the do-it-yourself consumer market so was never taken seriously by the professional installer.

We now have an all embracing EN with an opportunity for increased work … here, and throughout Europe as a whole, of course.

The professional installer can use a division of their business structure to actively enter the lower domestic end of the alarm installation market and in doing so can cater for those customers, who in the past, have for very understandable reasons, resisted any type of electronic security installation.

Systems that are risk assessed as Grade 1 now have supporting EN documentation practices with a Certificate of Conformance, are risk assessed in a formal manner ... and still offer a basic annual maintenance service call to us.

The product for installation can come as a kit or be formed as interchangeable components from competing sources.

There is a hugely attractive price on offer to the client and an opportunity to involve only basic security measures with simple detection circuits and cable concealment.

To open up this market we need to look at the wider picture within the ENs so the security installer should listen to the client to gauge exactly what they feel comfortable with.

For sure, at the lower risk end there is huge potential for high volume business with a low probability of technical complications and installation difficulties. Here we have an opportunity to expand and add to our portfolio of easy new business installations - without compromising our existing operational base.