Unwired ways.

In September of 1995, Americorps - a national service program that enables college students to pay off student loans by doing community work - was moving to new quarters in the San Francisco Bay area. Americorps wanted to install an alarm system to protect personnel and assets, but the building to be occupied was an historic library with large glass windows and a cathedral ceiling. Extensive hardwiring and tampering with the building was, therefore, not an option.

In addition, Americorps was not sure how long it would stay in the building. It wanted an alarm system that could be taken along in the event of a move.

The building was in the Presidio, a convened military installation now part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, so Americorps sought help from Timothy Long, CPP, the park's security manager. Long suggested the CareTaker Plus, a wireless security system that can monitor up to thirty-two zones or sensors. A wireless alarm system was the answer to Americorps' portability and preservation needs.

The Americorps building has two sets of double doors and three single passageway doors. These are now protected by sensors that signal an alarm when they are opened or closed. Eighteen motion sensors within the building give added protection. Long decided not to alarm the building's windows, because they do not open and are protected from breakage and earthquakes by armor coating.

The system reports an intrusion or fire to a central monitoring station in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The system can pinpoint exactly which door or motion sensor has been triggered, allowing the park police monitoring the system to track an intruder's progress.

Long has used the same wireless system in other situations where preserving the building was a necessity, such as a security system in Scotty's Castle, an historic mansion in Death Valley National Monument. Long says, "There it was absolutely impossible to wire because the structure is the museum. The walls are...thick concrete. There was just no way I could run a wire and satisfy the historical preservation aspects of the property."

Another feature of the system, one which Long says the U.S. Park Police appreciates, is its voice circuitry, which allows it to announce "intruder, intruder" and verbally guide users through operations. In addition, Americorp staff can easily phone in to the central monitoring station to report any false alarms or mistakes.

Americorps employees were given a short demonstration when the system, which cost about $1,600, was installed. Since then, they have been operating it on their own with no problems.

Long is so pleased with the system's performance that he has installed the same wireless alarms in another building, an archive, and plans to install them in two other buildings in the near future. In all three cases, quick, clean, inexpensive installation and portability were the key factors in choosing the system.

According to Long, there has been only one false alarm in the Americorps building since the alarms were installed - during the group's gala opening when balloons were released inside the building, setting off some motion sensors.

In the archive building, the alarm system foiled an intrusion attempt. An intruder kicked the door in and the alarms activated, instantly alerting park police. Though no capture was made, Long said that the system prevented a theft. "The alarm system saved the place," Long says.

(For more information: Lisa Kopki, Interactive Technologies, Inc., 800/777-1415 ext. 607; fax: [phone]; e-mail: [e-mail])