Security Smoke
posted in Intruder Alarms |“Thieves can’t steal what they can’t see”
That’s the campaign slogan for Concept Smoke Screen, designers and manufacturers of security smoke generators since 1975 and having used their product I can vouch for its effectiveness as an intruder repellent!
The Concept Smoke Screen generator comes in a variety of sizes making it suitable for small offices, workshops, service stations etc right up to large warehouses and retail outlets.
The smoke is created with an alarm activation, (normally as confirmed by additional detection in the vicinity of the smoke generator), and generates an impenetrable wall of smoke within just a few seconds. The normal response of an intruder is to flee the premises immediately that smoke starts to be generated but for the more determined, the smoke prevents them seeing the goods, hence the slogan “Thieves can’t steal what they can’t see”.
The normal size of smoke particles produced by smoke generators is between 1 and 4 microns, but Concept Smoke Screen have succeeded in producing generators with a smoke particle size of just around 0.2/0.3 micron producing a more persistent and denser smoke with little or no residue left after clearance. The smoke is suitable for all environments including server rooms as the smoke cannot cause damage to goods or electronic equipment.
How does a smoke generator work?
The generator has a heat exchanger, which is constantly heated, (about the cost of a light bulb), and through which the safe chemical smoke fluid is passed, heated and expelled into the protected area as a vapour. As the vapour is expelled from the heat exchanger and hits the cooler temperature of the protected area the vapour condenses into a blanket of smoke, or fog to be technically correct, which quickly fills the area to be protected.
Does it work?
We fitted a Concept smoke generator in a small server room, with air conditioning.
The bracket was easily fitted to a wall and the smoke generator fits onto the bracket and is secured by a nut - we used anchor bolts for greater strength but suitable screws and plugs are an option.
Connected to a 240-volt mains supply via an unswitched fused spur and to the alarm control panel for ’set’ and ‘intruder’ activations, the generator can be connected to a key-operated interface to isolate the unit for servicing and to provide indications, (visible and audible), of faults including low fluid level.
On activation our server room became filled with smoke within a few seconds, entering the room was disorientating and it was quite impossible to see anything inside the room, the overriding desire was to leave the room quickly in order to recover the sense of sight!
It is impossible to believe that any intruder would have been able to remove anything from the room and our customer now has a new found sense of well-being with his server room having such enhanced protection which had been so vividly demonstrated.
The Concept Smoke Screen takes intruder alarm systems to a new level, an intruder alarm can alert that someone has entered the protected property but the Concept Smoke Screen can do more than that, it can cause intruders to immediately flee or prevent them from a productive raid, in fact just what the Concept slogan says, “What thieves can’t see they can’t steal”.
Roger Byng, owner of RJB Security Systems, has been active in the Security Industry for over 20 years. Being associated with the IAAI, NASS and SSA Trade Associations, Roger helped form the SSAIB in 1994 and served as its Vice-Chairman until retiring from the Board in 2004. RJB Security Systems is UKAS Certified for the installation of Intruder Alarm Systems, CCTV Installations and Access Control and holds the SSAIB "Certificate of Excellence". Operating throughout the South West, South and Mid Wales and the Thames Valley, the company has both domestic, public and high-end commercial amongst its customer portfolio.