Video Detection Technology, Codes And Applications Update

Advances in imagers, processors and analytics have moved video image detection technology from an analogue prototype to a mass-produced, embedded IP enabled device – one that provides users with immediate situational awareness. Advances in codes, standards, and certifications have allowed fire protection professionals to confidently install the technology in areas where before there was no viable detection solution.
The first video image detection systems comprised black-and-white analogue cameras feeding into a digital video captive card in a standard personal computer. Early versions would only detect one type of event – either flame or smoke. The first prototype algorithms for flame detection could only run one channel on a DOS based X86 platform.
Over the past decade processors have evolved to the point where eight channels of video can be analysed on one server for flame, smoke and motion. State-of-the-art systems now have the algorithms embedded on the camera itself. And while older, server-based systems with analogue cameras could detect a three tenths of a meter pan fire at 30 meters with a 34 degree field-of-view lens, the most advanced IP (internet Protocol) VID cameras with digital signal processing (DSP) chipsets can detect the same size fire at the same distance with a wide angle lens, providing 2.5 to 3 times the coverage area. Alternatively, it can detect the same size fire at over twice the distance using a 34 degree lens. This huge performance increase is due to the DSP chip being able to stream four times the amount of pixel data for analysis by the detection algorithms.
In addition to the enhanced embedded detection capabilities, more advanced systems now offer all the functionality of an IP video network security system. Video is recorded 24/7 to the network video recorder (NVR) and all the alarm video, history and site plans, can be accessed through a remote monitoring software package. Not only can you see real time video of an alarm condition, there is a voice annunciation feature that calls out the exact cameras in alarm and the nature of the event. You can access cameras from anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to the internet.
There are also email packages available that can notify you anytime an alarm is generated, with a corresponding snapshot of the event, so you can maintain situational awareness through a smart phone. Clearly video image technology has come a long way, keeping pace not only with increased security needs, but with the growing dependence on wireless and real-time information.

Advances in codes, standards and approvals
VID technology was originally introduced for enhanced protection of high-value assets in large volume spaces as a voluntary supplemental system. End users were concerned that current fire protection/detection schemes did not go far enough to protect their property, contents, and potential business interruption. Though utilities and manufacturing facilities typically do not have a great number of casualties when there is a fire, the asset destruction and business interruption can result in tens of millions of dollars in damages. Many of these types of facilities have sprinkler systems, but by the time the fire is detected and contained, the result can still be devastating damage.
As the VID technology became more popular, end users started looking for guidance from the codes and standards agencies. One of the first published standards came out of the UK in the form of BS 5839-1:2002+A2:2008 (Code of Practice for System Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance):

Section 21.1.3 Smoke Detectors
Smoke may also be detected by video techniques, in which closed circuit television cameras monitor the protected space; the signals from each camera are analysed electronically to detect the presence of smoke by the obscuration of part of the cameras field of view that it creates. Detection therefore relies on illumination of the field of view by normal lighting or specially installed infra-red light sources. Such systems are still in their infancy at the time of publication of this standard. They are used for special applications and require specialist design.
As supplemental installations continued to grow in the United States, the technology was approved as an initiating device in the 2007 edition of NFPA 72, the National Fire Code:

5.7.6 Video Image Smoke Detection
5.7.6.1 Video image smoke detection systems and all of the components thereof, including hardware and software, shall be listed for the purpose of smoke detection.
5.7.6.2 Video image smoke detection systems shall comply with all of the applicable requirements of Chapters 1,4,5,6, and 10 of this Code.
5.7.6.2.1 Systems shall be designed in accordance with the performance-based design requirements of Section 5.3.
5.7.6.2.2 The location and spacing of video image smoke detectors shall comply with the requirements of 5.10.5.
5.7.6.3* Video signals generated by cameras that are components of video image smoke detection systems shall be permitted to be transmitted to other systems for other uses only through output connections provided specifically for that purpose by the video system manufacturer.
5.7.6.4* All components controls and software shall be protected from unauthorized changes. All changes to the software or component settings shall be tested in accordance with Chapter 10.
 

At the time only Factory Mutual approved video image detection systems by using modified ANSI 268 (smoke detection) and FM 3260 (optical flame detector) standards. NFPA 72 also required an uninterrupted power supply. For the server based systems of the time, this required a large number of batteries to meet the necessary 24-hours of power back-up required by NFPA. For the required communication integrity, systems had to monitor their camera feeds for interruption and ensure an alarm signal reached the monitoring point.
NFPA also required that these systems use a performance-based design and this will most likely remain so in the future, due to the wide range of performance, architecture, and lighting requirements. With the introduction of the technology into the NFPA code and FM’s ability to approve systems, supplemental installations have continued to grow. Because of cost, privacy issues, and the technology’s ability to cover large volume spaces, VID systems (both smoke only and fire and smoke) are generally best suited for non-residential applications such as power plants, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities.
Another application that has successfully used the VID technology has been in tunnels. For this reason, the 2008 edition of NFPA 502, Standard for Road Tunnels, Bridges, and Other Limited Access Highways added language to the code: 7.4.1.4.6 CCTV systems used for automatic fire detection systems shall be permitted when listed for the intended purpose and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements and NFPA 72.

Until this stage, UL had not listed any VID devices nor did a UL standard exist that VID systems could pass. One hurdle was UL 268, which has been used to test beam, spot and air aspiration systems, requiring detection within a predefined obscuration limit. The conventional technologies being tested relied on the smoke reaching the sensor, therefore an obscuration measurement had to be made at the location of the detector or sampling port to ensure detection within the bounding limits. Video “sees” the smoke – in many instances before it has reached the obscuration measuring point in the UL 268 room. In other words, tying the pass/fail criteria to a point measurement was inappropriate for the three-dimensional VID detectors.
UL has since created UL 268B for video smoke detection that uses the same test sources and room dimensions, but removes the criteria that ties obscuration to the detection, and instead uses a time to detection. FM, which has traditionally tested the systems to modified ANSI/UL 268 and FM 3260 test standards, has begun the process of creating a new video image detection standard (FM3232). This standard will better define the expectations of a VID detector and take into account the advances in the technology, as well as the knowledge gained by FM, manufacturers, and industry personnel.

Advances in VID applications
Most of the first VID applications were originally in industrial type facilities. These included power plants, industrial facilities, and defence contractors. In an early installation of the VID technology, Pratt & Whitney selected a SigniFire system to protect a machining area. Shortly after the system was set up an alarm went off, though the dispatcher could not see any smoke or indication
on the screen. All he could see was a graphic “… which outlined where the smoke was in the room”. Five officers were dispatched to check the situation and, sure enough, the camera had picked up traces of smoke from a separate room 30 metres away.
“That really made a believer of me,” said Bruce Nedeau, manager of protective services for Pratt & Whitney. “It was 15 metres from the camera to the door and 15 metres more, around a corner, to where the smoke was.” It was discovered that a machinist was cutting where he was not supposed to, generating smoke, which was picked up by the camera.
Dominion Energy, a company with 17,000 employees and 30 power plants was also an early adopter of the technology. Mark Boone, a corporate risk manager, also sat on the technical committee of NFPA 72, which was responsible for the language inserted into the 2007 edition of the National Fire Code regarding the inclusion of video image detection technology. At the Kincaid Generating station in Illinois, several cameras were placed into a large open turbine area, as well as a major coal handling area. “This was a site of high interest, because the coal is Powder River Basin Coal,” Boone explained. “It’s a type of coal that is more volatile – it has the propensity to self ignite.”
After the technology was adopted into the code and certified by Factory Mutual and listed by UL, other types of applications started to surface, including for the use in cultural property protection. Because the cameras can be used for both security and fire detection, VID is an ideal solution for museums, libraries, historic buildings, national parks and monuments. Two recent projects to adopt the VID technology as part of their asset protection strategy include the National Academy of Sciences and the House of the Temple.
Educational institutions also require both security and early warning fire detection. The University of Arizona uses the technology in the Biosphere as well as other more “traditional” application areas such as within power plants and machine rooms. Duke University has also deployed the technology in multiple areas.
Fred Knipper, Director of the Fire & Safety Division for Duke, explained: “When I came on board as the new Director of the Fire Safety Division, I challenged my folks to put Duke on the map with leading-edge technology fire protection devices. Duke University and the Duke Health system are top institutions and have some of the most technologically advanced equipment. I felt it was a priority to protect these institutions, their employees, students, and visitors with the most advanced fire protection devices we could find.” He continued: “As we began to explore the options, VID technology came to the top of the list. Duke University has a lot of facilities with wide open spaces that get used for a variety of purposes. Old technologies limited the use of these facilities in many cases. As we evaluated VID systems, we found that they would not only provide us the automatic fire protection the codes required, but would also increase our facility usage without having to impair our systems.”
Fred Kipper added, “We found that in most applications we investigated, we saw a substantial saving versus the cost of future adjustments and replacement of older technology devices. The fact that it also ‘records’ incidents was yet another major benefit. Having this capability will aid in investigations of incidents by having documentation of any incident as it occurs!”
As the adoption of Video Image Detection continues to grow, the technology will continue to be implemented into more and more applications. VID now provides an early warning detection solution for large open areas where previously there was not a viable solution available to the fire protection professional. Not only does VID provide early warning detection, it provides instant situational awareness that leads to a quick suppression response, thereby reducing the chance of fire growth and subsequent damage.

Mac Mottley is General Manager of Fike VID (Video Image Detection)

For further information, go to www.signifire.fike.com