Physical Security: Protecting the Perimeter Research the fiber optic system at the McAllen-Miller International Airport and how it protects the airport’s p

Physical Security: Protecting the Perimeter Research the fiber optic system at the McAllen-Miller International Airport and how it protects the airport’s perimeter.http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/10514539/…Need minimum two pages. Protecting the perimeter | SecurityInfoWatch.com
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Protecting the perimeter
BY STAFF REPORTS ON OCT 21, 2010
The Secure Fence system consists of a single pass of ?ber optic cable along the fence fabric for the airport’s entire
protected perimeter. The sensor then sends any breach information to the system map, which identi?es any security
event location with user-de?ned zones along with GPS coordinates.
McAllen-Miller International Airport has to deal with perimeter security issues just like any other airport.
However, the facility’s close proximity to the U.S./Mexico border adds a whole new level of complexity and
necessity.
In mid 2009, a ?ber optic fence sensor system was installed on the airport’s perimeter fence. The system,
known as Secure Fence, was developed by Future Fibre Technologies and, one year later, the airport’s security
department reports the system has performed impressively.
According to Donald “Buck” Taft, Airport Security Coordinator at McAllen-Miller International Airport, the
system was installed in response to security concerns over the number of commercial ?ights and the airport’s
proximity to Mexico. “Overall, the Secure Fence system has provided an excellent enhancement to our physical
security,” Taft says. “The solution is ideally suited to airport perimeter protection because of its ability to detect
the location of intrusions anywhere on the airport’s entire perimeter.”
The Secure Fence system consists of a single pass of ?ber optic cable along the fence fabric for the entire
protected perimeter. This passive sensor requires no maintenance and is completely immune to EMI, RFI and
lightning. The system map identi?es any security event location with user-de?ned zones along with GPS
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coordinates. “Installation was simple – the vendor simply zip-tied the cable onto the fence and connected it to a
single head-end controller in a central location,” Taft says. “It took around two weeks to install and required
very little construction – just a few hand holes for ?ber splices along the fence.”
The McAllen-Miller International Airport is located in the center of Texas’ Rio Grand Valley, close to the U.S.Mexico border. “The Rio Grande Valley is located at the southern tip of Texas and is subject to heavy winds,
high humidity and extremely hot temperatures,” Taft says.
In fact, hurricanes and tropical storms have hit the area three times in the year and a half since Secure Fence
was installed. “In spite of these extreme weather conditions, the system has operated successfully without
nuisance or false alarms,” Taft says.
The system features a rain mitigation algorithm that accurately detects the location of an intrusion, regardless
of weather conditions – e?ectively transforming the standard chain link fence surrounding the airport into an
intelligent sensor that detects intruders automatically.
Following the successful installation of Secure Fence, the airport has plans to integrate the supplier’s FFT CAMS
Central Alarm Monitoring System in the near future.
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