Loss Control

• The surveillance company must provide service across the contiguous United States; with service to AK & HI preferred but not required or across Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island for Canada. They must also own and operate a monitoring center that is UL-certified for the US  (ULC for Canada) and located in the United States or Canada. For the US TMA (aka CSAA) Membership and Five Diamond certification preferred.
• Using no fewer than (4) surveillance units, each with at least (2) cameras, the surveillance system much cover 100% of the site perimeter in low light conditions using infrared (IR) technology for the US or a blend of infrared (IR) and thermal technology for Canada. A third camera shall also be included that covers directly underneath, and any near-distance blind spots around the camera unit.
• The system shall detect and discriminate, in real-time, the intrusion of persons or vehicles along the site perimeter using automatic visual content analytic capabilities and zone calibration functionality to reduce false alerts. The captured event will be sent to the monitoring station to verify the intrusion and prompt an immediate response.
• System monitoring (response enabling) must be ‘armed’ during all non-working construction hours. Additionally, the system must have a failsafe method to ‘arm’ itself based on a pre-determined schedule.
• The surveillance system must have 24/7 real-time detection of events relating to a loss of AC power, battery health, communication and camera connectivity, device tampering and repositioning. The monitoring center must also monitor the system for these issues as well. The surveillance units within the system must have the following features: (a) independent communications that allow each unit to relay alerts directly to the monitoring center; (b) a GPS feature allowing the company to monitor unit position; (c) a tamper-proof backup power source; (d) live audible voice-over capabilities to “talk down” an intruder at any point along the site perimeter; (e) strobe, or lighting feature, as visual indication to the intruder that the system has detected them.
• The vendor must notify TRU in the event that any equipment is moved, or removed, from the insured project. The vendor will also notify TRU if additional equipment is added to the site and clarify their purpose (as an enhancement to the full perimeter surveillance measure or to serve some other function).
• Any sudden loss of power (primary or backup) or communications to a unit during the system’s ‘armed’ duration shall trigger: (a) an alert so cameras may be investigated by the monitoring center to ensure no intruder has tampered with a unit; (b) automated strobe for at least 15 seconds as a precautionary deterrence. f the surveillance unit has power provided to it, the unit must have a battery backup capable of running the entire system for 8 hours in the event of AC power loss. Additionally, power must not be set up in a “Daisy Chain” or other such configuration where a power disruption to one unit can impact additional units.

• If the surveillance unit is solar powered in the US, it must have a 72-hour battery lifespan and only be applied in areas where panels will receive sufficient sunlight year-round; not only based on region of the country, but also shadows casted by the structure and surroundings. Preliminary solar evaluations must be conducted prior to offering such an option. No solar powered options will be permitted in Canada. All batteries (primary or backup) shall be monitored for battery health. If the battery power is at 50% capacity, the monitoring center will prompt an alert for site personnel to reenergize or provide supplemental power to the system.
• The surveillance company shall perform a daily audit on all cameras to ensure that they are functional and that their views have not been altered or obscured. The vendor shall take actions to diagnose and resolve issues within 48 hours. Additionally, the company shall send daily emails to the persons identified on the call log, at least 2 hours prior to arming, notifying the site personnel of any offline equipment. The company shall also do, at minimum, a monthly update of their call log to ensure all persons contained within it are still valid. Lastly, all calls should be followed up with an email to ensure proper documentation of the correspondences between client and vendor.
• For the US, the vendor shall include in their contract with the insured: a Limit of Liability, being the lesser of ten (10) times of the estimated/actual total contract value OR $1,000,000 per occurrence. For Canada, the vendor shall include in their contract with the insured: a Limit of Liability, being the lesser of ten (10) times the estimated/actual total contract value OR $100,000 per occurrence. This limit shall only apply in the event of loss to such insured as a result of negligence by the vendor.
• TRU shall have the ability to visit the vendor’s monitoring center and have access to their cameras. This access shall be used strictly for the purpose of auditing the vendor to ensure the system is operational and in compliance with the requirements.
• The vendor, in coordination with TRU and a vendor of TRU’s choosing, will annually perform on-site auditing during monitoring hours of at least two (2) selected sites to test system performance.

For additional information on minimum performance requirements for surveillance systems, contact: Security.Vendor.Application@truins.com