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Reditron's smokin'

Reditron 'smoked' its guests at the launch of a new intrusion product in a bid to highlight its effectiveness.

And, even though guests had been warned that the product was about to be demonstrated, they were startled by its performance and rated it as a "powerful tool against would be burglars".

"It is quite unnerving to be sitting in a seminar room that literally fills with dense, impenetrable smoke just seconds after you have been warned that the demo is 'on'," said potential customer, Petra Peacock of C3 Communications. "The entire room filled with smoke in about 10 seconds and was so effective at blinding me that I could not see my hand in front of my face. I can well imagine an intruder would rather leave the premises than risk pressing on with his unlawful business. In my book, that makes it a very powerful solution," she said.

The new product is the Danish-built Protect Smoke Cannon. Within seconds of activation, it goes to work, filling the location with dense clouds of startling but harmless smoke. Denied visibility, would-be thieves become instantly disoriented and flee the way they got in. And, as they cannot steal what they cannot see, they leave empty-handed.

According to Reditron managing director, John Loftus, Smoke Cannon stops an intruder in less than 20 seconds and, if utilised extensively by South African companies and families, should go a long way to minimise property loss and possibly reduce insurance premiums.

"Driving off burglars in the first few seconds has to be an office's, business's or home's best protection. But conventional burglar alarms do not stop the thief - they may activate a siren and send a signal to security staff, which will then arrive at the scene after a while," Loftus says.

"Similarly with CCTV cameras; the security personnel monitoring the images will spot the intruder and send a team to apprehend him or her. Chances are - in both instances - the thief and booty will be gone before the team arrives on the scene.

"That is where the Smoke Cannon comes in. A very effective supplement to conventional burglar alarms, it is built to integrate with existing electronic protection systems and deal with the shortcomings of conventional systems."

Loftus points out that 'smoke' as an intrusion technology has been used in Europe for a decade; last year alone over 20 000 Protect Smoke Cannons were installed on the continent and the smoke it produces has been documented by the Danish Technological Institute as odourless and harmless to humans, animals, computer equipment, machines and fittings and furnishings.

"The Protect system releases what is known as 'dry' smoke. It is produced by mixing water and glycol, which is then forced through a heating element that transforms it into 'dry' and harmless smoke. The principle has been used for the past 30 years in theatre smoke machines around the world and is also a familiar feature in discos. Smoke can remain suspended in the air for more than an hour, but 20 minutes' airing is sufficient to clear the room.

"Protect can be configured for complete protection using a large smoke generator that can fill a production hall or a warehouse with smoke or installed so it is activated in selected rooms, such as server rooms or near a safe, as the alarm is triggered by the burglar. This more closely defined option is often chosen in Europe by retailers - chemists use it to safeguard expensive makeup products and DIY shops to protect high-end electronic hand tools - and further afield a bank chairman is having it installed in 400 branches in Venezuela.

"The system has low running costs and can be activated several times before its glycol store needs to be replenished, it uses less electricity than a conventional light bulb, features a built-in battery back-up system to protect against short circuits and vandalism, and can be connected to all existing alarm systems.

"This technology is very elegant, and can be used in many varied locations to complement existing systems. Reditron believes the market in South Africa for such a product is large and is very excited to pre-present what is one of the world's leading products in this field," he says.

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