Beaumont at Bryn Mawr is a nonprofit retirement community that has been in operation since 1988. The facility is unique; it is one of the few retirement communities in the U.S. that is owned by its residents through a cooperative real estate membership.
The Challenge
As with any private residential community, safety and security are essential factors for Beaumont. But for years, the facility operated without truly modern, integrated systems, resulting in relative inefficiency, extra burdens on staff and unnecessary expenses.
The CSI Solution
Beaumont has contracted with CSI for a number of significant safety and security projects, including upgrades to the facility’s nurse call, surveillance and fire alarm systems.
CSI’s first work at Beaumont was tackling nurse call issues that, according to Director of Facilities Warren Gillings, once appeared “unfixable.” “We tried fixing the nurse call systems numerous times with numerous companies, but nobody could do it,” he said.
“We called CSI, and the difference was night and day. They assessed the situation quickly and found a solution that worked for us. It’s been running smoothly ever since.”
Satisfied with a job well done, Gillings inquired about more of CSI’s integrated security systems. CSI upgraded Beaumont’s fire alarm system, and entered into a contract to perform their yearly fire inspection.
The security department at Beaumont then employed CSI to install a video surveillance system to replace the facility’s old, analog surveillance units. The new system needed to be scalable, in order to accommodate additional cameras and coverage areas. The solution CSI installed was a fully integrated, IP-based surveillance system that was more than flexible enough to handle any future expansion.
The system resulted in enhanced awareness of the Beaumont facility from a security and risk exposure perspective. By providing recorded video of suspicious events, security administrators have the ability to quickly assess and potentially halt criminal situations.
Today, CSI provides Gillings and his staff with a single point of contact for security and safety issues, while ensuring that systems function consistently and holistically.
“CSI went through all the proper steps, and the fire department and township were involved in every phase of system installation,” Gillings said. “We haven’t had any problems with CSI. If there’s a question or an issue, we call CSI and they send someone over right away.”
