Access control protects nerve center of Camp Pendleton's energy management

Aug 1, 1999 12:00 PM, Randy Southerland

A swarm of helicopter gun ships roars overhead on a training sortie. On the rough terrain below Marines clad in full battle gear, their faces blackened, move in on an unsuspecting band of enemy soldiers. The sound of armies on the move fills the air. It could be a foreign war zone, but in reality it's sunny Southern California.

These flyboys and Marine leathernecks aren't really at war, just preparing for that possibility here at the world's largest amphibious assault training facility - Camp Joseph A. Pendleton.

Located north of San Diego, the base sprawls along 17 miles of Pacific coast. Its 125,000 acres are home to more than 40,000 Marines and sailors and the world's premiere sea, land and air force invasion training base.

A vast city unto itself, the base must meet the living and work needs of a diverse population. Managers of the base's HVAC, fire and safety have always had their work cut out for them. Today, they are deeply involved in a project that promises to make the more than 800 buildings on the base not only more energy efficient, but also better managed through a multi-million dollar upgrade in building management technology.

Through its primary energy supplier, San Diego Gas and Electric, the Navy found the answer to its requirements in Electronic Systems USA, a Louisville, Ky.-based supplier of multi-vendor building automation product and service applications.

At the time of the award, the $20 million contract was the biggest granted by the government for the upgrade, expansion and maintenance of a government-owned energy management system. The five-year deal includes an annual maintenance agreement and installation of Electronic Systems' multi-vendor UNITY front-end system. The new equipment will integrate an existing Honeywell Delta 1000 system and installation of Electronic Systems' new LonWorks-based NexSys Direct Digital Control system in more than 400 buildings.

Part of that upgrade involves a keyless access control system for the control room, which is the nerve center for the base's energy and facilities management system. Just as the Marines and sailors who train with the latest high-tech weapons provide security for the nation, this system could be a glimpse at high-tech security for the home.

From a 30-by-30-foot air-conditioned control room, Lonnie Hinkley, energy management system control room manager, and his staff of six can communicate with and control Pendleton's vast network 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The UNITY front-end ties together the different systems seamlessly. Because of the work carried on around the clock, the function of the control room is vital.

Access to the center is monitored through an I-Button system, provided by Control Systems International (CSI) and installed by Electronic Systems as a part of the building management project.

According to Ham Daneshmand, the on-site operations manager for Electronic Systems, "it's a technology developed by Texas Instruments. It's a small round disk with a (computer) chip inside. When it's placed against the reader it powers the chip which is inside the disk. The chip has a number on it that's assigned to your name and it grants you access to the door."

"We have an I-Button panel on the entrance to the room," explains Hinkley. "You put the button up and if the machine recognizes the button the door buzzes green. The I-Button is about the size of one of the batteries that goes in a small calculator. You have a round socket outside the door and you stick the button into the socket and if you're programming in, bingo you're in. They tell me it'll last a lifetime. I carry mine on my car keyring."

He observes that none of his personnel have lost their I-Button yet. "If someone loses their button we have to cancel out a button and reassign a new one. That's after they pacify me as to what happened," he says.

Hinkley explained that he is able to program each I-Button and its owner into the computer. Through this system he is able to regulate the times in which someone with the device can gain access.

"I can take a blank and it can give me the number of the button," he says "And I take the master computer and I can program the data I want that button to recognize. Then you have unlimited access in and out of the room. If I want to restrict access, I can program times when someone can enter."

Hinkley says the system is a vast improvement over the old key entry system and the more recent card reader system.

"The card reader that we had was growing old and after a while cards wear out," he remarks. "You can only slide them up and down so many times."

Although the control room is the only location on the base with CSI's I-Button system, it can be easily integrated with the UNITY system throughout the base, according to company officials.

Base personnel are pleased with the results of the new upgrades to their access control and facilities management systems.

"It's been fantastic for us," says Hinkley. "We needed something that was faster, more state-of-the-art. We cover everything - fire, security, potable water, wastewater, boilers, HVAC, air conditioning, heat. The base is 250 square miles and I've lost count of the number of buildings we've got on the base. It's a monster system and managing it is a full-time job."

Modern technology is making that job just a little bit easier-and safer.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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