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If you have phoned Diamond Systems any time since 2009, you will no doubt have had the pleasure of speaking with Mr Roger Corbett.

Roger has been a core member of the Diamond Team over the past seven years, and has been the first point of contact for customers telephoning the Belfast office. His calm, reassuring, and ever charming, personality has led to a great amount of respect and fondness from all of our customers, who will no doubt greatly miss speaking with him.

He will also be missed by his colleagues and friends at Team Diamond, who truly value his commitment and hard work over the last 7 years, and also the humour he brought to the team with his wit and charisma.

Speaking of his retirement, Roger commented, “I have enjoyed my 7 years with the business and have had great satisfaction in taking on the challenges given to me. I have learnt things, made many friends, and have many memories that will stay with me forever, but am now ready to move on to the next phase in my life”.

Roger, we wish you a long and very happy retirement and whole-heartedly thank you for everything you have given to Diamond Systems over the past 7 years.

If you have a home alarm system, or if you are a business premises key holder, you will no doubt have experienced the inconvenience caused by a false alarm. For business owners this can delay the start of the working day as you are involved in contacting your alarm company and perhaps even dealing with the arrival of the Police. As a homeowner, a holiday or trip away from the house may be disrupted by a call to say your alarm has activated, causing worry and upset to your plans.

So are false alarms an unavoidable occurrence, or are there precautions you can take to help prevent false intruder alarms at your home or business premises? At Diamond Systems we believe a properly installed intruder alarm system which is subject to regular maintenance from a competent engineer should not generate false alarms, provided the users of the system have been adequately trained in the system’s operation.

Here are our top ten tips for preventing false intruder alarms at your home or business premises:

1. Before you assume responsibility as a key holder for your business premises or, if you have upgraded your home security with a new system, ensure that you have received adequate training on the operation of the intruder alarm, either from a colleague, or the alarm company who installed or maintain it.
2. Upon arrival at your home or business premises, enter through the designated entry door only. Make sure you know which doors are set up for entry; you can add additional doors to your system but this will need programmed by your alarm company. Your alarm will allow sufficient time for you to enter through the designated door/s and disarm the system – entering via any other route will trigger a false alarm.
3. Disarm your system before doing anything else! Do not let anyone else enter the premises until you have disarmed the system. The alarm detectors are programmed to permit motion within the entry route only, for a short period of time until the system is disarmed. If someone enters an area outside of these parameters before the alarm is unset, the system will activate, causing a false alarm.
4. The easiest and quickest way to safely disarm the system is with a key fob. Alarm codes can also be used but are prone to input error, leading to false alarms and the need for technical assistance to reset the system. Key fobs will be programmed with your individual user details, so make sure you don’t swap these around with other key holders. Additional key fobs can be programmed and added to your system by your alarm company.
5. Modern detectors (PIRs) use infra-red beams to detect motion, so make sure these are not obstructed by furniture or stock. Heaters can disturb hanging decorations and may activate PIRs, so either turn off heaters when the building is unoccupied or keep such items away from the heaters. Dual-tech detectors are an effective way to reduce false alarms because they require two different sensors within the detector to trip together. Your alarm company can upgrade your detectors without the need to replace the control panel, so it is a cost effective way to reduce false alarms. Pet friendly detectors are now also available, or alternatively you can omit the detectors in rooms occupied by pets to enable a part set of your system.
6. If you change the use of, or make a physical alteration to your property, you should ask your alarm company to re-assess the current system design as it may no longer be suitable, and it could invalidate your insurance cover. If you do have workmen modifying or decorating your home or business premises, do not let them make any changes to your alarm system as it may render your warranty invalid, and could cause system performance issues.
7. Inform your alarm company of any false alarms, and seek their advice when the cause of the alarm is not obvious to you. They may send an engineer out to inspect the system and provide recommendations. Your alarm company can also provide training to new members of staff on the operation of the system. Similarly, contact your alarm company without delay in the event of an actual break-in, to enable them to check over the system and reset it for you. As an NSI Gold Company, Diamond Systems offers a 24 hour response to all emergency calls.
8. Make sure your alarm system is regularly maintained by an NSI Gold approved company. You should expect to receive routine maintenance checks at regular intervals throughout the year, accompanied by an engineer report on the status of your system, and any recommendations for remedial works. Batteries which provide back-up power are located within your control panel and will need periodically changed. You can also expect to replace your detectors every 8 years or so with the control panel itself typically lasting around 10 -12 years.
9. Always do a quick walk around your premises before you lock up and set the alarm. Doors which are slightly ajar, heaters which are left on, or windows left partially open, can all cause motion, which triggers some older style detectors, resulting in a false alarm.
10. Leave through a designated exit door, ensuring your system is fully set. If your alarm is monitored, make sure your alarm company has your correct details in case of any issues with the alarm whilst the building is unoccupied, and always advise them of a change of phone number so that they can contact you. If you forget to set your system, you can now do this remotely from your Smart device with the Diamond Home Control Plus package.

For more information on the Diamond Systems Security range click here: https://www.diamondsystems.co.uk/products/security/

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The team at Diamond Systems were thrilled to be finalists in the recent Belfast Business Awards, held at the City Hall in May. Diamond were shortlisted in the category “Best Family Business”, which recognised dynamic family owned businesses based in Belfast, which had demonstrated growth in recent years and a vision for the future.

The qualifying criteria included at least two generations of family members currently working within the business. Diamond Systems is owned and operated by the Snoddon family, with Tom Snoddon being the company founder, and his son and daughter, Steve Snoddon and Angela Bennett (nee Snoddon) currently running the Belfast based business.

“Northern Ireland is awash with family owned and operated businesses, so to make the shortlist was a great achievement for us”, comments Angela. “Even going through the process of preparing for the interview, Steve and I found out so much about the early days of the company that we didn’t know about, from talking to our dad about how he grew the business back in the 1980s. The whole Diamond team, family and non-family members, are all really proud of the business that he created from scratch and worked very hard to be able to pass on to the next generation.”

The awards process involved an online application, with each entry being scored and ranked to provide a final five in each category. The five shortlisted companies then undertook an interview with an expert panel of judges, and Angela, Steve and Tom represented Team Diamond at the interview stage.

The winner was announced at a gala dinner at Belfast City Hall on Friday 27th May 2016, and although we lost out on the Best Family Business award, the Diamond Team had a great evening and were honoured to be shortlisted in this category.

Hugh Black, President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, gave this message at the Awards dinner: “This evening’s awards were truly outstanding and really showcased what a fantastic city Belfast is to do business, live, work and shop in. We received a record number of entries this year, so the competition was very tough – even to be shortlisted is a fantastic testimony of success.

Diamond Systems recently attained Gold Partner status with global industry leader in video management software, Milestone. Managing Director of Diamond Systems, Steve Snoddon commented, “We are delighted to be Northern Ireland’s sole Milestone Gold Partner. The Milestone solution is a powerful, user friendly Video Management Software, or VMS. It caters for the full range of system types, from very basic CCTV systems with a handful of cameras, through to advanced surveillance systems with hundreds, if not thousands, of CCTV cameras.”

In the several weeks since the Gold Partnership was awarded, Diamond Systems have already installed numerous Milestone systems to sites across Northern Ireland, ranging from small commercial premises with a small number of CCTV cameras to large networked infrastructures with upwards of 200 CCTV cameras

Milestone explained the significance of the Gold Partnership status: “A Milestone Gold partner is fully certified to sell all of Milestone’s XProtect video management software. Their product training combined with a consistent record of customer satisfaction, are testimony that they are fully equipped to handle all projects. They are able to utilize all of the benefits of the Milestone Channel Partner Program.”

Steve Snoddon commented, “The attraction for Diamond Systems was that the Milestone VMS is an open platform and this is crucial for us, as our customers have a broad range of CCTV brands installed. The Milestone solution enables us to integrate a robust VMS system, without the need to replace existing CCTV camera hardware”.

The Milestone VMS is suitable for use with analog or IP CCTV cameras, or uniquely, even with a combination of both. These features facilitate a rapid, cost-effective, roll out for customers with multiple sites, as even the most complex and varied CCTV network can be centralised onto a single platform.

Diamond Systems are currently installing the Milestone VMS as part of an upgrade to Belfast’s Odyssey Complex CCTV infrastructure. The Northern Ireland landmark is an extensive site incorporating the SSE Arena, W5 Science Centre and the Odyssey Pavilion, with a Cinema and Bowling Alley. Covering some 24 acres, the Complex houses three separate but connected Security Control Rooms. Brian Hughes, Head of Facilities at the Odyssey Complex commented, “The solution currently being installed by Diamond Systems provides a unified, user-friendly platform for our Control Room staff to monitor the safety and security of our staff and visitors here at Odyssey.”

Diamond Systems have also recently installed the Milestone VMS system within several Council sites across Northern Ireland, as a cost-effective solution. A wide number of CCTV camera brands are installed across the various Council sites, all of which can be incorporated into the centralised Milestone VMS being installed by Diamond Systems, including a combination of both analog and IP CCTV cameras.

Diamond Systems are Northern Ireland’s sole Milestone Gold Partner. To arrange a free demonstration of the Milestone VMS, contact info@www.diamondsystems.co.uk or call our Sales Team on 02890 207 207.

Cerberus Pro by Siemens was recommended by Diamond Systems as the most appropriate system to solve the problem of false fire alarms at a local leisure centre where steam and aerosol emissions in changing rooms were causing unnecessary evacuations of the busy centre.  Traditional smoke detectors often trigger false fire alarms in the presence of deceptive phenomena such as steam, and this can lead to repeated fire alarm activations.

The Siemens ASA neural fire detectors are specifically designed to eliminate false fire alarms in environments with highly deceptive phenomena, such as CO, steam, aerosols, or dust. The technology distinguishes genuine smoke from this other phenomena and is therefore the most innovative and robust form of fire alarm detection currently available in the market.

The upgrade of the legacy fire alarm system at the Leisure Centre to the Siemens Cerberus Pro fire alarm system will utilise the existing cabling in the building, reducing the overall project cost and minimising disruption within the busy Centre.

The upgrade will involve a phased approach by Diamond Systems in order to maintain full functionality of the fire alarm system for the duration of the project, as the Centre will be occupied throughout.

Diamond Systems are the sole Siemens Cerberus Pro Solution Partner in Northern Ireland. Contact us at info@www.diamondsystems.co.uk to arrange your free demonstration of this innovative technology and let’s eliminate false fire alarms for good with ASA technology!

Does your fire alarm cry wolf »

Learn more about Cerberus Pro by Siemens »

 

 

False alarms are an unwelcome occurrence, causing disruption to businesses, a drain on government resources and ultimately a tangible cost to everyone involved.

Last year (2013/2014) the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service recorded 7835 false alarms due to fire alarm equipment. Given that 98% of those calls were mobilized and the estimated cost of a mobilization is £3000, there was in excess of £20 million spent by the Northern Ireland economy that year, and that doesn’t even factor in the costs incurred due to business downtime.

So why do we still have so many false alarms?

False alarms can be triggered due to a number of reasons including:

• Exposure to highly deceptive phenomena such as dust, steam, aerosols, insects or even burnt toast
• Failure to update older systems
• Inappropriate design specification
• Change of building use
• Lack of regular maintenance

But what if there was a solution to eliminating false alarms altogether….

Can we ever really eliminate false alarms?

Simply the answer is yes! In fact we’re so confident in the solution that we provide that we are offering a No False Alarm Guarantee to our customers with the Cerberus PRO fire protection system from Siemens.

In the coming months, we will be sharing with you a number of stories, case studies and interesting discussions/blogs around the issue of false alarms and how they can be prevented. We will be looking at current regulations/legislation, your responsibilities, common solutions, and the dangers associated with false alarms.

We will also be providing you with a better understanding of what you can be doing differently and how recent technological updates have enhanced our abilities to detect fires more accurately to ensure the optimum safety of people and property.

#NoFalseAlarms

The ultimate goal of our No False Alarm Campaign is to help eliminate false alarms entirely. Therefore throughout Sept, Oct and Nov we will be using #NoFalseAlarmsGuaranteed across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to help you follow along with all our updates.

We invite you to get involved in our discussions and please tweet us @Diamond_Systems with any questions or thoughts!

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No False Alarm Guarantee

Diamond Systems are so confident in the Cerberus PRO fire protection system that we offer all our customers a straight forward genuine No False Alarm Guarantee. In the event that one of the system’s automatic detectors does respond to anything other than real fire phenomena or a fire condition and results in the attendance of the Fire & Rescue Services, Diamond Systems are willing to pay up to £500 to cover the cost of the disruption including downtime and emergency services call out charges.

Learn more about our No False Alarm Guarantee including full terms and conditions here.

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More about Cerberus PRO

Cerberus PRO is the most advanced fire protection system on the market featuring:

• ASAtechnology – fast, reliable fire detection
• BACnet True Open protocol – easy integration with BMS, security, plant & lighting control systems
• Degrade Mode – ensure optimum protection & alarm functionality even in the event of a panel or software failure
• Full Compliancy with all relevant standards and codes of practice

To learn more on Cerberus PRO click here.

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On July 29th, over 200 people passed through the course at Dunmurry Golf club as part of the Annual Open Week ( 26th July – 2nd Aug), which is in part sponsored by Diamond Systems.

Each year the Diamond Systems team attends along with a number of guests to try their luck on the 18-hole course followed by a celebration and prize-giving in the clubhouse. Despite a bit of wet and windy weather in the lead up to the event, we were lucky enough to have the sun shining down on the day as we were joined by over 15 guests, who tackled the course (and occasionally the trees).

We would like to say a big thank you once again to all who attended from The Odyssey Trust, Harvey Group,  JBE Mechanical and Electrical and Dowds Group! Hope to see you all again next year.

 

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We’re excited to share the finished product of the recent refurbishment to the downstairs offices at Diamond HQ. Working alongside Whitespace Design Consultancy, the space was re-designed to optimise functionality, while giving the area a fresh, modern look which unified it with the rest of the building.

Strategic placement of a new workstation along with fabric desk screens has enabled the creation of  three additional work spaces while maintaining the open-plan office layout. Everything in the refurbishment was chosen to unify the Diamond brand with the wallpaper and fabric chosen to match our company colours.

We are very pleased with the final outcome, which in addition to these aforementioned benefits also helps the space reflect our core values including quality, professionalism and innovation, throughout our interior office space. Thanks again to the whole team at Whitespace NI!

Click here to see more photos and read more about the refurbishment on the Whitespace website.

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Tall ship festival

At Diamond we are very lucky to have an extremely talented team of engineers but it is rare that we have the opportunity to say that one of them is crossing the North Sea in a spectacular tall ship as part of Europe’s largest free family festival.

The Lord Nelson ship is almost 55 metres long and will carry approx. 50 passengers at any one time (8 permanent crew and around 40 “voyage crew”). Diamond System engineer, Gary, will be accompanying his wife as part of the “voyage crew” for the first 10 days of the race, leaving from Belfast on 5^th July until they reach Alesund, Norway on 15^th July.

We caught up with him before he sailed off to find out a bit more about the experience.

Q. Is this your first time sailing a tall ship?
Although an avid sailor, yes this is my first time sailing a tall ship, although it will be my wife’s third time sailing one.

Q. What are you most excited about?
The challenge of sailing a tall ship and being part of a crew of people from different backgrounds and abilities.

Q.What will a typical day on board the ship look like?
Everyone joins in and gets involved with crewing the ship – setting sails, stowing sails, keeping watch and even steering the ship, with the support of the permanent crew, even down to happy hour (aka cleaning the ship) and taking turns in the galley to help feed fellow crew members. The voyage crew is also split into four teams called watches who take it in turns for responsibility of the ship even during the night.

Q. Was it difficult to arrange a spot on board?
Everyone thinks the application will be quite comprehensive but you can contact companies that operate tall ships and book onto them just like a holiday. However, the tall ships races are very popular and the places on board can sell very quickly.

However, there is one very notable feature about the Lord Nelson which differentiates it from many others as it was the first ship in the world to be designed and built to enable people of all physical abilities to sail side by side on equal terms featuring wide decks, which are fully wheelchair accessible; signs in braille; lifts for between decks; an induction loop; and even a speaking compass to enable blind or visually impaired members of the voyage crew to steer the ship.

Today, the Lord Nelson and sister ship, Tenacious are the only two tall ships in the world that have been purpose built to enable people of all physical and sensory abilities to take an active role in sailing. Both are owned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST). Since the JST was established in 1978 over 40,000 people have sailed with us. Of these approximately 15,000 people were disabled and 5,000 wheelchair users.

We wish Gary and his wife a most enjoyable trip!