Howard County Fairgrounds Protects Itself

State-of-the-art security systems along with video surveillance equipment were recently installed by Heartland Security at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Cresco. When Howard County Fair Board member Tom Barnes was looking for security options for the Fairgrounds in Cresco, one of his top priorities was to try and stay local with their security needs. One of the obvious benefits with staying local is the service and being able to get ahold of someone when you need service as opposed to one of the nationally advertised security companies who are typically at least 3-4 hours away.

The Howard County Fair Board has a long relationship with Hawkeye REC and he knew that they were an owner of Heartland Security, which provides alarm/security, video surveillance, and card access systems throughout central, western, and southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Barnes met with Heartland Security’s Regional Sales Manager Tom Vega to review their needs and options for security. In designing the video surveillance system, there were obvious areas that needed coverage and the system needed flexibility to expand as their needs grow. Camera selection was also important in order to decide whether a fixed lens or verafocal lens style camera better suited their application. Vega explains, “When looking at your needs for video surveillance, whether indoor or outdoor cameras, you need to take into consideration if you want a fixed focus lens or verafocal lens style camera. A verafocal lens style camera is similar to binoculars in that you can adjust your field of view and gives your system flexibility. It allows you to have a close-up view of problem areas as they arise.”

Cameras were installed to cover virtually all areas of concern and they connect to a DVR, which provides viewing and recording of all events. Additionally, these cameras can be viewed offsite via an internet connection. In the event of any occurrence, these pictures/videos can be downloaded to a thumbdrive and given to the authorities. In conjunction with the video surveillance system, an alarm/security system was also installed to provide a monitored security system in the event of attempted burglary or break-in. These systems typically consist of door sensors, motion sensors, glass break sensors, smoke sensors and temperature sensors if desired. The sensors are wireless which allows them to be installed virtually anywhere protection is required.

In the event of attempted break-in, a siren will immediately sound the alarm and Heartland Security’s UL-listed monitoring station will be alerted and police will be contacted. Both systems have been working exceptionally well. One of the reasons is due to the installation by John Gottberg of Heartland Security. Barnes explains, “John was great to work with. Not only did he do an exceptional job in the installation, but more importantly, he took the time to go through both systems with members of the Fair Board and explained how everything worked.” Barnes continues, “He was never in a hurry and that’s the kind of service you appreciate when you buy something and may be concerned about how it’s going to operate once the technician leaves. We felt very comfortable with the system.” Based on their experience, Barnes said he would recommend Heartland Security to anyone looking for security.