With often thousands in attendance, events and festivals face several challenges due to the number of attendees and the security management difficulties created from this.
You’ll likely already have measures in place like security guards, perimeter fencing, and other access control features to protect your event, however, the use of mobile surveillance trailers could help transform the security of your event or festival.
In this article, we delve into the world of surveillance trailers, key features and benefits you should look out for, and how they can defend against the challenges faced.
What Are Surveillance Trailers? And How Are They Different to Other Security Solutions?
Surveillance trailers are self-contained, portable units with cameras fitted onto the mast of the Trailer, offering temporary or targeted site coverage, especially for those locations with limited to no access to mains power and internet.
Typically powered by solar energy, these rapid deployment units offer flexible, relocatable security monitoring, ideal for organizers looking to cover multiple events or festivals.
Below provides a table of the key differences between surveillance trailers, security guards, and perimeter fencing:
|
Aspect |
Security Guards |
Perimeter Fencing |
Surveillance Trailers |
|
Primary Function |
Offer visible deterrence through their human presence. Often providing scheduled patrols for monitoring, intervention, and crowd management. |
Mainly used to create a physical barrier between the event and anyone external to this. Providing access control to the event or festival. These also aim to provide criminal deterrence through their presence. |
Providing both visible deterrence and remote monitoring capabilities. These systems proactively prevent and intervene in any suspicious behavior or threats posed to your event or festival through audio deterrence and remote actions like calling Law Enforcement. |
|
Strengths |
|
|
|
|
Limitations |
|
|
|
|
Cost Profile |
Low initial costs, high ongoing costs due to wages, training, holidays, shifts and equipment purchases |
Moderate one-time rental/installation |
Moderate to high initial costs depending on whether you purchase or rent a system. Low ongoing costs as most manufacturers offer maintenance and rental packages, offering a high ROI to your business. |
Generally, due to the enormity of many events and festivals, a hybrid approach of different security measures helps to maximize the coverage you receive.
With many organizers already utilizing security guards and perimeter fencing, the main reason behind them turning to surveillance trailers is to enhance crime prevention at the event and improve public safety.
What to Look for in a Surveillance Trailer When Securing Festivals and Events?
Thousands of people suddenly descending into one area or flooding the streets of your community for an annual event creates multiple safety issues, and deciding on the best security profile can feel complex.
Deploying surveillance trailers are only as beneficial as the key features and benefits they can provide you with. Therefore, it’s crucial you know what you should look for in a surveillance trailer to maximise your festival or event’s security.
Being the USA’s leading supplier in Surveillance Trailers, we’ve supported various industries including large-scale events with their security and gained insight into the requirements of this.
We’ve outlined 5 features to prioritize when choosing a surveillance trailer supplier to support you on your next festival or event.
Flexibility and Relocatability
Events are temporary occurrences, so fixed, permanent security cameras just aren’t worth it. Expensive, complex, and restrictive, these systems aren’t designed for temporary usage.
Whereas, Surveillance Trailer’s portable, rapid deployment design provides both the high-quality surveillance required for an event or festival and flexibility, so that it remains cost-effective for you as a business.
Some suppliers, including ourselves offer rental options for their surveillance trailers which allows you to cater your security to your event’s length.
This offers a cost-effective, convenient solution by removing the installation fees of a fixed system and any ongoing costs related to running a permanent system.
The other main benefit is the relocatability of these units. Surveillance Trailers are designed to be easily movable, with advanced systems even cutting out the need for an engineer.
With our Mobile Surveillance Trailers, you can relocate them yourself, without running the risk of causing too much operational disruption.
Therefore, if throughout an event or festival, a new threat appears or your needs change, you can adjust your Trailers to cover this.
Functionality
Festivals and events can bring unpredictability and you need to be able to react to threats at that moment, otherwise they can escalate into severe incidents.
Surveillance trailers provide those extra eyes on the ground during a crowded event, giving you the time to react to any immediate dangers or emerging threats.
Some units like at WCCTV also back their systems with remote monitoring services, meaning trained professionals watch your live video stream, assess threats, and respond appropriately.
The action that can be taken will vary between monitoring centers, however, with our systems, professionals can issue live audio challenges, sirens, and even call Law Enforcement if required to the scene.
This remote connectivity also allows you to view live and recorded footage from any device, wherever you are, so that you can monitor the event off-site and take immediate action yourself if any dangerous activities or emergencies are spotted.
As organizers you have various responsibilities throughout an event or festival, and surveillance trailers can help to remove some of those security burdens, so you can focus on other key responsibilities of yours.
Reliability
A lapse in security at an event or festival can be costly, especially with threats such as terrorism and theft. Hence why any surveillance trailers you invest in offers reliability.
Mains power and internet connectivity is often low to none when it comes to a temporary event, so you need to know that your trailers can work completely autonomously and are backed by a strong service to maintain this.
Most surveillance trailers run through solar power which means they require no infrastructure from you and use cellular connectivity in order for you and the monitoring center to tune into the live video feed.
These features ensure minimal downtime and provide you with peace of mind that your site is protected at all times.
We understand that you place a lot of reliance in a security supplier and to ensure we deliver the service you require, we go one step further to provide that reassurance and public safety.
Our mobile surveillance cameras are fitted with a built-in performance diagnostic service, Heartbeat. This runs regular comprehensive health, status, and operation checks on the following elements:
- Connection Issues
- Camera Failures
- Hard Disk Failures
- Recording Issues
- Time & Date Inaccuracy
We also have built-in video analytics functionality, providing threat verification and alerts related to this, allowing for automated and intelligent surveillance.
And if you’re unsure at any point, our USA-based tech support team is on-hand to help set up, manage, and train you to get the most out of your systems.
If something isn't right, we will send out a local field engineer tech to ensure you are up and running in no time.
Durability
Although there is heavy planning involved with events and festivals, weather is unpredictable.
Yes, you can prepare for varying weather conditions, but you need to be confident that any system in place can withstand harsh rain, wind, and excessive heat.
At times, weather can interrupt the connectivity of mobile surveillance cameras, blur visuals, and in worst case scenarios, push systems to shut down.
Our Trailers can be used in bad weather and have been specially designed to do this. Built with a waterproof and tamper-proof design, our units are prepared for the unpredictability of weather.
For full weather monitoring, we offer the add-on of site condition monitoring sensors which can measure weather, providing reports for you to then action following this.
Mobile Surveillance Cameras and Trailers for Festival and Event Security
We firmly believe that video surveillance cameras are the most effective way of boosting security at your events and having extra eyes in the field.
Perimeter fencing and security guards are a core part of event and festival safety, but alone, these services can be stretched and overwhelmed.
Mobile surveillance trailers help to relieve this pressure, provide complete site coverage, and allow other key services like security guards to focus on access control.
However, investing in the cheapest system will likely create more of a hindrance rather than help, so you need to ensure you make the right decision that suits your event’s or festival’s needs.
At WCCTV, we aim to support you every step of the way, offering a free site survey and quote before the event. Within this, they will assess the location, provide guidance, and talk through how our service works.
Get ahead of planning and get in touch with one of our Surveillance Trailer experts today!
