Gallagher’s access control and perimeter security solution secures Village Roadshow Theme Parks in Australia

Village Roadshow Theme Parks (VRTP), Australia’s largest theme park operator, provides some of the most thrilling entertainment rides and slides available anywhere in the world. With its headquarters located on the Gold Coast, Australia’s holiday playground, it operates:

• Warner Bros. Movie World
• Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World
• Australian Outback Spectacular
• Sea World
• Paradise Country
• Sea World Resort and Water Park

Over 5 million visitors per year, from families to thrill seekers, flock to this world of fun with action-packed shows and rides, marine and animal attractions, and adventure across seven large scale properties.

Monitoring from Command Centre

This enables monitoring from the Command Centre in the Gold Coast over all seven sites streamlining operationsWhen it comes to security, VRTP have always chosen access control and perimeter solutions supplier Gallagher as their long-term partner. A relationship that began in the mid-1980s, has grown to meet the expanding demands of each park. VRTP recently opened a new Wet ‘n’ Wild in Sydney, New South Wales, in December 2013. Two new parks based on Sea World and Wet ‘n’ Wild are currently under construction in Hainan, China.

Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney, opened to the public in December 2013, demonstrates Gallagher’s ability to extend security coverage across States, with its scalable and flexible solution. This enables monitoring from the main Command Centre in the Gold Coast over all seven sites streamlining operations. In the event of power loss from the main controller in the Gold Coast, Sydney sites have their own server backups to continue operations as normal.

RFID wrists bands for staff access

The model that VRTP and Gallagher have designed enables various operator levels to have separate divisions for creating cardholders. Different operator levels have authorised access to develop card holders for their sections. There are approximately 3,000 cardholders at all parks and growing. Wet ‘n’ Wild Sydney is the first Village Roadshow park to deploy staff RFID wrists bands that give them access to areas restricted by the public.

Command Centre technology has given VRTP total site security across all parks

VRTP’s guard workforce has been complimented by the Gallagher system working seamlessly together. Command Centre technology has also given VRTP total site security across all parks; within a year saving park operations approximately 20 hours a day in labour costs.

Better visibility of services

Gallagher delivers building automation and control through a high-level interface that provides strong communication between Gallagher Command Centre and the theme parks’ building systems. This has enabled integration to seven main panels and sub panels across the group giving security staff better visibility of all services, at all times. Efficiencies in alarm generation have improved with automatic escalation to the necessary staff member in a timely manner.

Key industry challenges

• Health, safety, risk mitigation, and public relations
• Preserving assets and ambience
• Using integration to save costs and improve security efficiencies

Gallagher technology used

• Gallagher Command Centre
• Gallagher T-Series Access Control Readers
• Gallagher high level video integration – more than 250 cameras

Protection of marine animals

Gallagher’s integrated security solution provides continuous surveillance across the parkAnimal safety and care is critical. Sea World is Australia’s premier marine park, with over 25 hectares (55 acres) of land. With a range of dolphins, seals, sharks, polar bears, and other marine life – their safety, and the reputation of Sea World, must be preserved. This also includes protecting Australian Outback Spectacular and Paradise Country animals and wildlife.

Alongside video and alarm integration, Gallagher manages all primary entry points into parks. Once inside the parks, it manages restricted zones which include secured enclosures, particularly important for Sea World.

Gallagher’s integrated security solution provides continuous surveillance across the parks, capturing any incidents which may occur on site. This is particularly important for Wet ‘n’ Wild water park which faces increased risk due to the nature of the environment. Wet ‘n’ Wild has been one of the group’s most successful theme parks with a growing attendance of approximately 1 million visitors every year.

Investing in robust integrated system

The VRTP security team has the ability to monitor and control from one locationVRTP are continually looking for ways to improve park operations, infrastructure, and processes to meet the needs of visitors and staff. With security taking a precedence in the last five years, VRTP made the decision to invest in a robust integrated system that to the public eye would go unseen.

Gallagher’s strong history of service and the scope of their integrated security solutions gave VRTP confidence in selecting Gallagher for their upcoming internal infrastructure developments.

With 250 cameras located discretely around all seven of VRTP’s properties, integrated back to the central control platform Gallagher Command Centre, the VRTP security team has the ability to monitor and control from one location.

Intruder alarm management solution

The integrated system plays an important role in securing the site overnight from would-be intrudersIn the Village Roadshow Studios, much importance is placed on securing assets, and protecting the privacy of high-profile guests. The Studios have attracted projects with a combined budget of around 2.5 billion dollars. There are eight large sound stages covering 10,844m2 (116,727 sq. ft), confirming it as one of the largest studios in the Southern Hemisphere.

With intellectual property and assets that must be protected, the Gallagher 24-hour camera integration and intruder alarm management solution play a key role in protecting staff, visitors, and monitoring employee cash handling and service. The integrated system also plays an important role in securing the site overnight from would-be intruders.

Duress alarm monitoring is a central integration used by security staff with 70 alarm zones across all parks. In the event of an emergency, a wireless help-call system can identify back to the Command Centre the name, description, and location via a detailed site plan for each park. This is a vital security element for protecting captive mammals and animals, and IT infrastructure.