Theatre Telephone Systems Battery Backup

[adam2]

There should be a risk assessment but I doubt it's been revised since the Paris and Manchester terrorist events or the London Tube bombings. Realising that failure of comms can make a situation worse is important.

 

I agree.

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian]

you're meant to keep them up-to-date.

Quite so, but it would be interesting to know what proportion are.....

 

Given the number of prosecutions where the defendants are found guilty because their risk assessment is found to be not 'suitable and satisfactory' I'd say that very few are.

[WxmMike]

Firstly, thanks to all for prompt and varied responses.

 

In reply to various points raised;

1. We intend retaining one analogue trunk line - currently connected to the alarm system for dial-out, and the box office credit card machine.

2. A wired telephone will also be left plugged in, in the box office, as the first emergency option in the event of VOIP outage (from any cause).

3. This configuration should suffice until 2025 when BT pull the plug on the POTS technology, by which time no doubt other alternatives will become available.

4. The VOIP project already includes UPS(s) covering server, router, managed switches and FTTP ONT - but autonomy period currently around 15 mins.

5. Mobile phones are also available - local mast is a component of government emergency network - resilient design with power backup etc - obviously still subject to usage overload at times !

 

Based on the above, we are reasonably assured we are meeting our obligations even in the absence of specific licensing or legal direction.

 

Thanks again.

[richardash1981]

Up a bit Richard mentioned 105 - is this the number you phone if there is a power cut? A new one on me.

Yes. It's the new (two years or so) national number for whoever is responsible for your electricity supply network (so you don't need to figure out which DNO region you are in before calling). It will connect you to someone who can do something about the public mains supply to your premises being out, anywhere in the UK. The older DNO-specific numbers still work, but it's a useful one to know, especially if you work in different venues.

Whilst I'm at it, it doesn't harm to remind you all that until that phone call is made, no-one is going to start doing anything about fixing your mains supply - the people who operate it don't (in the vast majority of cases) have any automated system which will tell them you are off supply.

 

I assume technology has improved since then, but although cell towers in the US have mandatory 8 hour backup under FCC rules, here we don't. O2 only have 1 hour capability at their sites. It's been reported a few have generators, but this is not universal. The move to these sites also serving the emergency services is also not totally resilient in the rural areas.

There is unfortunately a nasty case of "don't want to know" between OFCOM (who regulate the cell sites) and the rest of emergency planning, and other infrastructure regulators (who want to drive down costs). So there is a real battle between some critical infrastructure operators (who do not believe the mobile networks will hold up in a power cut) and their regulators (who believe they can save money by using commercial telecoms services instead of in-house dedicated provision). In the electricity networks one company has a policy to be able to operate with a complete loss of cellular, and regularly rehearses it. The others do not, and are effectively dependent. OFGEM refuses to take an explict view but uses commercial comms costs when approving business plans.

[sunray]

cell towers in the US have mandatory 8 hour backup under FCC rules, here we don't. O2 only have 1 hour capability at their sites. It's been reported a few have generators, but this is not universal. The move to these sites also serving the emergency services is also not totally resilient in the rural areas.

That's interesting... I have radio systems on 3 cell phone towers and in the last couple of years 2 of them have removed the battery backed system and replaced with purely mains powered. The airwave kit has batteries coming out of it's ears but not the phones.

I can't see on the 3rd site I don't have access to the phone kit.