Holiday park security: your top four questions answered

For the past three decades, wireless solutions firm Ramtech has been providing trusted site safety and security monitoring systems. This experience has helped to keep numerous parks connected and responsive to a wide range of concerns, such as break-in, fire and arson. While all holiday parks hope there will never be an intrusion or safety emergency, being prepared offers essential peace of mind for site and holiday home owners, protecting their investment no matter what, and potentially saving thousands of pounds in damage every year through 24/7 monitoring and early detection.

When is a holiday park at most risk?

While a security breach or emergency cannot always be predicted, there are certain times of year that can be considered more of a risk. During quieter seasons, early in the new year or the post-summer lull, there may be less guests around. This could allow an opportunity for intruders to slip by unnoticed, risking potential theft and damage to holiday homes. During the winter, there is also more risk of weather-related issues, which could damage properties. Busy seasons such as spring and summer can also carry a risk factor, however, simply due to the sheer number of visitors and an increase in BBQ or other open fires if permitted. Having a reliable system that delivers 24/7 monitoring, gives reassurance to site and holiday home owners that in the event of an emergency, the park management will be alerted and be able to respond quickly.

What protection measures can be put in place?

Holiday parks can have multiple security and site management systems in place. Popular forms of protection include physical teams of security staff patrolling parks, CCTV cameras, intruder alarms and more. It isn’t uncommon for parks to utilise a combination of tools, however managing multiple systems often leads to increased cost and more time spent managing the park security.

With a system such as Ramtech’s WISE, holiday parks can be safely monitored every minute of the day. This means that real time alerts, data, and information will be shared as it happens. Powered by long-life batteries and connected to a reliable radio technology, the WISE security system allows thousands of devices to be linked to a central base station that creates an instant, silent alert via email, text, or pager. WISE is not dependent on SIM or WiFi to function, which is great for secluded locations or forest retreats with little or no data or internet coverage.

You can even use WISE in conjunction with other useful systems, such as the Ramtech WES3 – an EN54-25 compliant addressable wireless fire alarm system, with automatic smoke and heat detectors designed to respond to site incidents and maintain 24/7 coverage. Once it is linked with Ramtech’s REACT platform, park managers can also create a fully integrated, instant emergency response system. The mobile device app and management tool, accessed via web browser, means a park can still be monitored closely from anywhere in the world.

Will investing in park security measures suggest the park is unsafe?

According to Mintel’s 2022 report report of the UK’s holiday parks and centres, the market is currently worth an estimated £3 billion with new investment and growth predicted in the coming years. In order to protect these vital assets, investing in security measures is a must. Even the safest parks are not immune to an emergency, and having a robust system will only stand to increase confidence and create more custom for a holiday park.

The addition of a system such as WISE also builds into the connected park offering, creating added value for the site. Connected parks link together security and other monitoring requirements of the park to keep it safer and more efficient than ever before. An example of this technology in action is at Scampston Park Lodges, which has used Ramtech’s wireless WISE security and monitoring system to cover the 35-acre site, since 2011. If one of the 27 alarms is activated inside a lodge due to a break-in, this works with the REACT cloud-based system to deliver a notification, which is instantly sent to park staff, pinpointing the exact lodge for a response.

As well as having safety features, WISE is also able to connect holiday homes to park teams, ensuring any regular upkeep and maintenance is catered for whilst homes are unoccupied. Additions such as this give that extra level of reassurance to guests that their assets are well looked after, even when they aren’t at the park.

When is the best time to prepare a holiday park?

A park can be prepared at any time of the year with excellent results. Because Ramtech systems can be speedily set up due to the wireless nature of the technology, this means deployment is quick and there is also no complicated or costly electrical installation works required. Ramtech’s team of engineers are also on hand to provide guided support to ensure a seamless experience. That being said, in the off season such as winter and just before the peak season in summer, are the two optimum times to get a holiday park set up. This will mean site managers and holiday home owners can get to know the system before the park becomes overly busy.