Bezemer Industries case study
A 15-Zone Burglar Alarm for a New Retail Store, Starting From Behind
Published · Updated
15
Hardwired zones
2 months
Design to done
24/7
UL-listed monitoring
Day one
Protected at opening
The Client
A retail store on the Central Coast of California, opening a brand-new location.
The Challenge
Bezemer got brought in late, after construction was already closing up: the ceiling grid was going in, which is exactly when alarm wiring is supposed to already be done. The automatic sliding doors also needed coordination with the intrusion design. The alarm scope had to account for normal staff entry and the doors' operating conditions.
What Bezemer Built
A hardwired 15-zone intrusion system: glass break protection, door contacts, motion detectors, timed disarm zones for staff entry, and instant zones where any violation trips the alarm immediately. Hardwired mattered here: in a brand-new build, wired zones mean no batteries to die and no wireless dropouts, a system built into the building rather than stuck onto it. Monitoring runs through a UL-listed central station with multi-site redundancy. Monitoring arrangements were part of this project's scope.
What the 15 Zones Cover
| Zone type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Glass break protection | Senses breaking glass at the storefront |
| Door contacts | Every monitored door reports open and close |
| Motion detectors | Interior coverage after hours |
| Timed disarm zones | Staff entry without false alarms |
| Instant zones | Any violation trips the alarm immediately |
The Door Problem, Solved
Bezemer coordinated the intrusion design with the automatic doors and staff entry requirements. That resolved the integration issue within the wider alarm scope, with door behavior and staff access considered together.
How It Went
Fifteen zones, designed and installed in about two months, working around trades that were already ahead of us. The store opened with full intrusion detection from day one.
- 01
Brought in late
Ceiling grid already going up
- 02
2 months
Design through working system
- 03
Opening day
Full intrusion detection live
What the project shows about sequencing
A late start didn't remove the need to coordinate with the other trades. With the ceiling grid already going in, cable access and installation order became part of the alarm plan. The documented result was a 15-zone hardwired system delivered in about two months, with intrusion detection operating when the store opened. For a comparable buildout, bring the construction schedule, ceiling-close dates, door-hardware information and the staff entry requirements to the first scope discussion.
Why It Matters for Your Project
Late is workable. Most of the ugliest problems in security installs are sequencing problems, and a contractor who's caught up from behind before knows which corners can compress and which can't. If your buildout's already moving and security isn't wired yet, call sooner rather than later, but call either way.
Have a Project Like This?
One free site walk gets you a written scope from a licensed California contractor (Lic #1109846, C-7 and C-61/D28, Alarm Operator #8216).
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