How to plan cameras and alarms for a fuel station

What incidents happen at a station?

The most common incident at fuel stations is a vehicle that fills up and leaves without paying. Other incidents include cash discrepancies at the shop checkout, attacks on or threats to staff at night, disputes over quantities during tanker unloading, and damage to vehicles in the parking lot.

Each type of incident needs a different camera angle. A general camera facing the pump island is not enough to read the plate of a vehicle that drives off without paying. To resolve a cash discrepancy, you need a camera above the checkout that sees the cash drawer and the receipt. Starting the plan from this list of incidents gives much better results than scattering cameras in random corners.

Ask the station manager or shift supervisor which incidents have happened in the past year. Which pump, what time and what kind of problem directly determine where the cameras go. If no incident log is kept, starting one from now on also helps.

Pump islands and license plates

At each pump island, the setup should show the vehicle's license plate and the staff member refueling at the same time. For the plate, the camera is placed in the vehicle's entry or exit direction, facing the plate as straight on as possible. A camera looking down from the canopy ceiling sees the refueling but does not read the plate.

At the station entrances and exits, you can also install license plate recognition cameras. Because vehicles are read on entry and exit, the plate of a vehicle that left without paying is in the recording with the time. Some automation systems can match this information with the pump sales record; this feature depends on the automation software used.

Because there is strong lighting under the canopy, the difference between day and night light is large. Sunlight coming from outside the canopy and car headlights at night can blow out the plate. That is why wide dynamic range and the right shutter setting are important for pump cameras.

Explosive atmospheres and device selection

The area around the pumps and tank fill points may be classified as an explosive atmosphere zone because of fuel vapor. Electrical devices placed in these zones must carry a certificate of suitability for that zone. Which area counts as which zone is set out in the station's design and the relevant regulations.

In practice, cameras are usually placed outside these zones, on the canopy ceiling or the building facade, and view the pump island from a distance. The cable route is also planned so that it does not pass through these zones. If a camera is needed inside the zone boundary, an explosion-proof (Ex) housing camera is used.

Expert note: Ask the installer whether they will ask for the station's hazardous area plan. A company that places cables and devices around the pumps without looking at this plan creates risk for both safety and inspections.

Shop, checkout and cash room

A station shop is no different from other shops: the entrance door is covered by a camera that can identify faces, the checkout by a camera that shows the payment and the cash drawer, and the aisles by general cameras. If cigarette and high-value product shelves are near the checkout, the checkout camera is set up to see that shelf as well.

The cash room or safe where the day's takings are kept needs separate protection. This room can have an alarm zone with a door contact and a motion sensor, and the safe itself a vibration detector. The cash room camera should see the person opening the safe and the counting table.

If cash, card and loyalty card transactions are all handled at the checkout, the checkout camera should also see the screen and the receipt. When a customer says the wrong amount was charged, the checkout recording shows the exact second of that transaction and the dispute is settled quickly. The lighting above the checkout is also adjusted so that it does not increase glare on the screen.

Night shift: staff safety

At stations that stay open through the night, there are often only one or two staff members. That is why the security system should protect the employees as much as the building.

The main measures used for this are:

• A silent panic button under the checkout and at the pump island
• Connecting the panic button to a monitoring center or the manager's phone
• An identification camera at face level in front of the checkout
• The camera recorder kept in a locked room, in a place where it cannot easily be removed
• To keep cameras and alarms working during outages UPS
• Signs at the shop entrance and the pump island showing staff that cameras are in use

Tanker unloading, perimeter and parking

The area where the tanker unloads fuel at the station is where people turn in disputes over quantity and quality. A camera facing this point records the time the tanker arrived, the fill point connected and the unloading time. If needed, the tanker's plate can also be read from this camera.

Keep this area in mind when setting the recording period. Disputes often come up days after the event. If the recording period is short, the footage may already be deleted when you need it. Using the disk calculator on our Tools page, you can see the disk capacityneeded for your number of cameras and the number of days you want.

Stations on intercity roads have extra areas such as truck and bus parking, a car wash, a tire shop and a rest area. These areas can be busy all night, and complaints such as vehicle damage and fuel theft from tanks come from here. Wide-angle cameras and an intrusion rule with smart analytics are enough to watch the sections that should be empty after closing.

The back facade, the generator room and the storeroom door are also often forgotten. Putting at least one camera and a door contact in each of these areas closes off the station's perimeter. The technical room, which also houses the camera recorder, should be kept locked against unauthorized entry.

Regulations and permits

Requirements for camera use at fuel stations may be set by license conditions and decisions of the local civil administration. Governorship decisions can impose camera and recording period requirements on certain types of business. Confirm the current requirements with the authorities your station reports to.

Camera recordings count as personal data. Visible privacy notice signs should be put up for customers and employees, and it should be decided who can access the recordings and how long they will be kept. For legal details, we recommend consulting an expert.

Desa Bilişim installs cameras, alarms and panic buttons for stations and shops in Şanlıurfa and its districts, in line with each project's design.

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