Oct 27, 2014

In recent years, the sport of Little League Baseball has become considerably popular. All told, a World Series event could reach more than 400,000 attendees, including players, coaches, parents and other spectators. Whenever this large of a group of people gathers in one place, event organizers need a way to keep an eye on the action and ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. For this reason, the officials in charge of the 66th and 67th Little League Baseball World Series turned to Firetide and its partners to establish a wireless mesh surveillance network to help guarantee public security.

For two years in a row, the LLBWS has counted on Firetide, Lenel Systems International, and Axis Communications to utilize industry-leading technology to create an all-encompassing video surveillance network. During the second year, Allied Telesis joined for the 67th event. For more than 60 years, the city of South Willamsport, Pennsylvania, has hosted the event, inviting hundreds of thousands of individuals to their small town of less than 6,500 people. The two-week tournament allows 16 of the best Little League baseball teams to come together to compete for the title of world champion.

“The annual Little League Baseball World Series in the largest international gathering of youth sports in the world and we have an obligation to provide a secure environment over the two week competition,” said Jim Ferguson, Little League Baseball and Softball director of security. “The technology from Firetide, Lenel and Axis enable us to provide our joint security forces with the high-performance wireless video network they need to ensure a safe, fun experience for all the players and fans.”

High-quality surveillance network
In previous years, LLBWS officials utilized technology from Lenel in addition to Axis IP digital surveillance cameras. LLBWS has improved its security each year, including the addition of 13 Firetide outdoor HotPort 7020 mesh nodes to interconnect the cameras in the area. The inclusion of the Firetide system has enabled event organizers to considerably expand their surveillance abilities within the 79-acre baseball complex. Security is also bolstered thanks to help from the Pennsylvania State Police, the local police and the FBI.

Because the event only lasts 10 days, officials needed a system that would provide a streamlined configuration and deployment, in addition to ease of use. Overall, the system had to be able to be set up and installed in less than a day. The surveillance network would also have to enable views not only of the fields, but of parking areas, walkways and retailers in the complex.

“Our top priority is keeping everyone safe and that requires a massive coordinated effort involving local, state and federal law enforcement,” Ferguson said. “The technology solution provided by Allied Telesis, Axis Firetide and Lenel is a critical part of that coordinated effort.”