Wayne,
I can't help you with your Ascension - I never even heard of it before.
If your equipment is all powered off a single 110/120V (or 220/240V) line, you could use a magnetic switch, of the kind used on most stationary power tools (table saws, band saws, etc.). They're inexpensive (US$30-50), and provide the necessary action. Pressing one button, or a line power outage, and everything will shut down, and not come back up until you press a different button. Here's one example:
http://tinyurl.com/4kdjxhRegards,
Ray L.