5 Tips to Protect Your Pet in Emergencies

/2 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

American Alarm - 5 Tips to Protect Your Pet in EmergenciesAs a leading provider of home alarm systems, we’ve written a lot about things you can do to ensure the safety and security anyone living with you – and, of course, yourself. Everything we do is focused on helping you protect your family and your home in the event of an emergency or natural disaster — but what about your furry, four-legged family members? Don’t forget to take them into consideration when you develop your family’s emergency preparedness plan.

We offer you five tips, some of which are courtesy of The Humane Society of The United States, to protect your pets in emergencies and natural disasters:

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Home Security Trends for 2014

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

american-alarm-home-security-trendsWhen it comes to what’s in store for the home security system market for 2014, the buzzword is still “traditional,” according to James Cook, sales manager at American Alarm.

“We’re selling more traditional home security systems, not the other stuff and that’s what’s generating our growth,” Cook says. “Although I expect that things like full home automation and other add-ons will continue to grow a little bit after people get more comfortable with technology.”

Cook says that while some homeowners may like the add-ons including mobile apps and remote monitoring, the main reasons they invest in home security and alarm systems are to prevent burglaries and fires.

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Top 5 Home and Business Security Posts of 2013

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

top5_american_alarmIt’s the end of the year and time for a look back at the Top 5 Home and Business Security Posts of 2013. This year we saw a focus on keeping homes and valuables safe in the most-read content from our blog. Each post below offers some great tips to add to your calendar as we start a new year. Here’s a look at our top five posts of 2012.

Number 5: Is a Dialer Delay in Your Home Putting You at Risk?

The all-in-one security system is attractive, but many systems include a four-minute notification delay to avoid false alarms. This post explores how thieves can rob you blind in four minutes and why you need to question your alarm company about such a delay.

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Video Surveillance System Trends for 2014

/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Camera Video Record in the evening.Video surveillance systems are quickly becoming key components of both business and home security strategies — a trend that will expand into 2014.

For business owners, incorporating IP video surveillance into your business security system can play multiple roles when it comes to protecting your company’s assets.

With a high-quality business video surveillance system, you can see what’s happening inside your store at any given time, and trained personnel can keep and eye out for potential shoplifters. If you catch a criminal, your video surveillance system can give you evidence you need to hand over to police.

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Fire Safety Tips For Holiday Trees and Ornaments

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Fire Safety Tips For Holiday Trees and OrnamentsWhen it comes to lighting your holiday tree, the number one holiday safety tip from fire officials is “never use lighted candles as decorations” — so imagine our concern when we saw this blog post, “How to Put Real Candles on Your Christmas Tree Safely.”

“Real candles on a Christmas tree can be stunningly beautiful, moving, but if you don’t know how to do it safely, it can be very hazardous. If you know how to do it right, it can be a very good and safe experience. Think it’s crazy?” the authors of the post ask.

Yes, here at American Alarm where home and family safety is our top priority, we think it borders on crazy and substantially increases the risk of fire damage or disaster.

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’Tis the Season for Giving and . . . Taking

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

’Tis the Season for Giving and . . . TakingAfter scouring the Internet for months you’ve finally scored that hot – not to mention super expensive – electronic gadget all the kids want this holiday season on Amazon. However, one look at your child’s face when he rips off the wrapping paper will make all your efforts worthwhile.

That is, if your package doesn’t get stolen before you even know it’s been delivered.

Here are some tips courtesy of the Boston Police Department to keep thieves from making off with the packages filled with the holiday goodies you buy online:

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Three Winter Heating Safety Tips

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

winter-heating-safety-tipsEven though you might be doing your best not to think about it, we’re in the trenches of autumn and even colder weather is right around the corner. For those of us living in New England, that means soon it will be time to turn up the thermostat and kick on the home heating system for the first time since the Spring.

Many homes across America are equipped with oil-burning furnaces or wood-burning stoves, each of which come with their own specific set of safety concerns that should be dealt with on a yearly basis. Let’s take a look at a three of the things you should keep in mind before firing things up this winter.

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The Dangers of a DIY Home Security System

/6 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

pros-and-cons-of-diy-home-security-systems

Some homeowners looking to install home security systems may be thinking about doing the job themselves to save money.

Although a do-it-yourself security system sounds great, installing your own security systems could compromise your family’s safety.

For one thing, if you’re not a security professional, you might very well install your alarm system incorrectly. Connect one small wire the wrong way and your family and your property won’t be protected.

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Home Fire System: Avoid Fall Fire Dangers

/2 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

House FireWe all know that installing smoke detectors in your home fire system is the number one way to prevent fatalities during a fire in your home. That’s why it’s critical to change the batteries in your smoke detector twice a year — at the same time you set your clocks to either “spring forward” or “fall back.”

This year daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3. So when you get ready to turn your clocks back an hour, remember to replace the batteries in your smoke detector — as well as your carbon monoxide detector. If you have a monitored fire alarm system make sure you call to have it tested at least once a year. American Alarm is one company that offers free annual wellness inspections to monitored residential customers for this purpose.

Here are a few less obvious steps you can take to reduce the risk of fire in your home.

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The Dangers of Cigarette Smoking at Home

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

cigarette smoking at homeNot too long ago we provided some tips on how to prevent smoking-related fires in your home after a Westfield, MA woman died in a fire caused by cigarette smoking near a home oxygen system. Even more recently, an off-duty police officer helped rescue an elderly woman from a blaze in Arlington, Massachusetts that was ignited when someone improperly extinguished a cigarette in a planter filled with mulch on the second-floor deck of a two-story home.

The woman — who was on oxygen —  lived on the first floor and after firefighters knocked down the fire, they removed at least five oxygen canisters in danger of exploding. The Arlington woman was very lucky. Every year nearly 1,000 people die in home fires started by cigarettes, according to the U.S. Fire Administration — and one in four of the people killed in those types of home fires was not the smoker whose cigarettes caused the blaze.

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