Home Fire Safety: Some Smoke Alarms Go Off Too Late

/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Did you know there has been a dramatic reduction in fire fatalities and injuries over the last 30 years because more people use smoke alarms? These facts are according to the Underwriters Laboratories study, “Smoke Alarms and the Modern Residence Fire.”

In 1977 home fires caused 5,865 deaths and over 31,000 injuries. This was at a time when only 22% of homes had smoke alarms installed, according to information in the UL report.

In 2009, when over 95% of homes had smoke alarms, the annual death rate attributed to home fires dropped to 2,565, a 56% decline, and injuries dropped by more than 59%. The reduction in deaths during this time has not been entirely attributed to the increased use of smoke alarms, though it is considered a leading factor.

Research now shows that today people have less time to escape a home that’s on fire than they did 30 years ago. That’s because manufacturers of home furnishings have shifted from using natural materials like wood, cotton and wool to synthetic materials like polyurethane foam for padding and synthetic fabric covers that typically ignite more quickly.

These synthetic materials also burn more intensely, release their fire-enabled energy faster, and create more smoke than natural materials. We’ve seen how effective smoke alarms can be in warning occupants of fires but now they have to work even harder to get the job done.

Currently, there are two types of smoke detection technologies available for residential smoke alarms: ionization smoke detection, which is generally more responsive to fires with fast-moving flames, and photoelectric smoke detection, which is usually more responsive to smoldering fires.

The most common type of smoke detectors, the ones based on ionization technology, may not protect your family in a fire, according to a video segment  on the TODAY show by National Investigative Correspondent Jeff Rossen. While they work well to detect fires with fast-moving flames, experts say some of the most deadly fires are the smoldering, smoky kind that can fill your home with toxic gases while you sleep.

In those fires, ionization alarms don’t work well, going off way too late – or not going off at all, Rossen notes. “And that means the individuals could have a fire in their home and never receive a warning,” Don Russell, an engineering professor at Texas A&M who’s run hundreds of tests, tells Rossen. Photoelectric is the way to go in those situations.

For the best protection, the National Fire Protection Association recommends you use both ionization and photoelectric alarms, or an alarm that includes both technologies in a single device, called a dual alarm. New smoke detection technologies are also being developed so manufacturers can produce smoke alarms that react more effectively to fires in today’s homes.

Additionally a home fire alarm system with central station monitoring offers another layer of protection.

The NFPA standard requires that alarm monitoring companies verify within 90 seconds if actual incidents are occurring before they can alert 9-1-1. American Alarm’s average response time is 21 seconds, saving valuable time that can mean protecting your home and family.

From September 1 to September 30, 2012, Underwriters Laboratories sampled approximately 1,000 fire alarm system monitoring accounts. In that month, they received over 68,000 signals, including fire alarm, supervisory, trouble, and test signals.

Of the signals handled by central station operators, only 3.4% required action, and only 0.15% resulted in fire dispatch.

Whether you’re asleep, away from home, or in your home, our 24-Hour Security Command Center is always available, monitoring smoke detectors to respond and send help when it’s needed most.

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What to Do After a Break-In Occurs at Your Home

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

A break-in is one of a homeowner’s worst nightmares. Arriving home to find your belongings strewn across the floor and your valuables missing can leave you feeling afraid and angry. It shatters your sense of security. Also, it might take a long time – if at all – before you ever feel safe in your home again.

As we mention in our previous post, “10 Tips to Prevent Home Break-Ins,” 73.9% of the 2,159,878 burglaries committed in 2010 were residential property burglaries, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While the first line of defense is prevention, not every break-in is avoidable. That’s why you should have a plan in place in case one does occur. If you are the victim of a home break-in, you’ll probably go into shock and be unable to make clear decisions. Having a plan at hand can help you and your family members through this frightening time. Read more →

10 Tips to Help Prevent Home Break-Ins

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Take a look at recent police incident reports. Including ones right in your town. They are featured on the Police and Fire Logs posted in many places including Patch.com. You’ll see many reports of home break-ins.

In just one week, police in Easton, MA received calls about an individual who broke into a garage and stole a wallet from a vehicle as well as another thief who broke into a house and stole a video game system. In late August, three separate break-ins were reported, two occurred in the afternoon and the third in the early evening.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2010 there were approximately 2,159,878 burglaries – 60.5% of those burglaries involved forcible entry. Residential property burglaries accounted for 73.9% of all offenses. Read more →

Top Five Fire Safety Tips for the Home

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

October 7th marks the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. What better way to honor that week then to remind homeowners about the top ways to prevent fires. Below is a video blog (and transcript) on the top five fire safety tips for your home.

1. Cook Safely. Don’t leave your range unattended. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, cooking is the leading cause of reported home fires. It’s caused almost half of them since 1990. Most of those were due to unattended cooking. About 15% of these fires originated in ovens but most came from ranges. The solution is simple enough – as US News & World Reports puts it: stand by your pan.

2. Heat Safely. The second biggest fire threat is from home heating systems. Check wood stoves for cracks or anything that might compromise a hinge or leg. Don’t burn trash. It will build residue on your chimney, which along with your furnace, needs a professional cleaning at least once a
year.

Also, any item that can burn needs to be at least a few feet away from heating equipment, especially troublesome accessories like space heaters. Space heaters are generally more dangerous than central heaters and send 6,000 Americans to the hospital every year.

Read more →

Top 5 Ways To Avoid False Alarms

/1 Comment/by American Alarm Blogging Team

False alarms are the bane of the security system industry. Not only do false alarms eat up police and fire resources, but they can also mean significant municipal fines for home and business owners who find themselves dealing with fire and burglar alarm systems that are frequently tripped by accident.

Let’s take a look at the top five ways you can avoid a false alarm at home or at work.

1) Education. It’s critical to ensure that everyone in your home, or every employee at your place of business, is fully trained in how to arm, disarm, and otherwise operate your security and fire systems. The most common type of false alarm occurs when someone forgets that the system is armed when he enters a building, or can’t remember his access code. It’s also important that everyone involved knows how to contact the alarm system provider, if necessary, in order to deal with a malfunctioning system.

2) Repairs and Maintenance. A broken window sensor, an old smoke detector, a ragged wire attached to a door sensor – these are all easy-to-repair items that can be responsible for triggering a false alarm at the central monitoring station if they’re not fixed. If you don’t feel like you have the expertise required to take care of a suspected problem, then contact your installer as soon as possible so that a technician can be dispatched and the issue corrected. Keeping smoke detectors and motion sensors clean from dust and other gunk is also critical.

3) Testing. Does your home security system provider offer timer testing to ensure that communication between the central monitoring facility and your location is working properly? Has your fire alarm system been properly tested, on schedule, according to local and national regulations? Simple tests performed on a regular basis can help identify any potential problems with equipment before they trigger false alarms.

4) Plan for Pets.  It happens on a regular basis: a homeowner has an alarm system installed, and then later on brings a new dog or cat home only to have the animal trip the motion sensors and cause a false alarm. Make sure to upgrade your motion sensors to pet-friendly units so you can avoid having this happen to you.

5) Have More Than One Method For Deactivating The System. Did your home security system come with a remote control? Do you know where it is? Does your business alarm system offer a mobile app? Have you installed it and been shown how to use it? Take advantage of your system’s multiple access points and use them as fallbacks should you, a family member, or an employee have trouble deactivating a false alarm from the primary keypad.

Owning a Guard Dog Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Need a Security System

/2 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

It’s common that one hears when discussing burglar alarm systems at a party or in a group of friends: Why do I need an alarm when I already have a dog?

While it is true that a guard dog does offer a certain degree of protection against thieves for a home or business, it’s far from the most effective method of keeping one’s family and property safe. In fact, guard dogs should be considered merely one facet of a comprehensive security strategy.

Guard dogs are prized due to their ability to intimidate potential intruders with loud barking and snarling – clear indications to “stay away” that some people feel will deter even the most professional of thieves and send them toward a softer target. Those in the home security system business, however, are well aware of the shortcomings of relying exclusively on guard dogs.

Dogs can be distracted in a number of ways – loud sounds, food, other animals – and that means that they can have their attention pulled away long enough for someone to break into your property. Check out this funny ad that emphasizes this point.

It’s also possible, in worst case scenarios, for dogs to be poisoned by food that has been laced with something toxic, or to even be attacked when they surprise individuals who are armed and intent on robbing your home or business. There’s also the difficulty of keeping dogs fed and sheltered while you’re away on vacation, which is one of the most common times for a home to be hit by burglars.

These caveats make it clear that while guard dogs do offer a real benefit when it comes to protecting property, they must be combined with a properly-installed business alarm system or home alarm system in order to provide total peace of mind.

Knowing that if a burglar gets past your guard dog he’ll still have to deal with the unblinking eye of your security system. That means not having to worry about whether your faithful animal has been outsmarted or harmed in the middle of the night.

It also means that when you’re away you can enjoy far greater protection for your home or business, including remote monitoring of your system’s status and the ability to communicate with you almost instantly via a text message or phone call in the event of a break-in – something that simply isn’t possible when relying on a guard dog.

Licensed Security Specialists vs. National Utility Security Divisions – A Comparison

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Going with the “big guys” when it comes to home security systems and business burglar alarm systems definitely has a certain appeal.

After all, having the name of a major utility on the warning label affixed to your front door, alerting potential thieves that you have an alarm installed, can sometimes add peace of mind to the equation. The real question is: What trade-offs are associated with choosing an alarm provider that doesn’t make security its number one business focus?

Mega-utilities are definitely prepared to cover the basics when it comes to offering home and business security packages. The deep pockets of nationwide companies ensure a reasonable investment in technology and service, similar to what you’d receive from your cable or mobile phone provider. Pricing is also usually competitive. These large companies offer several different packages that are targeted to the needs of the average family or organization. Read more →

Home Security Tip: Shut the Door on Security Alarm Scams

/3 Comments/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Door-to-door salespeople aren’t as common as they used to be.

Before you breathe a sigh of relief, you should be aware of an apparent door-to-door scam that plagued New Yorkers recently. Security alarm customers got knocks on their doors followed by allegedly false sales pitches.

Here’s how it went down, according to the Gannet news service. A sales operative approaches the potential customer and says, “Your company’s going out of business why don’t you switch over to us?” or “Your company’s merging with us.”

According to the New York AG’s office, people who signed up wound up with two different accounts and no easy way to close either.

Eventually the company alleged to have committed these offenses did pay compensation to the victims. But all of them would have been better off if they’d looked into the claims before signing. You should be immediately suspicious of any unexpected visit from someone claiming to be with your alarm company or a related company. A respectable alarm company won’t engage in a deceptive door-to-door campaign.

You can always politely decline the encounter and contact your security provider to report the solicitation. If you don’t already have an alarm company, it’s probably still not a good idea to purchase from a door knocker. In all likelihood, they don’t even represent a local, full-service security firm.

Now, if you want to know more about the New York switch scam, click the video description. We’ve provided a link.

Keep Your Home and Family Safe this Summer – What You Should Insist Your Security Company Provide

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

Ah, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Fun in the sun. Carefree attitudes. Barbecues, beach days, pool parties. Sounds fantastic, right?

Of course. But sometimes while you’re reveling in all that carefree summer living, you might not pay as much attention to home security as you should.

For example, you’re more likely to leave all your doors and windows open in the summer – even when you go out. But remember most break-ins occur because of negligence, so securing your home is of the utmost importance.

The fact is you always want your family to be safe and one way to ensure their safety is by turning to a top-notch security company to install an alarm system in your home.

Here are some things to look for when you choose a home security company:

  • Speak to a Person, Not a Recording. When your home and family are in danger, every second counts. So be sure that whenever you need help – or just have a routine question – your security company has a real person answering your call. You don’t want to have to deal with navigating a complicated, automated voice system when you need help immediately.
  • No Alarm Delays. When an alarm sounds on your security system there must be no delay in transmission to the monitoring station. Your system should instantly send an alarm to the central station no matter if it’s an intrusion, smoke, carbon monoxide, or any trouble signal. Some companies delay transmitting their alarm signals by as much as four minutes because their systems are prone to false alarms.
  • Local Five-Diamond, U.L. Monitoring Center. Your home should be monitored 24-7 by a local Five-Diamond, U.L. Certified Central Station. That means your company’s central station has multiple back-up systems and can operate under any condition and the company’s team is among the best in the business. Your security company should be owned and operated by people who live in New England, not a third-party in some faraway state. And it should be staffed by experienced people who know your community, and can document how quickly they respond to alarm signals – 20 seconds or less is best-in-class.
  • Free Yearly Wellness Inspection. Your company should offer you peace of mind by letting you know that your security system will work when you need it most. Your company should clean smoke detectors, check back-up batteries, and inspect the system for signs of wear.
  • Experience and Advanced Technology. The top security companies employ veteran in-house experts who are able to install the most up-to-date devices and applications that best meet your needs.
  • Service in 24 Hours or Less. Your security company must ensure that your system is working every second of every day. But if you have an issue, your company should guarantee it will have a tech to your home as soon as possible but no longer than 24 hours after it receives your call.
  • Lifetime Warranty. Your security company should stand behind every security system it installs. If there’s a technical defect, the company should fix it at no cost to you as part of your monitoring service.

So get out in the sun and have fun. But don’t forget to take the steps necessary to protect your home and your family this summer season and throughout the year.

Mobile Security System Apps Offer Remote Peace of Mind

/by American Alarm Blogging Team

It’s become a common refrain among smartphone users: “There’s an app for that.”

Modern home and business security systems are at the forefront of mobile app accessibility, enabling individuals to monitor the statuses of those systems from a distance as well as interact with their alarm systems should the need arise. Thanks to mobile app technology such as the Z-Wave digital monitoring system offered by American Alarm, there are a long list of available features that let individuals stay in touch with their security systems as long as they have cell signals.

Read more →