False Alarms

False Alarms Are A Serious Problem

When police are dispatched to the scene of a burglary, about 97% of cases turn ot to be false alarms. Authorities must determine the appropriate response to millions of alarms each year around the world. If most calls by police teams and fire emergency personnel are unwarranted, this represents a tremendous waste of public money.

False alarms are also a serious family or business problem. They lead to neighbors ignoring your alarm; and reluctance on your part to use your alarm makes your home, business or property vulnerable to theft or fire, and possibly uninsurable.

Recently, alarm owners have been challenged as municipalities now often levy fines for false alarms, or withhold response. In some places it's three times and you're out; or three times and you're required to take a two-hour false alarm prevention course before the city agrees to dispatch vital emergency services to your premise again.

By reviewing the tips below you should be able to avoid these difficulties:

1). Many false alarms (49%) are caused by forgotten arm/disarm codes. Memorize your keypad and security pass codes or create a system to help you remember them. But keep them secret from others. Avoid writing them down where they can be found. Avoid leaving them in an obvious place like the closest drawer to the keypad.

2). Ensure that each user of your system, including anyone with a key, knows their arm/disarm and security pass codes and is fully trained on how to use the system. They should also know where to quickly find the phone number of your monitoring station.

3). Ensure that all users fully understand the "Stay" and "Away" functions as described in the instruction manual. If you need a new instruction manual please visit our support area.

4). If you make a mistake when pressing the keys on your keypad, press the [#] key and start again.

5). If you accidentally set of the alarm, wait two to five minutes for the central monitoring station to call you. If they don't, the system may not be working correctly. You should therefore call the central monitoring station and report the incident, rather than simply re-arming the system and exiting. This will prevent system vulnerability, or prevent monitoring personnel from wrongfully dispatching emergency services.

6). If you do not have enough time to comfortably enter and exit within the pre-programmed delay periods, ask your alarm company to adjust them.

7). Other reasons to notify your alarm company: New employees or contractors, new pets, vacations, remodeling, fumigation, phone system changes, a decision to sell, or if you think your system isn't working properly or doesn't suit your security needs.

8). If motion detectors are installed and you purchase a pet, ask your alarm company whether pet-immune detectors have been installed. Do not leave helium-filled balloons behind in the premise. Make certain posters are well affixed to the walls and that plants or curtains cannot be blown by the wind.

9). Repair loose-fitting windows and doors and close them properly before arming the system.

10). Change the batteries in your system.

11). Test the system each month. Before the test, notify the central monitoring station.

12). Test any new user codes to ensure they function for arming and disarming.