You Can Not Afford To Be Without An Alarm System

ou’ve just finished your selections for your new home. Framing is almost complete. Now it’s time for the plumber, the electrician, the HVAC mechanic, and the specialty people to begin work. You plan on having a home network so you and your better half can get more work done at home, distributed audio for those holiday parties, and he just had to have the state-of-the-art Home Theater... but did you forget anything?

What about an alarm system? You may say, “But we live in a gated community, with guards at the gate and on patrol. We don’t need it and we’re already over budget!”

You cannot afford to be without an alarm system. Let’s leave security out of the discussion for the moment.

Did you know that all new construction requires interconnected smoke detectors inside all bedrooms and adjoining hallways? Have you ever been woken up at 3 a.m. to the sound of SOMETHING beeping, and then found out after three sleepless nights it was your smoke detector’s low battery warning? Then the fun begins: dragging out a ladder (if you have one tall enough with those vault ceilings) to replace the batteries. Oh, and that’s if you have the batteries, otherwise, a trek to the store to get the right batteries.

If your smoke detectors were part of a hard-wired alarm system, you would never have to think about them again. Battery back-up (as required by code) is located in the control panel box, not each and every smoke detector. Never change a battery again!

Recently, some insurance carriers have required home owners and/or their builder to install temporary, monitored alarms during construction! An independent broker stated three such companies that are now requiring temporary monitored fire alarms are Chubb, AIG, and Fireman’s Group. This has sprung up due to fires on construction sites hitting an all-time high in the past year.

Budget! Don’t forget the budget!

Low voltage smoke detectors and the other miscellaneous parts needed to make the system work properly are very comparable in price when you have the quotes side-by-side. Just ask your electrician to break that portion out separately. Your prospective alarm company will be more than happy to do so.

Thinking towards the future, your insurance carrier may have a discount for installing a monitored smoke detection system, which will save you money on premiums for years to come.

In any case, call an alarm company that is recognized by state and/or national trade associations such as the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) or the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). If the company is a member of both or either, they are held to a higher standard and have better training opportunities than those that are not. Ask for references of homeowners and builders the company has worked for.

Home Security Acts as Customer’s First Line of Defense

A home security customer Julia Collier, experienced some of the most terrifying moments of her life on June 9, 2006 when a strange man forced his way into her home at 2:17 a.m. with unknown intentions.

Lewis awoke to the sound of beating on the front door which was quickly kicked in. With the alarm sounding, Julia locked herself in her upstairs bedroom and pressed the panic button on her alarm keypad.

At this time, the senior monitoring operator received the panic signals and upon reaching the answering machine at Collier’s home, immediately requested a dispatch from the Police Department.

Julia said she continued to hear a lot of commotion downstairs and was terrified as she waited for the police to arrive. Having no phone in her bedroom prevented her from calling the police on her own, but she knew her home security had made the call on her behalf.

Once the police arrived, they discovered the intruder dead on her floor. They promptly evacuated Collier from the home and investigated the body. There were no visible wounds, nor any evidence of a stroke or heart attack.

According to Julia, police later said the man had died of a drug overdose. She was also terrified to learn that the intruder had been released from prison two days prior to the break in.

For Julia Collier, her home security system truly was her first line of defense and her only link to calling for help in this very scary situation.