spokane security

 What is security: Keeping my kids safe

North Texas resident Kristine Soto started using Monitronics long before she had children, but their arrival has given new purpose to her monitored alarm system. We asked her to explain what security means to her now. These are her words.

“When we moved into our house, it already had an alarm system in place, and we chose to use Monitronics to monitor it about five years ago, almost six. We really haven’t had any problem. When I leave a window open they are quick to call!

“But that was before we had children. What is important to me is keeping my family safe from predators and burglars. I have two boys who are four and three and they’re not old enough to say no to somebody if that person comes up with candy or special treats. They don’t really know the whole ‘say no to strangers’ thing. We don’t want anybody walking into our house and the alarm keeps that from happening.

Another big concern is fire. The kids are interested in matches now because they’ve seen me light the candle and seen me put the matches away. I have had to move them from the drawer where I kept them, but what if they found the matches and took them upstairs and were playing with them? This is why it’s so important to us that our smoke detectors are monitored. It just doesn’t take long for kids to figure things out. Our alarm system keeps us safe in a lot of ways.“

Protect what matters most!

 

 You never know what the future holds, but many emergencies and crimes can be easily prevented with just a little preparation. Incorporate these three simple safety tips into your normal routine to make 2010 a year of safety and prosperity for you and your family!

 Break out the champagne! We’re delighted to announce that our central station has been awarded the prestigious Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) “CSAA Five Diamond Certification” for the fifth year in a row. Fewer than 100 central stations have achieved this honor out of about 2,700 nationwide. What an honor!

For customers, this matters because this certification means that 100 percent of Monitronics‘ central station operators have achieved proficiency and certification by passing the CSAA Central Station On-Line Operator Training Course. That course gives operators the essential tools to communicate effectively with customers, law enforcement, fire, and emergency services centers. This distinguishesMonitronics as one of the best in the industry.

Five-diamond companies like Monitronics have also demonstrated an exceptionally high degree of responsibility to their local community and their customers through the investment of time, money, and commitment to 100 percent quality operator training.

The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) is a 60 year-old non-profit trade association that represents the major burglar and fire alarm central monitoring stations. CSAA is located in Vienna, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.

About 7 million households are in gated communities—that’s about 6% of the total in the U.S. About 4 million of those 7 live with restricted access through gates, entry codes, key cards or security guards.

But there’s a basic question there that needs examining: Do those gates add protection and security for homes inside? Do they really keep the bad guys out? Or are we living under the false illusion of security?

The general answer is yes—there is less crime in gated neighborhoods for several reasons. First, there’s usually a stronger sense of community there because they are geographically unified, often have area associations, and have better pedestrian traffic because of the lack of through-traffic. Second, those security guards and restricted access may actually, well, restrict access.

But the truth is that the crime rate is not as low as many of the builders of those gated communities would have you believe. The city of Miami reports that “some forms of crime such as car theft are reduced, at least immediately after the streets are closed. However, data indicates that the long-term crime rate is at best only marginally altered.”

But one type of crime goes down and stays down in gated communities: crimes against the person. This seems to occur because criminals want easier escape.

So what’s the verdict? Mixed. There are lots of pros and cons to a gated community, but don’t let it fool you into complacent behavior, like not locking the door or setting your monitored home security system.

Of course, no matter your neighborhood, one of the best things you can do it start a neighborhood crime watch (read more about that here). So take care and think safety, no matter where you live.

 It’s jarring, to say the least, when an alarm system goes off. The sirens, the panicky feeling, the sense of urgency. So what DO you do?

First, is it a false alarm? Did you set it off by opening a window or walking past a motion sensor? If that’s the case, walk to your panel and disarm the system. Anytime your alarm sounds, you have 30 seconds to do this–if you cancel the alarm in that time, it is not considered an emergency and you may not receive a call from the Monitronics monitoring center.  Do not disarm if there is a genuine emergency.

Here’s what to do in other situations:

Fire: Get out of your house as quickly as possible. We are going to dispatch the fire department when we get the alarm.

Medical emergency: When you receive a call from the Monitronics monitoring center, we will dispatch the emergency services and stay on the line with you until an ambulance arrives. Our average response time in 2009 was 22.1 seconds, so we’ll be calling or coming over your two-way voice panel quickly.

Burglary: Assess the situation. If you can leave the house, get out and call 911. You can also press the panic button on the alarm and we will dispatch the police immediately.

Carbon monoxide alarm: Leave the premise immediately we will dispatch the fire department.

Home invasion: Press the silent panic button on the alarm panel if you are able. Otherwise, cooperate with the intruder until the responding authorities arrive.

 One of the most gratifying parts of working at Monitronics is the stories of tragedies prevented. This week, we had just such an event that I want to share. Because of ourmonitored smoke protection, a near-fire was averted in a customer’s home, something that could have destroyed her home and killed her five beloved cats.

On Monday around 2 p.m., a fire alarm came into our Monitoring Station from the Shelly Kitchen residence in Fresno, California. Our second-shift operator Francisco Galicia responded by calling the Kitchen residence, but got no response. He dispatched the Fresno County Fire Department immediately.  They arrived and found the dishwasher was the cause; a plastic part had fallen on the the heating element, which was smoldering and would have caught on fire.

Later on Monday, Mrs. Kitchen called our Customer Service department in tears to thank us for saving her home and her cats. She had cancelled her service at one point, but came back to Monitronics to ensure that her pets would be safe when she traveled.

“It’s so important for me to have control over my house and the monitored protection gives that to me,” she said. “I’m so happy with Monitronics. I want to express my gratitude for saving our home and our cats with such fast response Monday.”

 The most common reasons people don’t get a security system is NOT that they don’t want or need one! Most people I talk to think it is a great idea. There are two reasons people don’t buy a security system. 1. They think it is too expensive. and 2 they think they are complicated or difficult to use. On the contrary, with the newest technology a home security system is both affordable, and simple to use. Home and business security systems start at $0 installed, yes that means free! All we ask is that you sign up for a monitoring agreement starting at just $31.99 per month, kinda like a cell phone you get for free if you sign a contract. And our new systems come with a bright full feature display with automated voice assistance, and touch screen systems are also available. Through the end of June we are also throwing in a free keychain remote and taking 30% off all additional equipment! So tell me, why wouldn’t you protect your home, family, and business with a Security system?

      I’m sure you’ve heard the advertisements and salesmen telling people that their system is better because… The big item differences are wired sensors vs wireless, and using a phone line vs cellular. I started in this industry before there was a wireless sensor, or a cellular signal and I have seen the industry change dramatically due to these options. 

     When wireless sensors first came out they were big bulky and you had to change the batteries every 6 months. They were not reliable and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. Today they are much smaller, they are slim with batteries that last 3+ years and they are supervised. The reliability is virtually identical to a wired sensor, I have both in my house. The wired sensor still has a few advantages. They are nearly invisible if installed correctly, and there aren’t any batteries to replace. That being said, there is no security advantages to either, we usually install the wired sensors unless it is more practical to install the wireless.

     As far as phone line vs cellular I am a big fan of the cellular option for many reasons. First for security reasons, a phone line can sometimes be cut from outside the home to prevent the signal from going through, but the cellular is inside the home secured by the alarm. Price is also a big advantage, a phone line can cost anywhere from $25 to $60 per month. The cellular option only ads $8 to your monitoring bill and you can cancel your home phone line and save enough to pay for your whole monitoring bill, and even pocket a little if you’re lucky.

     I hope this helps, and if you have any questions please feel free to give us a call. Protect your home or business today!