Have household burglar alarm drills
You have probably participated in a fire drill at some point in your life. Fire drills are intended to familiarize people with the sights and sounds of alarm equipment and to reinforce what needs to be done if a fire alarm sounds.
We recommend that residential alarm customers participate in a few burglar alarm drills. It’s important that you and any roommates, spouses, children and other family members know what to do and expect during an alarm.
Burglar alarms, by nature, are loud. If you are suddenly woken in the middle of the night by your alarm, the sudden noise can sometimes produce a mild panic. What do you do? Where do you go? Is everyone okay?
You should prepare for the worst scenario – assume that the alarm will suddenly sound in the middle of the night while everyone is sleeping and with no immediate explanation. Begin by forming a plan that, at a minimum, defines the following:
Who will take care of the alarm system?
This includes determining the reason for the alarm sounding and disarming the system. Depending on the cause of the alarm, you may want to allow the siren to continue to sound for an indefinite amount of time in order to encourage any intruders to leave the area.
False alarms can be caused by doors blowing open, malfunctioning sensors, animals knocking over items and so on. If you are not immediately able to determine that it is a false alarm, you will likely want to contact the police and/or investigate the cause of the alarm.
Your safety may depend on this decision so it should not be taken lightly. Consider keeping a dedicated flashlight near the alarm keypad or in a bedroom nightstand. We recommend the Streamlight Stinger series. A bright flashlight will allow you to investigate a nighttime alarm and can give you an advantage over an intruder.
Who will talk to the central station?
Ideally this will not be the person investigating the cause of the alarm. Someone needs to take the phone call from the central station following an alarm so that they can contact the police on your behalf if necessary.
If someone else is investigating the cause of the alarm, consider having some type of communication between parties so that the person speaking to the central station can advise them to dispatch the authorities or disregard the alarm.
What will any children do during the alarm?
You may want them hide under their bed or in their closet when they hear the alarm and remain there until a parent comes to get them. The sound of the siren can frighten children so their natural instinct may be to run and find a parent. Running through the home, however, means that they may encounter an intruder along the way. You may decide that they are safer if they remain hidden and let them know that a parent is coming to get them if the alarm sounds.
One you have formed your plan you should communicate it with everyone in the household. It’s important that everyone knows what role they will play during an alarm. It is easy to forget what you are supposed to do if you are suddenly woken up to a siren – this is why it’s important to review the plan periodically.
Alarm systems from Westechs are designed to protect you, your property, your family and your employees.
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