Medical Monitoring

One aspect of the alarm industry that is routionely overlooked is it's applicability to senior care.  You've heard it said a hundred times that people are living longer and healthier lives.  Senior Citizen apartments, Senior housing and various levels of nursing care have opened up to become a thriving industry, even bulging at the proverbial seams.  There are companies who specialize at "in home" nursing care, visiting nurses and even public programs whereby a mini doctors office can roll in and treat patients in home. 
Medical monitoring is another level of senior care whereby an elderly person might maintain a significant level of independence, living in their own home with an emergency call button for instant communication to friends and loved ones, should an emergency arise.  People become confused sometimes, thinking that the "panic button" automatically calls medical response or a fire department.  Actually, the person wearing the device chooses whom to notify in case of an alarm. 
These medical pendants can be used in conjunction with other senior services for even more freedom and independence.  In cases where there is a chronic disorder and regular nursing care is necessary, a medical pendant might be programmed to call both this service provider and a friend.  Having a medical emergency can be a very lonely experience.  Calling a friend can be comforting, while waiting for medical response.
Most medical alert appliances are equipped to handle two way voice communication.  This is also comforting to a person who is suffering.
During these difficult economic times, when homes are difficult to sell and sell for less than their value, it may be impractical to move an elderly person into a nursing care facility.  It is hard to count on the revenue from the sale of a home to last very long when used to pay for senior living facilities. 
If this is a service you may look into, I suggest finding a company that uses a monitoring facility that specializes in medical monitoring.  The system will likely be a rental or lease arrangement, with rates between $30 and $50 per month.  Many alarm companies offer this type of service.  It is preferable that some one from that provider come to the home where it will be installed to properly evaluate the situation.  A reputable company will also let you know if the situation requires more care than a medical pendant and emergency communication device can afford.  Contact me about this if you wish.  I know a guy...

Choosing Your Knight Protector

In the alarm industry there are just a few manufacturers of alarm equipment that all of the hundreds of alarm companies use, so the equipment from one company to the next is pretty much the same. Monitoring facilities of reputable companies should be listed or rated by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Any low voltage electrician should be able to run wires or program a wireless alarm, as there is really no secret there. The real difference comes in sales and service. Sales people should be adequately trained, not only in the art of “closing” the sale, but how to best protect a business or family based on individual, specific threats and anxieties. Service should be prompt. Call backs should be timely and service calls should be few and far between.

Another place where you find disparity between companies is their purchase policy. Some companies only lease equipment, requiring contracts that state that you will never own the equipment.  Other companies will sell the equipment to you and still require a contract for monitoring.  Then there are companies that charge the fair installation price for the equipment and will monitor your system on a month to month basis.  Pay as you go or pay to play, whatever you call it.  The latter method ensures that you will get prompt service.  It is logical that if a company fails to perform, you should be allowed to fire them without penalty.
 
In closing, I urge caution when dealing with companies who have as many attorneys working for their collections department as they have sales people working in their sales department.

System Take Overs

One of the first things folks do as they move into a new home is change out their locks on the doors, which is absolutely the right thing to do. Unfortunately, security planning often stops right there. Many new homes are constructed and pre-wired for basic security system installation, with wires running to at least the doors, a keypad location and a motion detector location. There’s no real secret to where the devices will eventually be installed. There is also little difference in the equipment from one manufacturer to another, with the exception coming when wireless devices are required to be installed.




Here is the real meat of this entry. Just because an alarm company puts a sticker or embosses a logo on the system does not necessarily mean that there is anything proprietary about it. Every system installation requires an installer code which can cause minor difficulty for a subsequent monitoring facility. In this case the system has to be manually reset, but still shouldn’t require any substantial investment.



It is a good idea to get the code to any existing system from the previous owner of the property, though you should not be required to use the same monitoring service as they, even if the equipment has been marked or branded. Practically speaking, even of the branding company has a right to the equipment, it is not likely they will spend resources to come and retrieve the system components. Second, nothing says that they have to be granted access by the new owner of the home.

Start Fire Training Early

Did you know that many times, children do not wake up for a smoke alarm and unless they are taught what to do if they hear it, they tend to hide, rather than run or crawl to safety? It is never too early to begin this training and it is good to quiz them regularly. Recently I was grilling my own children on what to do in case of fire. My six year old daughter correctly informed me that when we hear the smoke alarm, we meet on the neighbor’s porch. I was proud. I asked my four year old son what we have to do if our clothes catch on fire at which he looked down at what he was wearing and responded “we have to buy new Mr. Incredibles jammies.” Pride goes before a fall.




This time of the year, in cold weather like we are having, the reports of fire related injury and death always rise. Fire is our tool to keep us warm and cook our food and dry our clothes but it can turn tragic very quickly. Of course a quality alarm system can minimize the damages and loss from such tragic occurrences, by quickly reporting to fire and EMS. Standard smoke detectors do not call the authorities, and in most cases, can’t even be heard by the neighbor. Some guidelines to think about when deploying smoke detection devices follow as well as other fire safety tips.



1. Test smoke detectors monthly. There should be at least one on every level of the home.

2. Have the family run the evacuation plan, even blindfolded. Understand that thick, black smoke can make it impossible to see your way out.

3. Teach them to crawl low to the ground to stay clear of unbreathable hot air.

4. Make sure children know not to hide from fire-fighters.

5. Teach them to stop, drop and roll if their clothing is on fire.

6. Change the batteries in all smoke detectors at least every year.

7. Replace smoke detectors that are more then ten years old or according to manufacturer recommendations.



For more information and to find kids coloring pages on fire safety, visit www.usfa.fema.gov, and for assistance in planning your fire safety strategy call ADT at (248) 629-3175 because “Your Safety Matters.”


Of course all opinions and suggestions manumitted here are subject to your own better idea. I'm not proud.

Before You Spend A Dime on Security

Most of us feel like burglary is never going to happen to us.  We may have been in the neighborhood for years and know our neighbors intimately.  There may be a watch program and the police patrol on a regular basis.  We have the right to feel safe in our own neighborhood.  Naturally, people that feel this way are reluctant to spend money on an alarm system.  Another monthly bill is the bane of a family budget.  So here are some tips that can bolster your security and make your home a less desireable target for intruders.

• Don’t leave tools or ladders lying around your yard since impulse burglars can use them to gain access to your home

• Make sure all exterior door hinges are on the inside

• Lock garage doors and sliding glass doors every night and whenever you are away from home

• Don’t hide keys outside your home, such as in your mailbox, under doormats or above doorways. Burglars usually know the hiding spots

• Don’t leave notes for family or friends outside your home

Two or three times per year you should look at your home from the perspective of a burglar.  Pretend you are locked out and then decide how you would get in if you had to.  Most of us don't think like criminals, and not all criminals think the same way.  These are just a few tips you'd find scouring the net.  Check out the National Security Agency websites for additional content on this subject and others.
 


Of course all opinions and suggestions manumitted here are subject to your own better idea. I'm not proud.

What's The Use of a Motion Detector?

A Motion detector's primary application is as an interior trap; a catch all, if you will.  Back in the day, conventional wisdom said that a motion detector was all you needed.  The logic was that anything that moved inside the house would cause the authorities to come running.

In many cases this turned out to be a terrible inconvenience after a birthday party when a mylar balloon would go bobbing by when the furnace kicked on, or when the family pet went wandering in the middle of the night.  Maybe it is better to be safe than sorry, but having the police kick down the door in the middle of the night because a curtain moved could be inconvenient.   What about those midnight snack attacks?

Most Motion Detection Devices (also abbreviated PIR for Photo Infra Red) today are designed to discriminate between a person and other unidentified moving objects or smaller animals.  They do this by looking for heat and motion.  Still, to rely too much on motion detection is a mistake in most cases for the following and other reasons...

1. Their ability to distinguish the mortifying from the mundane is limited.  Hard wired sensors can ignore up to approximately 80Lbs, and wireless up to about 40Lbs, without getting into some very high tech, very expensive equipment.  Sometimes even a smaller pet can set off a motion detector depending on their activity, relative distance from the device and general position like going up stairs.
2. Deployed and programmed properly, the motion detectors are only reporting intrusion when the system is in an "away" mode- meaning that no one should be in the location.  When occupied, only perimeter protection would be reporting intrusion.  They don't protect you when you are home.
3. Motion detectors can give false alarms due to any number of failure modes, such as dirty lenses, low batteries, not to mention opperator error.

Still, what a great device!  Just a couple of well placed motion sensors can protect a warehouse or abandonned property.  Also, as many families have two wage earners, many homes are empty during the day.  Statistics show that most burglaries happen during the day.  As a back-up device, motion detectors cover a lot of area with just one sensor.  Many times you will see them in main hallways or centrally located, so that even if some type of spy were to dangle through the ceiling to rob your house, he wouldn't get too far before the motion sensor would sound the alarm. 

It's not a bad alternative if you hate to spend a lot of money to protect each individual opening in the home or office or barn or warehouse or...you get the picture.

Of course all opinions and suggestions manumitted here are subject to your own better idea. I'm not proud.