False Alarm Prevention
False alarms can be stressful and costly. The good news is that more than 80% of false alarms are preventable. First Alarm is your partner in reducing false alarms. Below are a few solutions that may reduce false alarms at your residence and place of business.
Residential False Alarm Solutions
Before activating your alarm system:
• Lock all protected doors and windows
• Educate alarm system users
• Contact First Alarm’s service department if you have any apprehension about your system.
• Be sure that any person who has keys to your property knows how to operate the system. This includes cleaning personnel, real estate agents, guests, relatives, babysitters, etc.
Contact First Alarm to:
• Check and service your system regularly
• Check your system after and/or before any remodeling, including replacing doors or windows; hanging drywall; sanding floors; installing attic flooring or basement ceiling; changing phone systems; installing intercoms, siding, ceiling fans or skylights; fumigating; installing wiring for cable or other electronics, or installing anything near the system control panel or keypads.
If you set off your alarm by accident:
1. Don’t panic. There is time for you to disarm your system by carefully entering your code. Do not write your code on your keypad.
2. Call the First Alarm Central Station at 1-888-818-1111. Give the First Alarm Central Station Dispatcher your Verbal Passcode number or word. Be sure to follow all procedures being provided to you by the Dispatcher.
3. Do not leave your home or business until you have spoken with a First Alarm dispatcher to make sure the alarm has been cancelled. We do not want to dispatch any Authorities un-necessarily as this may result in a false alarm fee.
Commercial False Alarm Solutions
• Be sure that all employees are thoroughly trained before they attempt to use the alarm system.
• Hold monthly / quarterly training sessions.
• Watch-out for holiday-related false alarms. Contact First Alarm if you are unsure if you need to provide us your holiday schedule. Remember every business recognizes different Holidays; First Alarm does not make assumptions.
• Look for items that can move within the “view” of your motion detectors, causing false alarms (fans, heaters, hanging signs, seasonal decorations, balloons, curtains, plants, etc.).
• Don’t change arming and disarming codes without advising the appropriate authorized user(s).
• Contact First Alarm if you are in need of more training.
• Contact First Alarm immediately if you believe your system is not working properly.