People often ask me whether a burglar or fire alarm system is worth installing. During my career in law enforcement and private security, I have responded to hundreds of alarm activations. As of this writing, four of them were the result of criminal activity. I have also responded to a fire alarm where we found a small fire the occupant didn't know about, and to several fire alarms set off by overcooked food. Even though real emergencies are a small fraction of alarm activations, I still recommend having a system installed. An alarm system gives you peace of mind in several situations. Here are a few of my favorites.
Coming home to an open door can send your mind racing. Why is that door open? How long has it been open? Did someone break into my house? Is someone still inside? Is my family safe? Are my pets safe? These are just some of the questions you might ask yourself.
With an alarm, you would know the door was closed when you armed the system. If the door had been open when you tried to arm it, the system would have told you the home was not secure, so you could close the door and then arm the alarm. If the door was closed enough to arm the alarm but not properly latched, and was later opened by a burglar, or by something innocent like a gust of wind or an animal, you would be notified. You would know exactly when the door was opened, and it could be checked by whoever you've asked your alarm company to contact: the police, security, yourself, a family member or a trusted friend.
You may have great neighbors who watch over your house and would call you or the police if they saw something suspicious, but can they see the back doors and windows? When police patrol your neighborhood, can they see the back of your house? If you have a long driveway, can your house be seen from the street at all? When you depend on others to notice suspicious activity and call for help, a criminal has plenty of opportunity to work unnoticed, and a fire has time to do devastating damage. A working alarm system can be your ever-present sentinel, ready to detect trouble and alert responders.
If a criminal breaks into your home, a working alarm does two main things. The first, alerting responders, is described above. The second is limiting how long the criminal spends in your home. Criminals don't want to get caught, and burglars try to go unnoticed. An activated alarm makes a lot of noise. When burglars hear the siren, they know their time is limited. They have to assume someone has been notified, or that a neighbor will come to check on the noise.
Burglars may leave immediately without entering the house, or go in and spend only a very short time inside. If they stay for any length of time, they risk being seen by someone who can describe them, or being caught by responders. In the four criminal alarm activations I mentioned above, the burglar was gone before anyone arrived to investigate. Burglars who enter a home without a working, armed alarm don't worry about leaving quickly. Victims without an alarm often come home to find many items missing and a huge mess, left by burglars who opened drawers, rifled through closets and overturned mattresses looking for valuables.
If you already have a working alarm system, call your insurance agent or the company that carries your homeowner's insurance. Many insurance companies offer a discount on your policy, because early detection of fires and burglaries lowers the risk of loss. That discount helps offset the cost of installing and monitoring your alarm system.
I think these benefits provide enough peace of mind to justify the investment. If you are thinking about installing an alarm system, talk to several companies. Ask your neighbors, friends and family about their experiences with their alarm systems, and choose a company you are comfortable with. Your alarm company is a trusted partner in securing your home.
By Kris Quinby
