Preventing Holiday Fires

The Christmas holidays, and winter itself, are peak times for house fires to occur. The NFPA reports that 30% of all house fires happen in the months of December, January, and February.

It is important to stay vigilant, take proper precautions, and be mindful of all the different things that can cause fires this time of year - Christmas trees and lights, candles, space heaters and fireplaces.

Facts about home holiday fires:

• One of every four home Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems.
• Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious. On average, one of every 32 reported home Christmas tree fires results in a death compared to an average of one death per 143 total reported home fires.
• A heat source too close to the tree causes one in every four Christmas tree fires.
• The top three days for home candle fires are Christmas, New Year's Day, and Christmas Eve.
• Candles start two out of five home decoration structure fires.

Source: National Fire Protection Association

To learn more facts about holiday fires and how to prevent them, view the following infographics:  Put a Freeze on Holiday Winter Fires by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and Wrapping up the Holidays - Preventing Winter Fires by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI).

You can also read our previous blog posts on holiday fires: Don't Let Your Christmas Tree Go Up in Flames! and Let Us Help Protect Your Family from Holiday Fires.

Know What's Happening When You Aren't There

Having a camera system installed in or outside of your home is a great idea but it can't protect you in real time. If you are robbed, all you can do is review the recorded footage in the hopes something was caught that the police can use. 

Our smart camera systems send you alerts so that you can ACT to protect your home. Enjoy instant, real-time video in or outside of your home at anytime and from anywhere. Built-in motion sensors record automatically as well as alerting your smart phone. In an alarm event, your home's cameras begin recording automatically, ensuring that you won't miss vital footage.

What Makes Our Cameras Better? 

Our wireless indoor and outdoor cameras let you see what's happening in HD resolution, with our newest cameras offering 1080p. Use your fingertips on your smartphone or tablet to zoom in for a close-up view. 

Our indoor cameras now also provide two-way audio, allowing you to check in and chat with your loved ones when you're away from home. 

When something goes bump in the night, our cameras' infrared night vision makes it easy to see what's going on. 

We also have smart video doorbells! 

When someone rings the bell, a live video feed opens on your smart phone showing you who's there in real time. Have a two-way conversation with your visitor via a connected microphone and speaker in the doorbell. 

Want to let them in? Unlock your door from the same app - whether you're home or not. Motion-triggered video alerts will also let you know if someone is moving around your front door whether they ring the bell or not…a great way to catch lurking thieves thinking of breaking in or stealing anything. 

Video Is Easily Viewed and Shared 

Using the same app that controls your security system, you can easily share your video clips via message, email, and even social media. 

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Call us at (225) 292-5276, visit us at alarm.net to learn more, or stop by the office - on the corner of Airline Hwy. and Siegen Lane - for a live demo!

How to Protect Your Valuables From Burglars

How to Protect Your Valuables From Burglars on Howcast

[Call Alarm Center Security today for a FREE quote on a security system for your home or business - 1-800-97-ALARM - or visit our website to see if you qualify for a $0 down installation - alarm.net]

How a Monitored Security System Can Benefit Your Business

In 2011, there were 4,220 burglaries of residences and businesses in the Baton Rouge area alone. Larceny - taking away someone's personal property while trespassing on private property – affected 7,947 home and business owners.

Every day more homeowners are choosing to have a monitored alarm system installed in their homes, making their homes three times less likely to be broken into. With the rise of property-related crimes in Baton Rouge in the last few months, business owners would be wise to, also, consider getting a monitored alarm system installed in their establishments.

Having security cameras and a keypad installed in your business and being monitored by a reputable, local alarm company can not only keep you safe from after-hour burglaries, but can help protect your employees and assets. A monitored alarm system does not just protect from thieves, but can also safeguard from fire and vandalism. Business owners should also check with their insurance providers, as they sometimes offer discounts to businesses that have a professionally-installed security system.

One of the key benefits of having an alarm system is having total Access Control over your business and property. A business with multiple employees can assign a separate access code for each employee, allowing the business owner to log who is coming and going, and when. Also, lost or stolen keys are a problem of the past.

According to About.com's "Do I Need Electronic Access Control?":

You can evaluate your need for EAC by asking these three questions:

1. Do I need an audit trail, i.e. a time and date stamped record of every opening or attempted opening of a door?
2. Should different employees have different access privileges based on time and day?
3. Does a lost or stolen key represent an immediate security threat to my facility?

Answering yes to any of those questions can justify the investment in an EAC system.

Our U.L. Listed and Approved Central Station is located right here in Baton Rouge and monitors and processes your alarm system's signals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Even during Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Issac, we never went offline. Depending on the signal received, we will dispatch the Police, Fire Department, or an Ambulance and notify you within seconds of an event.

Give us a call today - (225) 292-5276 -  to see what we can do for you in helping to make your business safer and better protected, or consider switching to us from your regular alarm company and get 6 months free!

[Call Alarm Center Security today for a FREE quote on a security system for your home or business - 1-800-97-ALARM - or visit our website to see if you qualify for a $0 down installation - alarm.net]

Want An Existing Alarm System Monitored? No Problem!

If you have an old or pre-installed alarm system in your home and would like to be monitored, we can help!

Perhaps you have moved into a new home that has an alarm system already installed, or maybe you had an alarm system installed yourself years ago but have never, or no longer have, it monitored. You have decided you would like your home to be monitored, but aren't sure if you have to get an entire new system installed or if an alarm company can work with what is already there.

Alarm Center has the solution! We can monitor any system, no matter who installed it!

Our customers are monitored through our local U.L. Listed and Approved Central Station; the largest in Baton Rouge. Central Station is never offline and so reliable that it stayed online and functional through Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Issac, keeping our customers safe during and after the storms.

What About Switching?

Do you have a system but are unhappy with your current company or unsatisfied with their response time? Give us a call at 225-292-5276. If you switch to us we'll give you 6 months FREE!

Alarm Center offers flexible solutions for your security needs, whether you're a homeowner who wants to keep their loved ones and possessions safe or a business owner with commercial property to protect. We work with each client individually to build a protection plan tailored to your specific needs.

[Call Alarm Center Security today for a FREE quote on a security system for your home or business - 1-800-97-ALARM - or visit our website to see if you qualify for a $0 down installation - alarm.net]

Alarm Monitoring - What It Is & How It Works

Having an alarm system is an important aspect of smart home safety, but homes with a monitored alarm system are 2-3 times less likely to be burglarized. Alarm Center offers monitoring from a local, state-of-the-art facility known as Central Station.

Our Central Station is U.L.-approved and located in Baton Rouge. The largest monitoring station in the city, it has the most up-to-date, high-tech equipment and software to monitor and process our customers' alarm signals.

Central Station is online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In fact, even during the widespread outages caused by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Issac, Central Station never went offline!

Your Alarm Is Going Off – What Happens Next?

Depending on the signal coming from your alarm panel, which is wired to a phone line, the police or fire department or an ambulance will be dispatched immediately to your home or business. You will, also, be notified with a phone call (to your work and/or cell) within seconds of the alarm sounding and the call going out to the appropriate department.

To break it down even more for you, this is what happens when your alarm is tripped:

1. A signal is sent from your control panel to our monitoring facility.
2. We call your premises to verify the alarm. Your password is on file with us so that you can identify yourself in the event of a false alarm.
3. Our Central Station dispatches the proper authorities. (Police, Fire or Medical)
4. Our operators contact your emergency call list to notify you or your assigned emergency responder of the alarm and dispatch.

But I Don't Have a Home Phone!

We can still monitor you! Alarm Link will transmit your signal to our Central Station even if you don't have a telephone line.

Whether you don't have a phone line at your residence, or want to monitor a location where phone line access is not available, such as a boathouse or garage, our Alarm Link Wireless Monitoring is the solution.

Whatever Your Needs, Alarm Center Has You Covered!

[Call Alarm Center Security today for a FREE quote on a security system for your home or business - 1-800-97-ALARM - or visit our website to see if you qualify for a $0 down installation - alarm.net]