What if the Alarm Goes Off?
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When an alarm is triggered, several things happen automatically. We are all familiar with the siren that starts to sound, but what else is happening? This brief description of an alarm event is designed to explain how Paladin Security's Monitoring Station responds when your alarm system is activated and what steps are taken to reduce the risk of a false alarm.
Step 1 - The alarm system is set off, an alarm is in progress
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- Your siren will be sounding to inform you that an alarm is in progress. If nobody is available to disarm the
system, the siren will automatically silence itself after about 4 minutes.
- Your telephone line will not be available while the panel is transmitting an alarm signal to our monitoring
station. This usually takes less than 20 seconds.
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Step 2 - Once the monitoring station receives the alarm signal
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- Our computers will automatically bring up your specific account information.
- The alarm signals will inform the monitoring station of what zone(s) caused the alarm.
- If the security system is disarmed while in alarm, it will automatically transmit a 'Cancel Code'. A Cancel Code tells the alarm operator that although an alarm has occurred, the system has been disarmed by an authorized user. This is considered an accidental activation, however, as an additional safety precaution, the monitoring station will still call the premises to ensure that everything is alright.
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Step 3 - The monitoring station will now attempt to verify the alarm
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- If a Cancel Code is not received, the monitoring station will call the premises to confirm that this is not human error (i.e. cleaning staff or guests).
- If someone answers the phone, they will be expected to provide a password to verify that they are authorized to be there.
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Step 4 - Once the monitoring station has verified the alarm
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- The monitoring station will then proceed to dispatch the appropriate authorities.
- Police, Fire, Ambulance or Paladin's Emergency Alarm Response team are given all the pertinent
information regarding the alarm condition.
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Step 5 - As part of our ongoing False alarm reduction process
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- The monitoring station will then contact the premises a second time. This callback is designed to overcome any call waiting features that you may have on your phone system.
- If there is no answer, the monitoring station will then proceed to contact the people on your emergency
notification list.
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Additional Information that You Should Know About Your Security System
How do I avoid false alarm fines?
Paladin Security will not charge or fine a client for a false alarm. The only fines that may potentially be incurred are from the local police or RCMP. These fines vary from municipality to municipality and most will allow 1 or 2 without penalty during the calendar year, however, excessive false alarms may result in suspended response or substantial fines.
The vast majority of all false alarms are caused by user error. If you take the time to learn about the operation of your alarm system, you will reduce the likelihood of having a false alarm.
Additionally, you may want to take advantage of Paladin's Emergency Alarm Response program whereby one of our trained and licensed security professionals will immediately respond to your alarm on your behalf. Once on site, Paladin's security team will make a full sweep of the residence or business. Our highly trained Mobile Security Officers will take further action depending on the nature of the alarm, what they find, and your prior instructions. After the emergency situation is resolved, you'll receive a complete Incident Report detailing our efforts and what we found. For more information on this service, please call us today.
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