False Alarms – The True Story and How to Prevent Them

           Most people have very little experience when it comes to understanding the finer points of security and fire alarm technology. In fact, most of the people in a sales capacity in the security industry have any installation, or true security and life safety system technology awareness. Because of this, more often than not the provider companies of these systems are able to get away with poor system design, very cheap products, shoddy installation workmanship and sub-standard monitoring services. After all, who would know the difference? I am regularly saddened by the systems I see being
installed by both the biggest names in the security alarm industry as well as way too many local companies. An alarming number of alarm companies flaunt the laws that govern low voltage electrical work – no pun intended! The result is a never ending plague of false alarms.

False alarms are rampant in the security industry; more than 95% of the alarms that police and fire departments are dispatched to are false.  The fact is that few alarm companies care about anything more than their recurring revenue – the evidence is found in how alarm companies are valued when offered for sale. The primary value is in the recurring revenue. How long those clients are locked into transferable long-term contracts determines the multiple for valuation. The fine print in most alarm system contracts would challenge a law school professor. All of us pay the price for the false alarm nightmare every day, in wasted police and fire services, and the false alarm fines that are more often than not due to a faulty system, not an end user mistake. Yet if you ask any alarm company person, you will hear them tell you that the false alarm dilemma is mostly due to the end user, not to the alarm system. This is simply not true, end user generated alarms are more often than not canceled before police dispatch, by the use of password verification calls made to the protected premise by the central monitoring station.

Why do more than 95% of the alarm events that police and fire departments respond to turn out to be false alarms? The answer is very simple: poor workmanship, sub –standard equipment that is improperly applied in adverse environments.

So what is the answer? Be an educated and discerning consumer, and ask the following, and more questions, and have the answer statements included into your contract: Do you comply with state and local codes governing all of your work? Are you and your installers all licensed in your profession, and can you show me your credentials. Who owns the system after it is installed? What are my rights to terminate the contract and what would be the stipulated costs? How long is the contract for and does it auto renew? Can you sell me (as an account) to a third party without my approval? Is the equipment exclusive to the seller, or is it a universally distributed brand that can be serviced by others? Who owns the critical programming of the system? You will be amazed at the answers to these questions - few will be to the end-users benefit. How long is the warranty and what is covered? Best to modify the contracts to fair and reasonable terms or even better, look for another alarm company.

Ask for these additional terms and conditions: Insist on the manufacturing companies required grounding of the alarm control panel, required soldered splices for long term reliability, do not allow narrow single strand telephone gauge wire to be used, require all wiring be numerically labeled and charted as to its use details, require all system documentation including the wiring and programming details be left on site, require that a permit be obtained from the local building department and that the system be inspected by a local building official.

You will pay a modest upfront fee for these requirements. They should be standard procedures for any quality alarm company. In the long run you will save money and you will be stemming the tide of false alarms. Please look for future blogs where I will cover this topic in even greater detail..

Please let me know what you think,

Felix

Felix Giannini, FPE, CPP

email: felix@lexcosecurity.com