ALARM COMPANIES AND PUBLIC RESPONDERS WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE LIVES AND PROTECT PROPERTY

On March 2, 2010, Lilburn residents Richard and Vivian Brown were awakened at 3:41 a.m. by the EMC Security alarm system they had installed the previous year.  Though they thought they smelled smoke, the Browns were confused about the alarm’s source and what actions to take.  Within 8 seconds of the alarm activation, an EMC Security System operator called the home and alerted the Browns that a smoke detector device had indicated a fire at the home. After asking if they were okay, the EMC Security operator verified with the Browns that, indeed, heavy smoke was present in one of the rear bedrooms and instructed them to evacuate the premises.  The fire department was promptly dispatched to the home.

Gwinnett County firefighters who arrived on the scene found the house full of black, acrid smoke from a burning sofa , touched off by a faulty space heater. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, containing the fire to the bedroom before it spread to the rest of the home.

A responding fire firefighter told the Browns that without their monitored fire alarm system, they likely would have been overcome in their sleep by the deadly smoke from the smoldering furnishings or the rapidly spreading fire.  Fortunately, the Browns were unharmed, and their home is being repaired.

This is one of many examples of the working partnership between the private alarm industry and the brave public servants that protect the citizens of Gwinnett County every day.

Vince Raia, President of EMC Security, states, “Companies, like EMC Security, rely on city and county police and fire departments to respond to alarms that save lives and protect property.  We understand the awesome responsibility and our requirement to be good stewards of these resources.”

Ellen Hefner, current Gwinnett County Alarm Administrator and a 9 year veteran of the Gwinnett Police Department, notes that in 2009 Gwinnett County Police Officers responded to 30,182 alarms from homes and businesses, the vast majority the vast majority of which were accidental alarms set off by the occupants or by faulty equipment.

“False alarms take up time and energy of police and fire department personnel who may be needed to respond to real emergencies,” Hefner says.  “While we acknowledge the value of a well designed, properly installed and properly maintained security or fire alarm system, it can be frustrating when the alarm companies providing the installation or monitoring service do not treat false alarm reduction activity with the seriousness they should”.

Hefner adds that the best companies are those that understand the impact of false alarms on the community and their responsibility to reduce these nuisance alarms. “Their policies should include properly training customers on their systems, as well as flagging multiple premise alarms and immediately sending technicians to a customer’s home or business to correct system problems,” she emphasizes.  “Our department continuously works with alarm companies and their customers in Gwinnett County to reduce false dispatch activity and to ensure the county’s valuable resources will be where they are needed.”

Mr. Raia agrees, “EMC Security also understands the importance of these partnerships.  Our policies include an active false alarm reduction plan, a focus on quality installation work, no-charge technical phone support center for all of our customers, and providing the best monitoring service available, at any price, from our redundant monitoring center in Suwanee.

We are proud to be a sponsor of the Gwinnett County Valor Awards, and wish to thank the brave men and women of Gwinnett County who every day , put their lives on the line for the citizens of Gwinnett County”.