Emergency situations are by their very nature traumatic and panic-inducing. When something goes wrong at home you want to know that the required emergency response can get to you without any undue delays.
“There are a couple of things that we recommend that can save time in these emergency situations,” says Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Communications and Marketing at Fidelity ADT.
One of the easiest steps to take is making sure you have a very clear number painted on your wall or outside perimeter fence that helps emergency responders quickly locate your residence. Hattingh recommends using paint or material that reflects at night, to make it even easier for an ambulance or a fire truck to get to your front door without getting lost.
She says a big problem for security companies protecting the lives and property of their customers is that many people don’t remember to update access agreements.
For example, if your armed response officer enters the property in the case of an alarm activation and is suddenly confronted by two large dogs they didn’t know you had, you are jeopardising their professional ability to assist you.
“Recently, our armed response officers responded to a home they have access permission for but found the owners had extended the height of the wall. The officers couldn’t easily access the property, which gave burglars the upper hand,” Hattingh says.
“Homeowners must regularly check all their security systems to ensure they are working the way they should be.”
For example, Hattingh asks, are you 100% sure your alarm and panic signals are reaching the control room of your security provider? These are of no use should the battery life be depleted or if they’re malfunctioning.
“It is just as important to replace a gate remote battery the minute you see it is acting up and doesn’t open the gate as it should. Nobody wants to be stuck outside their gate. This makes you vulnerable to attack by criminals.
“Every second counts when help is on its way, so make sure the security systems you have in place will not let you down when it comes to someone gaining access – to, potentially, save your life,” Hattingh says.
