Residential Fire Danger

You’re ready to leave on vacation or for a long weekend and you think you’ve thought of everything. The car has been gassed up and properly serviced, the newspaper has been stopped and the mail held at the post office. All that’s left is for you to activate your security system and you’re on your way. That’s everything you hope. Well, almost everything. Your house may now be secure from break-ins and illegal entry, but what about a fire and the potential danger within? You may already have battery or AC powered smoke detectors, but if they go off, who would hear them if you’re not there? If the smoke detectors are not connected to your security system and not monitored, who will call the fire department if a fire breaks out and nobody is around to hear the alert. Fire can strike anytime, anywhere and anybody. If your home is ravaged by fire it will not be a burglar who steals your family photo albums, or precious jewelry that can’t be replaced. Even though you have a monitored security system, without monitoring the smoke detectors, your home will never be secure against one of the most dangerous intruders who doesn’t leave much after it through. You can have the complete protection you need with a series of monitored smoke detectors, easily integrated into most new or existing home security systems. The same security system that guards your home can guard your home against fire. ESI, Emergency Systems Inc. can turn your security system into one that not only monitors against intruders, but also against fire.

How do Non-Monitored Smoke Detectors Compare to a Monitored Security System

Smoke detectors should be an extension of your home security system. Whether installed with a new system or added to an existing one, the smoke detectors connected directly to the security control panel should be monitored by a monitoring service center. When smoke is sensed in any one of the protected locations in your home, the detector sends a message to your control panel, which then in turn relays an emergency signal to a monitoring center. When the message is received, then a response is made. The monitoring center may call to verify the alarm. The local fire department is then notified, so that help is on the way, whether someone is home or away.

Monitored smoke detectors protect your house even when no one is home. Whether you are at work or school, out for the evening or when teenagers are home alone, your house is protected because a monitored service is standing guard even when you can’t. Additionally, homes where there is elderly, disabled or hearing-impaired persons could be overcome by fumes from a smoldering fire, unable to reach the phone. Monitored smoke detectors is a protectionary measure, 24 hours a day, whether your system is armed or disarmed, whether you’re home or away. ESI is an expert in the home security field and our monitoring centers are equipped with well-trained personal able to handle any emergency, intrusion, break-in or fire.

You may already have a battery-operated or hardwired AC smoke detector in your home, but how do they compare to an Emergency Systems, Inc. monitored system?

Battery-operated — Battery-operated detectors have two major flaws. First, they are rarely connected to other detectors, remote warning devices or a central monitoring station. If they are located outside a bedroom, a sound sleeper may not hear them, especially if the bedroom door is closed or just partially open. If detectors are located on a different level of the home than the bedroom level, then the likelihood they will wake up sleeping family members is further diminished. A second problem with battery-operated detectors is their batteries—if they are not periodically replaced, the detectors will not work! Too many fire deaths occur in homes where detectors fail to function because their batteries are dead, disconnected or removed.

AC Powered Detectors — Many AC powered detectors are not connected to other detectors or remote warning devices. Even those that are only connected to other devices can provide a local warning of fire. If no one is home, a fire can develop without anyone taking action to protect valuable property.

Monitored Detectors — When located on all levels of a residence and in all bedrooms, monitored detectors provide the best kind of early warning fire protection. If they sense a fire developing, they signal an alarm control, which activates all evacuation horns throughout a residence and sends a fire alarm signal to the central station, which will notify the fire department. Monitored detectors provide fire protection when you are home or away. As part of a home security system, monitored detectors provide both an AC primary power supply and a rechargeable back-up battery.

Why Choose ESI for all Your Home Security System Needs?

According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), there are over 1,300,000 fires reported in the United States each year with an average of 3,400 related fire deaths. One civilian death occurs every 2 hours and 35 minutes and over 14,600 civilian fire injuries occur, 1 every 34 minutes.  $10.6 billion in property damage is reported and many of these statistics could have been prevented if homes had a proper smoke detector monitored system. ESI, Emergency Systems Inc. is a leader in the residential and commercial security field with almost 40 years of service. Call ESI for a free evaluation of your security needs and let one of our highly trained technicians show you why ESI has set the standard for providing security systems in the North Florida area. Call 904-388-3979 or visit us on the web at GetEsi.com.