Prevent False Alarms
What to Do If You Accidentally Set Off Your Alarm
Each year, police end up wasting resources on responding to thousands of false alarms when they could be better serving our community. As a result, many law enforcement agencies are now passing the cost of false alarms back to the consumer. We'd like you to take a minute to review some tips we've prepared so you and your staff can prevent any unnecessary and costly false alarms.
- Make sure everyone with access to your business knows how to use the security system—this includes employees, contractors, and anyone else with a key. If you have any questions about your system, you can find a user manual here. You can also call Customer Service at 1.800.387.2966.
- Let all users of your security system practice arming and disarming the alarm system. Please call our Customer Service Centre to inform us when you are teaching someone how to use the system.
- If you accidentally set off an alarm, don't panic—just call and let us know it's a false alarm. Also, make sure everyone is aware of the current password.
- Check for drafts that may cause curtains, plants, or decorations to set off motion detectors. When you leave, ensure all doors and windows are closed tightly and securely. Loose fitting doors or windows may set off contact sensors.
- When you leave your home, ensure all doors and windows are closed tightly and securely. Loose fitting doors or windows may set off contact sensors.
- Let us know if you are getting a pet or remodelling your home.
- Keep your list of contact people up to date.
- Call us every month to test your system.
What to Do If You Accidentally Set Off Your Alarm
As you know you have a grace period of 30 to 45 seconds to turn off your alarm once you enter your home. Sometimes things happen, you can't make it to the keypad in time, and the alarm is triggered. Children may forget their passcodes, or you might open a door or window and forget that you had the alarm set in STAY mode. Whatever the reason, if you follow the three-step procedure below, you will have successfully dealt with your false alarm.
After the alarm is triggered:
Secure your premises. This means stop the activity that set off the motion detector.
Disarm your system with your current pin or 4-digit code.
Call our Emergency Response Centre (ERC) at 1-800-661-3631 to report the false alarm.
If you do not call but enter a valid code into the keypad to stop the alarm, an Emergency Response Operator will follow an aborted/cancelled alarm protocol. An operator will make a courtesy call to your home and will ask for a password that identifies you as a valid keyholder. If your line is busy, the operator will try to contact the home a total of three times before considering the matter closed.
Remember it's better to be safe than sorry. If you don't know exactly why the alarm went off, do not immediately disarm it. Allow our emergency operators to do their job. They will call and let you know in which zone of your business the alarm occurred and ensure that you are safe before ending the call.
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