Security and Alarm Systems Blog

From 2007 to 2008, there was a drop in every criminal category except forcible rape in Los Angeles County (View the PDF Report). Property Crimes saw a drop between 4 and 8%. Stolen property in 2008 amounted to $310 million, and 27% of that was recovered, down a percent from 2007.

There were 38,000 larceny theft cases in 2008, making it the most popular crime by far. Burglary was also very common, there were 16,000 burglaries in Los Angeles County in 2008.

Burglary, Robbery, and Theft can all be prevented with a well-designed security system. We offer installation services for burglar alarms, fire alarms, security cameras, and door access control. All of these electronic security systems can decrease the possibility of theft in your home or business.

Defining home security is specific to every household. Think about crimes, accidents, and incidents. If you want to keep burglars away from your family and possessions, your best bet is to add a home security system. Crimes can include burglary, theft, larceny, fire. You may want to write a floor plan. The floor plan should be a drawing of every room in your home. Make sure that you outline two ways to escape all rooms in your home. You can practice drills to keep the family prepared.

A home security alarm will alert you when a thief has broken into your house. But first you’ll need to find a company to install your home security system. In addition, they will need to continue maintenance, tests, and cleaning. If home security alarms are dusty, it can cause the alarm to go off. Modern security systems should be convenient as well as reliable. You can purchase alarms nowadays that have remote controls for home security, which will make it easy for you to test the devices weekly.

In addition to burglar alarms, it is smart to install smoke detectors in your home. smoke detectors are components of fire alarms will help you ward off carbon monoxide. You should use your manual and follow instructions when using your new alarm. In addition, you will need to continue maintenance, tests, and cleaning.

Fires and carbon monoxide are crimes committed by negligence around the world, yet many criminals will start house fires in attempt to gain something. Sometimes the fire is started out of contempt, or retaliation. In addition, gang members will sometimes start fire to earn “street cred.”

Add a deadbolt to your entry doors, and put up sensor lights outside of your home. The lights will automatically click on when someone steps on your doorstep. In addition, add outside lighting to help keep away prowlers.

Every Security System we install from San Diego to Riverside to Irvine is outfitted with a DMP Security Control Panel. Digital Monitoring Products, or DMP is a recognized leader in network and cellular alarm communications. We choose to partner with DMP for many reasons.

They are always improving their security technology,

Their equipment is easy to use and install, but still state-of-the-art functionally

Their equipment has the best and longest performance in the idustry

DMP offers software to communicate with their panels from offsite

These are just a few of the main reasons we choose to install DMP control panels and keypads. There are so many options we can offer our customers because we partner with DMP. A new and exciting feature is the ability to communicate an alarm over a home or business network (using the internet) rather than the old way through a land line. Also, the new ePad allows our customers to arm and disarm their system using a web interface from anywhere in the world. By far, however, the most important feature of a DMP Security control panel is that we can install security, fire alarm, and door access control equipment to it. The programming features allow for this integration, ahich is great for our customers because it saves them money, and allows us to be more competitive with companies offering sub-par alarm equipment.

Falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths among people over the age of 75 and the second leading cause for those aged 45 to 75, according to the National Safety Council. There are also other medical emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks. Many elderly people live alone, but a medical emergency can happen when their spouse is away or even asleep. This is why it may be helpful to add medical alert functionality to your security system. Imagine a man having a heart attack in his mobile home, and having no way to call for help. Having a wireless medical alert transmitter could save his life.

We have a very good understanding of what makes a security control panel desirable to the end-user, and this is a list that I came across today explaining why the DMP XR500N is a great option for commercial applications. The integration options are phenomenal with this panel. Read below for the list of features I’m referring to:

System Link ™ Enables remote XR500N programming and control.
XR500N Advanced, integrated control panel for access control, fire, and intrusion detection.
714 Loop expander adds four Supervised burglary zones for use with fire and burglar alarm devices.
714-8 Loop expander adds eight Supervised burglary zones for use with fire and burglar alarm devices.
714-16 Loop expander adds 16 Supervised burglary zones for use with fire and burglar alarm devices.
716 Output expander module provides four programmable Form C relays and four zone-following annunciator outputs for a variety of output applications.
734 Wiegand interface module integrates the use of Wiegand-type access control readers and door strikes.
5455 Prox ProII card reader for proximity credentials.

There is a secret that not many people know, and it is a way to get much more out of your security system. The secret is that almost any sensor or electrical measurement component can be wired into a security system. This allows for an almost limitless array of add-ons, but specifically for you there are probably only a few.

An almost universal add-on is a panic button. We have added many panic buttons into existing security systems here in the San Diego area. Most offices have a lobby with a desk, so it makes sense to put a panic button under that desk to notify the police as soon as a situation begins.

Other add-ons we have installed are very specific to an industry or need. In one case, we installed temperature monitoring sensors in massive refrigeration units to detect when a refrigerator has failed, and needs to be fixed. This install was for a major food distributor, and it saves them thousands in lost inventory when a refrigerator fails because the food can be moved quickly and saved from exposure to heat. What is great about this is that we were able to save then money by tying their specialty sensors into their security system. This arrangement allowed them to avoid having to purchase an entirely new system.

Another case where a security system add-on helped a customer was for a maritime museum in San Diego. There are two boats the have fire systems. They are floating in the harbor, and have visitors daily, so a fire system is a requirement. However, they also need to know if the ships are taking in water. We installed water sensors at the bottom to give an early notification if there maybe a leak. Again, this is tied into a Fire Alarm system, so our customers didn’t have to buy an entirely new system.

Call us today if you would like to talk about adding some specialty equipment to your existing system, or if you need a security system in San Diego or across California.

One of the Systems we install are Fire Alarms, which are a very important part of the life safety of anyone within a building. In many cases, a fire Alarm is a requirement to meet fire codes for a certain industry to operate. If you believe in going above and beyond in your building, then you will want to consider Fire Safety Training.

For most people, the first time they use a fire extinguisher is when they point it at a fire. The fire this inexperienced extinguisher is fighting may take several lives if they don’t succeed. That is why it is important to take precautions against the possibility of a fire in your office.

Fire Trained Employees:
- Respond with greater confidence to emergency situations.
- Use portable fire extinguishers with nearly three times greater effectiveness
- Can help reduce or eliminate property loss due to a fire.
- Can help reduce or eliminate production downtime and loss of valuable materials.
- Can help reduce injuries and Save Lives!

For more information Click Here.

The NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code is a large book which specifies the rules to follow when installing and Monitoring a Fire System. Some counties require that it is followed, and some (smart) commercial applications require it as well. But most end-users don’t know what it is at all. This blog entry is just going to cover some of the basics.
Equipment
Fire Equipment must be Listed (UL in California) for the purpose for which it is used. So all equipment must meet the specifics outlined by Underwriters Laboratory (UL). It’s pretty hard to find fire equipment which is not UL, but the main purpose of this ordinance is to stop a company from using security-specific equipment on a fire system installation.
Installation Requirements
Installer Qualification is outlined in NFPA 72. It is generally accepted that a C-10 Electrical license is a requirement in California. Also, there are three ways an installer can be considered as a qualified fire system installer.
(1) Factory Trained and Certified for fire alarm design by a specific brand of system.
(2) Certified by a Nationally recognized fire alarm certification organization.
(3) Registered, licensed, or certified by a state or local authority.
Central Station Requirements
Central Station Services for a Fire System, like the equipment, must be UL Listed (or can be listed by another organization). There are also four types of Central Stations that will meet code.
(1) Provide all elements of central station services with its own facilities and personnel.
(2) Subcontracting of Installation, but all monitoring, retransmission, and associated record keeping and reporting must be in-house.
(3) Installation and Monitoring Services are all in-house.
(4) Monitoring is out-of-house, but installation and service is provided.
Progressive Technology Security Systems is in the fourth category. We specialize in installation, Service and testing of fire systems and have over 20 years of experience.
Please click here for more information on the National Fire Code.