Preventative Maintenance
As the province begins to open-up after months of self-isolation and social distancing, we continue to live cautiously in transition towards our regular routines. A lot has changed in our communities and the perception of public safety is easily skewed by controversial media headlines, so it’s important to stay informed and be proactive. During times of uncertainty or emergency, it’s easy to panic and become overwhelmed with many situations—we aim to eliminate these feelings with our new Preventative Maintenance Service.
In 2018, the Toronto police’s alarm response policy was updated to include specific requirements to reduce their call to action. The police force determined that 97% of the time a home security alarm was triggered, it was false. In order to ensure that police resources were not wasted, it was important to mandate one of the following criteria to justify police engagement: audio device, video device, an eyewitness or multiple zone activations. The majority of false alarms were due to faulty hardware, improper alarm system programming or accidental “intrusions” by the homeowner. Those that have experienced the inconvenience and costs of a false alarm can easily understand why they must be avoided, but how?
When you think about your security system, do you consider its health? Most homeowners don’t. When was the last time you tested your alarm system? It’s likely that you had your alarm system installed many years ago, but you’ve never required service, so you never thought about testing its performance. The saying “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” shouldn’t be used when thinking about your security. By waiting for something to break, you create potential risks that can be avoided. When it comes to keeping your home safe and secure, regular maintenance of your security system is vital to avoid false alarms and potential downtime.
There are two different types of maintenance that we provide:
1) Corrective Maintenance
This type of maintenance is the most common. Performed to identify, isolate and rectify any issues with your security equipment. Standard services fees can accumulate quickly, especially if pieces of your system breakdown at different times since you are charged by an hourly rate. Corrective maintenance can be quite expensive but often the only solution available to consumers.
2) Preventive Maintenance —NEW
This type of maintenance is appealing because it alleviates future risks. By performing a full inspection of your security system to identify any weaknesses before more damage is done, you will avoid accumulating unnecessary costs. In the long run, you will have confidence that your security system is performing at its best.
By conducting preventive maintenance checks, you can rest assured that your equipment remains active throughout the coming year. Preventative maintenance is practical for busy homeowners that don’t have the time or knowledge to keep their hardware at their top performance. Rather than paying for our technicians to diagnose and fix your alarm system on an hourly basis, be proactive and subscribe to one of our Preventative Maintenance service packages for a better value.
Why is Preventative Maintenance valuable?
Rapid Alarm Response is a service that we have been providing for over 20 years. Today, we remain as Toronto resident’s best option when it comes to an alarm response program, offering response times that are unmatched in the industry. Our 6-minute Rapid Alarm Response service is one of the fastest response times in Canada, with a dedicated focus on Toronto and the GTA. We know that in the case of an emergency, every second can feel like an eternity and that is why we treat every alarm as a threat and dispatch our mobile units at the same instant we receive an alarm signal, whether verified or not.
When our team of Executive Security Operatives respond to an alarm, they follow a series of protocols. Our team will provide the required verification to the Police to prove that criminal activity has taken place and an investigation is in order.
Now, video surveillance is more valuable than ever; and could be used as a form of verification for the police to tend to a home intrusion alarm or be used as evidence for an investigation. Ensuring your home is equipped with high-definition video surveillance, with cameras strategically placed in areas that are most vulnerable to break-ins, could make all the difference when there is an emergency situation.
1) Hardware Efficiency
An alarm system must be integrated into a home to function at its top performance. Our Security Experts design each alarm to work efficiently by tailoring them to our client’s home. Technology changes frequently, so it’s common for homeowners to add new features and updates to their home and the devices within. Any modifications that affect the alarm system should be communicated to us prior to any changes made.
For example: If you make any changes to your landline or internet, our team would need to reprogram your alarm system. Also, If you are making any structural changes to your home, your alarm system should be considered at the time of inception.
2) Time Savings
Our Security Experts want the best for their clients, so they recommend bi-annual system checks before we offered preventative maintenance. Troubleshooting issues with alarm systems takes more time than conducting regular service checks to alleviate the need to costly repairs—you’ll save money long-term.
3) Procedure
By having a pre-determined annual plan, we take care of your alarm system without you having to worry about it. Experience the ease of scheduling preventative appointments.
4) Avoid Downtime
If something breaks down in the middle of the night, your home will be unprotected until we are able to send a technician to service the issue. Although we do offer emergency services 24/7, there is no guarantee that we can fix your system instantly. Don’t give thieves the opportunity to strike when your home is unprotected.
You lead a busy life and it can be easy to forget things that don’t seem like a priority. Your home and everything within it deserve to be well protected. Avoid the hassle of trying to determine the cause of an attempted break-in and other property crimes. Let us guide you in keeping your security system at the top of its performance. Don’t wait for the “right” time; the perfect time to consider preventative maintenance is now.