What Can You Do to Help Reduce False Alarms?

(DUFFERIN COUNTY, ON) Responding to false alarms can be time consuming for first responders, but Police will continue to respond to all alarms until they have been determined to be either an accidental trip or false. A number of area municipalities have established a “False Alarm Policies” bylaw which will have a monetary fine once a set number of “False Alarms” has been reached during the calendar year.

Members of the Dufferin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to ask all commercial property and residential home owners who protect their investments using an alarm system to review the following false alarm reduction hints.

• Use an alarm monitoring company that subscribes to using “Enhanced Call Verification” (ECV) which assists in verifying if an Alarm is actual or false.
• Train all users of the alarm system in the proper procedure of arming and disarming and the proper procedure to follow if the Alarm system is accidentally activated.
• Ensure your alarm monitoring company has the most current key holder and property owner information including full names and all phone numbers for those persons.
• When arming the system and leaving the property, ensure that you have secured all doors and windows and cleared the sensors of any items such as plants or curtains and advertising banners/balloons which may activate the alarm when the furnace or air conditioning comes on in your absence.
• If you have remodelled the interior of your property or become the owner of a new pet, contact the alarm monitoring company to check if changes are required to your system.
• Have your alarm system checked annually by qualified personnel as all systems have electronic components, sensors and batteries and they do require periodic service.
• Never provide a key to your property to a person who is not familiar with your alarm system.