Many “full-time” residents with alarm systems tell us that they are home “all the time” and wonder why they would need monitoring. However, people need to take into account the frequency and duration of their absences from home or business - rather than just their occupancy. Who is home, when they are not? Who will hear and respond to the alarm? Etc. If that system is not monitored, less than half the protection the customer expects is being provided.

For optimum around-the-clock protection, you can choose to have your alarm system monitored by a Central Monitoring Station. The alarm installation company you engage can arrange this service for a nominal monthly fee. Since many municipalities in North America prohibit alarm systems from being connected directly to the police departments or fire departments, a Central Monitoring Station provides the best alternative.

Your emergency signals will be received there - twenty-four hours a day – seven days a week - three hundred and sixty-five days a year - whether you are at your premises or not. The security dispatchers are always there - ready to respond to your potential crisis and to offer protection for your family, your premises, your business and your possessions.

• How does alarm system monitoring actually work? (FAQ)

Many insurance companies provide discounts on building insurance plans for customers who have a monitored alarm system. Call your alarm installation company or your insurance company for more details about this added beneficial service.

Additional Considerations

• Do you go on daylong shopping trips or run on prolonged errands, which leave the premises unoccupied?
• Will a busy neighbor or uninterested passer-by call the emergency responding agencies, if a local alarm is heard?
• Do all family members work?
• Are “latchkey children,” or children with special needs, left in a home that is unprotected?
• Who is at the house when you go on vacations?
• What happens to unattended pets in the home during a household emergency?
• Do elderly and/or infirm family members live with you?
• Do you go on business trips and leave the premises vacant?
• Does your business have constant surveillance after hours?
• If a fire develops within the building while you are out, who will know?
• Do you have high security requirements at the premises like costly art, money, furnishings, expensive hobby equipment, computer systems, or other valuable property?
• Are you engaged in frequent social activities, which leave your premises unoccupied?
• Who will respond to your alarm at a time of duress or panic?
• Does your business shut down for lunch leaving it vulnerable?

It doesn’t matter whether the customer is away from the home or business an hour … a day … a week … or a month! HSMC can watch each property electronically every minute of every day - waiting for that critical time when assistance is needed. We see to it that the appropriate help is quickly dispatched whenever necessary … an important consideration for your total security.