Installing a Home Security System
by David DeMille for A Secure Life
Installing a home security system can be costly, but not installing one could cost you even more. Below we will take a look at the top ten reasons to install a home security system or upgrading your existing home alarm system.
1. Protect Your Home and Family from Intruders
The biggest reason a home owner should consider installing a home security system is that it offers protection to family members from intruders. According to “Securing Home and Business” by Simon Hakim/Erwin Blackstone, homes without security systems are 2.7 times more likely to be targeted by a burglar. This indicates that the mere presence of an alarm system is enough in most cases to protect the home and its occupants from break-in. In some cases, burglars may still target a home either knowingly or unknowingly when members of the family are inside. For the burglar who enters the home expecting it to be empty, finding members of the family inside can cause enough shock and panic to facilitate aggressive behavior. Having a security system in place often provides family members with enough warning to get to a safe location in our outside the home while the alarm system dispatches local authorities. For burglars that enter a home knowing that family members are inside, their intentions are often much more malicious and the home alarm system again serves as an early warning system and calls the authorities.
2. Protect Your Home and Family from Fires
The mention of home security systems tends to bring to mind home intrusion scenarios; however, these alarm systems also provide additional protection barriers for homeowners. While many home owners rely upon smoke alarms to warn them of a fire outbreak, home security systems offer an early warning system. Monitored home alarm systems will not only warn home occupants of the presence of smoke in the home, but they will also warn of sources of heat and contact authorities. The saying goes ‘where there is smoke, there is fire’ but it is also true that where there is heat, there could be a fire building which is why it is important to incorporate heat detectors into a fire prevention technique. While heat detectors can be purchased without the installation of a home security system, using a heat detector alone will not signal authorities.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, in just thirty seconds a small flame can turn in to a full blown fire. In just minutes of a fire breaking out, the home will be filled with thick black smoke that makes it impossible for family members to breathe. These two facts alone are enough to reinforce the importance of having a home security system that will signal authorities to respond to a house fire. Time is the biggest factor in any emergency, but in the case of fire, time is of the essence. A few seconds of a fire safety concern could mean death or the complete destruction of a home and all of its contents.
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