Town of the Blue Mountains Alarm User Agreement Of Understanding..

1. Alarm users are responsible for their alarm system.
2. You must ensure all persons who are authorized to use the alarm system are properly trained in both the use of the system and the requirements of key holders. This includes third party users.
3. You must ensure that a current, accurate list of key-holders is supplied to the alarm company.
4. Key-holders have a responsibility to attend at an alarm site if requested by the alarm company or Police. Their response to the scene must be as soon as practicable after the call is made.
5. Key-holders must assist the police in determining the origin of an alarm signal and its cause.
6. Key-holders must be able to provide officers access to the premise, be able to deactivate the system, and secure the premise upon police departure.

Security Alarm Fact Sheet

If I am interested in purchasing a Security Alarm, what questions should I ask the Alarm Company?

The following questions may be helpful to you as a guideline in your search for a security system. Be an intelligent consumer and continue to ask questions until you understand what you are purchasing and the level of security it will provide. Reputable companies will answer positively to most, it not all these questions.

• Is your company a member of the Canadian Alarm & Security Association (CANASA)
• What professional certification does your installer have?
• May I see proof that your company has all applicable provinicial and municipal licenses?
• Will you provide me with a written quotation?
• Will you provide me with a contact once the system is purchased?
• Is there a written warranty on the equipment and labour?
• Will the system be monitored, and if so, what is the cost and who will be doing it?
• May I see proof your Company carries errors & omissions insurance?
• How long have you been in the alarm business?
• Do you adhere to a false dispatch reduction program?
• Do you offer any protection for pre-paid monitoring?
• Will I own the system or be leasing it?
• Can I obtain the master installer's code upon fulfillment of my contract?
• Can anyone service my system?

In selecting your alarm company, you have chosen a professional who is committed to installing a quality system and to training you in the operation of the system. However as the owner of the system, you have the responsibility to use the system properly and to understand how you can achieve ZERO FALSE DISPATCHES for your local Police.

What is the difference between wireless and hard wired systems?

The actual system you purchase can be can be either hard wired or wireless. For hard wired systems there is a wire connecting each device to the central control panel. A wireless system operates on batteries, has no wires and transmits its signal by radio frequency. The choice between a wireless or hard wired system is one you should make in consultation with your alarm company.

What should an alarm system do for me?

An alarm system is installed to deter and detect intruders. A basic security system will consist of both perimeter and space protection to secure your premise. The first stage secures vulnerable perimeter access points such as doors and windows; the second stage consists of space detection such as interior motion detectors which monitor movement inside the premise. The level of security you purchase is determined by the number of protective devices and the sophistication of the system you will have installed.

Consideration for businesses...

One person should be assigned to investigate all alarm activity

Record your normal business hours and working hours of your cleaners with your monitoring center.

Make sure all employees, cleaning staff etc. ate thoughly trained before attempting to use the alarm system, including knowing how to cancel accidental activations. No ID Code will result in a police dispatch.

Make sure the company can be identified from the front and rear.

Forced air should be properly set during n0n-business hours. Large movements of air can cause alarms.

Make sure there are no items "in view" of the motion sensor that can move i.e. seasonal decorations, balloons, plants, paper from a fax machine and curtains. All inventory should be securely stored.

Ensure contacts on overhead doors are placed so that a gust of wind or shaking of the door will not activate the alarm system.

Discuss with the alarm company whether specially designed motion sensors are required to prevent the detection of rodents, birds or cats.

If wireless hold-up protection is required, use dual-action devices only.