Preventing Home Fires 101: Checking Smoke Alarms

When it’s National Fire Prevention Week, remember it’s time to “check the date.” The date of what? Smoke alarms in your home. If your smoke alarms are more than ten years old, then the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) advises that it’s time to replace them.

Finding Out How Old Your Smoke Detectors Are

Most people have no idea how old their smoke detectors are, but it’s easy to find out. Simply unscrew each smoke detector from its mounting, and check the date on the back. That is the date of manufacture.

What to Do Next

If you discover you need new smoke detectors this year, you’ll probably find more choices than the last time you shopped for them. If you go to a big box store, you may even find some that send you a text alert if they are activated.

However, even these don’t necessarily provide the maximum protection for your home.

The smartest smoke detectors are those installed as part of a smart home security system by a certified alarm installation company. These are detectors that communicate with your security system if smoke is detected, sending a signal to the central station so that security operators can call you right away and get the help you need.

When Smoke Detectors Aren’t Expired

Even if your smoke detectors aren’t expired, you can still upgrade to smart smoke detection and integrate it with your home security system. Call All Action Alarm to get started; we will be happy to show you your options, long after National Fire Prevention Week is over. 

About All Action Alarm

We have experience in the electronic security industry and experts in home automation technologies. If you are looking for ways to simplify your life, give us a call.

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Traditional Medical Pendants vs. Wellness Systems

“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.” We all know the slogan, but those TV ads were a long time ago. Medical alert devices are still popular, but today’s systems are far more powerful. While the user still wears a pendant around the neck, they and their families can rest assured there are other ways to summon help when it’s needed in today’s smart home wellness systems. For example, they can send alerts when:

Important activity is missed.

What if the user doesn’t move for an extended period of time? What if he or she experiences a major change in patterns: for example, stops eating or taking medication? With a smart home wellness system, that will trigger an alert to the monitoring center. The operators will be able to check in with the user, and also alert the people on the user’s authorized list of contacts.

Unusual activity is detected.

What if the user is wandering away from the home, well past the peripheries of their normal routine? What if he or she is leaving the house at odd hours of the day or night? These are unusual activities that should trigger a signal to the monitoring center – and with a smart home wellness system, it will. What happens next can be determined in the user’s customized action plan.

The user is immobile in bed.

If a user is in bed with no activity for an extended period of time, a bed sensor connected to the system will trigger an alert. The sensor is designed to detect if there is no moving in bed: turning over, stretching and other normal nighttime activity. That way, help can be sent to the home to check things out and intervene if necessary.

These are some of the most important distinctions between traditional medical pendants and smart home wellness systems. To speak with a professional dealer that can explain additional benefits, contact All Action Alarm.

About All Action Alarm

We have experience in the electronic security industry and experts in home automation technologies. If you are looking for ways to simplify your life, give us a call.

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