What is Location Recording?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Chances are you may have invested in an automated communication system for your lone workers, people who spend most of the day or night on the job with no one to back them up. They may be salespeople, technicians, night shift convenience store workers, or even office workers catching up on projects over the weekend.

These communication systems, like CheckMate, use regular phone calls throughout the day to make sure your employees are safe and sound. And when the call is answered, the day goes along as planned. But what if there’s no response to the check-in call?

When you have employees working in expected locations, like a store, or an office, it’s easy to send help to that address. But for lone workers who may have unpredictable schedules or move from place to place during the day, it can be a little more difficult to know exactly where they are. And that means you may not know where to send the police or emergency services.

That’s why you might want to consider an add-on to CheckMate, called Location Recording. When used for employees who have no fixed appointment schedule or regular destination, this feature operates like a trail of breadcrumbs following the worker from place to place.

During each check-in call, the worker enters details including their current location, routes of travel to their next appointment, and expected location for the next call. Saved in the database, these location details are available in case a check-in call goes unanswered, and can be immediately relayed to authorized company personnel or emergency services.

Using Location Recording means you won’t leave the safety of your lone workers to chance.

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Fire Monitoring: Preventing Fires Before They Start

Posted on February 20, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Woken from a deep sleep at three o’clock in the morning by the ringing of the phone, you arrive at your place of business and see emergency crews stamping out the last burning embers from a fire that consumed the entire building. It started late at night after everyone had left for the day.

The fire department dealt with the flames and stopped the fire from spreading any further. But was there a way the fire could have been prevented in the first place?

While not every threat can be stopped, fire monitoring often catches fires in their infancy, before the smoke turns to flames. And that’s something that could save you and your company big money in the long run.

Smoke detectors and the newer rate-of-rise detectors find environmental conditions like rapid temperature increases and smoke, that are the precursors of full-fledged fires. And since these detectors are hardwired into a commercial security system, when changes exceed what’s expected, the alarm triggers, often before any damage occurs.

Most commercial security alarms also include sprinkler systems and fire alarm control panels, which integrate the environmental sensors, and feed necessary and timely data to the security system.

You may not think that fire monitoring is necessary for your business, but when you weigh the costs and benefits, doesn’t it just make sense?

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5 Tips For Assessing and Improving Your Home Security

Posted on February 17, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Recent statistics in Canada show that burglary accounts for 22 percent of all property crimes. That number is quite an incentive for homeowners to make their home as secure as possible. Or secure enough so that the burglars look for an easier target somewhere else.

Here are some tips for assessing and improving the security level of your home.

(1) Are home entrances and exits visible? Burglars depend on being able to get in and get out of your home without being seen. When large bushes and trees offer cover, especially for a back door, your house is more likely to be chosen.

(2) Does your home look unoccupied? Houses with newspapers piling up, unmown lawns, or snow-filled driveways may indicate that the inhabitants are gone for a while. When leaving on vacation, ask next door neighbors to help you by keeping your front entry free of newspapers and flyers. Plan to have your yard serviced on the regular schedule.

(3) Do you have an alarm system? Potential burglars will check your property for signs of a working security system, knowing that if you don’t have one, they can remain anonymous. Always be sure your residential alarm system is armed, even when you and your family are home. Post the signs provided by your alarm company on windows and near entrance doors.

(4) Do you leave valuables visible in windows? Burglars are looking for easy pickings, especially valuable items left near windows or doors. Always keep windows and doors locked, and make sure your electronic and computer items aren’t easy to grab.

(5) Are your door and window locks good quality? Locks that aren’t working just right or are of poor quality will invite burglars to give your home a second look.

Use these tips to assess and improve your home security, and burglars will be more likely to bypass your home and look for a better opportunity.

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How Does CheckMate Work?

Posted on February 15, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Do you have employees who work alone in remote locations? How about lone workers who cover shifts late at night at convenience stores, service stations, or liquor stores? Or even sales people who travel by themselves and have unpredictable schedules?

Lone workers like these can be at risk for accidents, criminal assaults, and medical emergencies when no one else is around. And you probably know that Canadian Working Alone Legislation requires that you take steps to protect them while they’re on the job.

That’s why you might want to find out a little more about an automated communication system called CheckMate. Designed to check on your employees throughout their workday, CheckMate uses a series of regularly scheduled phone calls to ensure that lone workers are safe and secure. Here’s what you need to know.

(1) Access CheckMate through a secure web site, where you’ll enter employee schedules and set the frequency of check-in calls. There’s no hardware to buy and workers simply need a land line, mobile, or satellite phone to receive calls.

(2) During the worker’s shift, there’s minimal interruption, the employee simply answers the call and goes back to work. Calls are automated, so there’s no way a worker will be forgotten. If a call goes unanswered, live operators at the Central Monitoring System immediately contact the first person on your call list.

(3) If employees have irregular schedules, it’s easy for a supervisor to change the check-in schedule. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. And workers can use Check-In Express to remotely activate, deactivate, and change call frequency. In case of emergency, you can also take advantage of an optional Location Recording service, showing you the employee’s last known location.

(4) CheckMate provides an audit trail of all calls and actions taken within your account. You can generate reports on demand, or receive weekly activity reports by email.

(5) And the best part? CheckMate costs less than a dollar a day for up to 200 calls each month for a single phone number.

CheckMate is simple, reliable, and inexpensive. And the peace of mind you’ll receive? That’s priceless.

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Protect Your Business and Yourself With Guard Alarm Response

Posted on February 13, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Do you or one of your valuable employees have to respond when your commercial alarm system triggers in the middle of the night? You could be putting yourself at risk.

Your commercial security system may have been set off by an armed intruder, and the consequences can be deadly, if you’re the first person to respond. That’s why you should consider a guard response service to keep your business safe when an alarm goes off.

When a trained security guard attends after a middle-of-the-night alarm, you’ll gain valuable peace of mind. Here are some more reasons to consider a guard response service as part of your commercial alarm system.

Training and readiness. Unlike most regular citizens, an armed guard has the learned instincts and training to act instantly when encountering a burglar. Most business people don’t have enough practice for these life and death situations.

Fast response. A guard alarm response service is often faster than police response to a break-in. That means your business is less likely to suffer losses from theft and vandalism.

Avoid fines for false alarms. Many cities, including Winnipeg, charge businesses when police are called to the scene of a false alarm. With a guard alarm response, police are notified only when there are signs of a break-in.

Don’t put your life or that of your employees at risk. Hire a guard alarm response service that will keep your business – and your people – safe in case of a break-in.

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Going Away This Winter?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Don’t Tell Everyone

Going away on vacation this winter? For Winnipeg residents, that question conjures up visions of sandy beaches, blue-green waters, and maybe the chance to feel the hot sun on your face. Mini-vacations, or even longer trips can help break up the winter months and give you something to look forward to.

But when planning and talking about a trip that will take you away from home, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t tell everyone you know that you’ll be gone. Why? It can make your home a target for burglars.

Consider that most thieves rely on informants – think hairstylists, bank tellers, and housecleaners – to tell them when the homes of potential victims will be sitting empty for several days. And when a burglar knows the exact dates of your trip, they’ll have the perfect opportunity to get in and out without anyone seeing them.

So what should you do before you head out of town?

Don’t let your home appear empty. Use different strategies, like lights and radios on timers, to give your house the lived in look. Ask friends and neighbors to stop by at irregular times.

Don’t cancel the yard service. Keeping the grass mowed in the summer and the snow shoveled in the winter will go a long way toward keeping burglars away.

Post security system signage prominently. When potential thieves know or just think you have a residential security system, they are more likely to look for an easier target.

You don’t have to swear everyone you know to secrecy, but by taking a few extra precautions, you won’t have an unpleasant surprise when you return home.

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ProTELEC Holiday Office Hours

Posted on December 8, 2011 by ProTELEC Alarms

With the holiday season quickly approaching, we wanted provide you with our holiday office hours.

Please note that our Monitoring Centre is always open.  We are on the job and available every day – 24 /7.  Call us at 204-949-1415 or 1-866-949-1415.

Office Holiday Hours:

  • December 22 – Closed at 11:30am
  • December 23 – 26 Closed
  • December 27, 28, 29th open 8:30am – 5:00pm
  • December 30th – Closed
  • January 2, 2012 – Open 8:30am – 5:00pm
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Protect Your Family With Home Alarm Monitoring

Posted on November 18, 2011 by ProTELEC Alarms

You may have researched home protection systems and found that some were stand alone systems that just sounded an alarm while others connected to a central monitoring station. What’s the difference between the two? And which will better protect your precious family members?

A monitored home security alarm system means that when an intrusion occurs, a signal is sent directly to the monitoring system and immediate action takes place. Depending on how your system is set up, you’ll receive a call at home, work, or on your mobile phone, letting you know right away that something is wrong. Depending on the type of signal, your alarm monitoring company will alert the fire department, call police, or take other appropriate action.

Here are some other ways you can protect your family and your home with a residential alarm system that includes a 24/7 monitoring service.

Invest in a one-touch alarm for vulnerable family members. Is there someone in your family who spends much of the day alone? A one-touch alarm can provide a safety net for someone who may not be able to reach the phone after a fall or a medical emergency. The signal connects directly to central monitoring and emergency services are called immediately as needed. Systems like this one can also be configured with regular reminders to take medication.

Set up environmental monitors. Many house fires occur in the middle of the night and build quite slowly. With a smoke or rate of temperature rise detector, you’ll be notified that there’s a problem long before the fire becomes a danger to you and your family. You can also invest in carbon monoxide monitors to protect against this colorless and odorless gas.

Home alarm monitoring means that your family and your home is protected during the day or night.

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Protecting Your Employees With Safe Work Procedures

Posted on November 16, 2011 by ProTELEC Alarms

Does your business have safe work procedures in place for your employees? You should.

Even if you don’t operate in a traditionally dangerous work environment, conducting ongoing risk assessments and developing safe work procedures will protect both you and your workers. And white collar type business environments can still present dangers for employees, including unauthorized visitors in company offices, potentially violent domestic relationships, and disgruntled former employees. So how can you provide a safe work environment for your staff?

Experts on workplace safety recommend following these three steps:

(1) Develop written procedures. By analyzing the regular work activities of your employees, you can recognize when a written safety procedure is needed, review each work environment to identify hazards and controls, and create written documentation to assist both current and new employees.

(2) Regularly train your workers. It’s not enough to maintain workplace safety procedures, you must also work with your employees consistently to be sure they understand and know how to implement the policies. These educational sessions should identify specific hazards and the steps needed to reduce the risk.

(3) Add higher levels of risk management for vulnerable employees. Many of your workers will never encounter a risky situation in the workplace. But for remote employees or those working alone, the hazards can be much higher. Determine on a case-by-case basis who those workers are and create additional safety procedures to address special situations. One of the best strategies is to invest in an automated communication system that checks on your lone workers when you can’t.

Whether your business is heavy construction or selling insurance, give your employees the gift of a safe work environment.

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5 Tips For An Effective Visitor Management Policy

Posted on November 14, 2011 by ProTELEC Alarms

If you have children or have visited a public or private school lately, you might have noticed entrance signs directing visitors to the main office. These signs and other security measures help school authorities to manage and control visitors while keeping children safe.

But business environments are often lacking these same types of visitor management policies, which help to keep employees, contractors, and even customers from harm. Here are five tips in developing an effective visitor management policy for your company.

Steer visitors to one controlled entry point. Most businesses have some type of reception or entrance area. Find a way to funnel any non-employees through that point, and reward your front-line workers for monitoring any strangers.

Create a written policy. Give employees clear instructions when bringing in outside visitors and provide regular training, especially for those who work near entrance points.

Consider using visitor badges. If your company has an electronic access control system for entrances and exits, you’ll need to assign visitors a temporary pass. For any business, visitor badges are useful since they call attention to people who should have limited access to most areas.

Assign floor marshals. A floor marshal, generally an employee volunteer, approaches unknown visitors on company premises to be sure they have a reason to be there. Other workers should be encouraged to report potentially suspicious people to the floor marshal.

Invest in a commercial security system. An integrated security system protects both your physical assets and your most valuable human resources, and is generally very cost effective.

By thinking about your visitor management policy in advance, you’ll help employees to be ready for unusual situations that can occur.

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