Enjoy Peace of Mind With SafetyNet

Posted on March 7, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Do you work alone most of the time or spend your day outside the office with an unpredictable schedule? Do you travel away from home on business much of the time? Then you might be looking for a mobile safety net that’s easy to use and simple to carry with you.

For most people, keeping your mobile phone with you is second nature. So why not use your mobile as a safety location device?

With a service like SafetyNet, you can turn your Blackberry into your own quick response emergency service. Here’s how it works.

One-touch alert. SafetyNet uses the GPS locator in your mobile phone. In an emergency, just press a single button and a call for help is transmitted immediately to the Emergency Monitoring Centre. They’ll know your exact location and can alert the police or fire department, or call an ambulance right away.

Continued location broadcasting. Emergency personnel rely on exact location information when sending help. That’s why, until the alarm is cancelled, SafetyNet continues to send updated location details every minute. That’s true peace of mind.

Easy to install and use. The mobile app is quickly and easily installed on your Blackberry. And when you need the service, your emergency signal is always handled by an experienced security professional. SafetyNet works anywhere in North America where there’s cellular coverage.

And there’s more. You can also add regularly scheduled auto-location tracking throughout the day and night. Need regular location check-ins? Set up SafetyNet Check-In. It’ll even help you find your phone if it goes missing.

Try SafetyNet absolutely free for 15 days. Click here to start your free 15-day trial.

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Protect Your Business and Yourself With Guard Alarm Response

Posted on March 5, 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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Home Security Checklist

Posted on March 2, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Use This Home Security Checklist and See How You Stack Up

You probably know that most burglars are looking for the easiest targets they can find when choosing homes to break in to. They want easy access to valuable items that can be removed from the house quickly. Otherwise, they’ll look for another house to target.

But you don’t have to become a burglar’s next victim. There are plenty of simple and proactive steps you can take to make your home a less attractive target. Here’s a checklist to help you get started.

(1) Do you have good nighttime lighting for the entry doors of your home? Consider lights with an infrared detector.

(2) Are trees and shrubs well-maintained and positioned so they don’t provide cover for intruders? Don’t neglect your landscaping even during the winter months.

(3) Do you and your closest neighbors keep an eye on each other’s homes and alert others to unusual activity in the neighborhood? Collaborating with neighbors can be one of the best deterrents to crime.

(4) Do you routinely lock all doors leading to the outside (garage, basement, etc)? An unlocked door is an invitation to a burglar.

(5) When you leave home, even for a night, does your house look occupied? Use lights on timers to give the illusion.

(6) Could you improve security by installing a residential alarm system? Burglars hate being observed. Getting a residential security system is one of the best ways to deter potential thieves.

By asking yourself these questions and taking action to correct any areas that are lacking, you’ll keep your home and your neighborhood safer.

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Protect Your Retail Workers With Automated Check-In

Posted on February 29, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Are you a retail employee who spends part of the day working alone? Do you employ retail workers who may not have another employee to back them up? Then you might want to consider using an automated communication system that maintains a line of regular communication throughout the day.

Retail establishments are not immune from some of the problem customers that you see in convenience stores and service stations. You or your employees may be at risk for potential robberies or assaults. And it may not be practical to have a security officer on site at all times.

That’s where a solution like CheckMate comes in. A system that uses automated phone calls to check-in and ensure the safety of workers throughout their shift, CheckMate provides backup for those times when employees are on the job, alone. Here’s what you can expect.

Easy to set up, easy to use. Enter employee schedules via a secure website. There’s no hardware to install and the interface is easy to use. Have workers with ever changing work schedules? You or your employee can make changes remotely using Check-in Express.

Minimal interruptions, maximal peace of mind. We know that your workers have plenty to do during their shift. That’s why the check-in calls require just a few seconds to answer, and your employee is back on task.

100% reliable. The system doesn’t rely on human memory to make the calls. But when a check-in call goes unanswered, an alarm goes directly to a central monitoring system, and human operators are ready for action.

Improve the safety of your retail establishment today by taking advantage of an automated communication system like CheckMate.

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Access Your Commercial Security System

Posted on February 27, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Access Your Commercial Security System From a Smart Phone

Does your business have a commercial security system? Perhaps one that includes closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) along with other features? If so, you know how convenient it is to keep an eye on your business via an Internet connection when you’re somewhere else. But did you know you can also access your security system via your mobile phone?

As more and more people carry smart phones, mobile applications are popping up everywhere. And remote access to your commercial alarm system can improve security and increase your peace of mind whether you’re traveling to and from your business or out of town for a week. Here’s what you can expect.

You’ll need a smart phone, such as a Blackberry, iPhone, or Android to use the remote access capability. Since the web interface has security features, you’ll have to gather passwords and usernames for the account. And you may need to complete additional verification steps before accessing the system.

Once you’ve gained access, you can watch over your business even when you’re not in front of a computer. The system can be configured to provide real-time alerts based on various monitoring features.

For example, if you monitor environmental conditions in a server room, you can receive alerts directly on your phone if temperatures rise or fall beyond specified limits. Getting this vital information without delay means you’ll always have the data you need to keep your business operating at the highest level.

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Is Your Home A Target For Burglars?

Posted on February 24, 2012 by ProTELEC Alarms

Although it can be difficult to protect your home from professional thieves, most burglaries are carried out by amateurs. And since these types of thieves are looking for the easiest target, by taking some basic precautions, you have a much better chance of convincing them to move to the next house on their list.

Here are some ways you can avoid making your home an attractive target.

Always lock up. While most people lock their doors when they plan to be gone for long periods of time, they may not bother when going out for a short time. And don’t forget to lock the front door while you’re busy in the back yard. Most burglars enter homes through unlocked doors and windows.

Light up the entrances. Thieves generally avoid choosing targets where they can be seen entering or leaving. Consider installing exterior lights with an infrared detector, especially for your back door.

Bury your spare key. Instead of keeping an extra door key in a not-so-hard-to-find place, wrap it in plastic or place it in a spare film canister, and bury it where only you know where it is.

Keep a lived-in look. You never want potential burglars to think that no one’s home, especially if you’ll be gone for several days. Use timers to turn on lights and radios or stereos in different parts of the house in your absence.

Get a dog. While house pets are not the equivalent of a trained guard dog, even a small dog with a big bark can deter potential thieves. Most burglars won’t want to deal with any type of dog and will move on to the next house.

By spending a little extra time thinking about how your home could be vulnerable, you can make your home less of a target for burglars.

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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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