Triangle area

4 Tips for Fire Safety

October is Fire Prevention Month; fire departments nationwide hold educational events focused on fire and home safety.  To support this effort, we’ve compiled four tips to help keep you and your family safe:

1)  Smoke Alarms

  • Smoke alarms are essential. If you don’t have them, install them or have them installed by a North Carolina-certified electrician.
  • Maintain your smoke alarms – to make sure they are working properly, test your smoke alarms at least once a year by pressing the test button to be sure the alarm is working. And don’t let them get too old – consider replacing all smoke alarms in your home every 7-10 years.
  • When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside. Then call 911 and stay outside until the fire department says it’s safe to re-enter your home.
  • Connecting additional smoke alarm detectors to your security system and monitoring them can add additional peace of mind—when the alarm sounds, the fire department is automatically called and can be dispatched. With a hardwired home security system,  auxiliary smoke/heat/CO sensors don’t have batteries that require changing and have a backup battery for when the power is out. Also, many of Secur-Tek’s additional smoke alarms sound at the keypad – so you don’t have another beeping unit on your ceiling.  It sounds at the keypad and can be cleared when the smoke/issue has passed.

2)  Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers should be available on every level of the home, especially in the kitchen and garage. Store them in accessible places or mount them on the wall for easy access.

Read the instructions carefully and teach all family members how to use it.

When using a fire extinguisher, it helps to remember the PASS technique:

P – Pull the pin

A – Aim directly at the source of the fire

S – Squeeze the lever slowly and smoothly to get the flow even

S – Swipe back and forth to contain and eliminate all burning fuel

3) Prevent household fires

  • Kitchen fires caused by unattended cooking are a major cause of fires. Don’t leave items unattended and remember to turn all pot handles inward.
  • Ensure your fireplace screen covers the entire fireplace
  • Have proper ventilation for heaters and other small appliances
  • Use the correct size fuses and check for worn-out electrical wiring
  • If you use many Lithium-ion batteries, Install Heat Sensors. Many insurance companies require a monitored heat detector in the garage if an EV charger is installed.

4)  Make an Escape Plan:

In the event of a home safety emergency, every second counts. According to the National Fire Protection Association, you may have less than two minutes to escape after your smoke alarms sound. That’s why it’s important to be prepared – plan and practice an escape route with your family:

  • Walk through your home and identify at least two ways out of each room. If windows or doors are blocked, clear them so they can be opened
  • For two-story houses, consider equipping bedrooms with escape ladders to provide additional exits. This safety feature is best added during construction and Secur-Tek has these in stock.
  • Decide who should assist small children or infants out of the home.
  • Assign a meeting spot outside that is a safe distance away from your house – like the mailbox, tree, or neighbor’s house
  • Ensure your street address is visible for first responders to see
  • If you have children, teach them how to call 9-1-1 after arriving at your meeting spot and help them memorize your home address
  • Once you have your escape plan, stage a practice fire drill **.

Secur-Tek , Inc. offers customers the best in home security – combining a personal touch with industry knowledge and connections built on 35+ years in the industry.  We hand-select name-brand suppliers, like First Alert, the most trusted brand in fire safety*.

Our service area includes Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro in North Carolina.  Call us at 919-387-1800 or use the form below.

Resources:

For more information on safety and fire prevention go to: https://www.apexnc.org/335/Safety-Information or your local government safety office.

For information on heat alarms, please see https://secur-tek.com/sensors-and-your-security-system/

*First Alert Brand Trust Survey, March 2023 – Results are based on the responses of 1,043 adult homeowners, ages 25 and older, living in the United States who completed an online survey asking them to choose from six brands in the smoke, fire and carbon monoxide protection space.

**We recommend a test of the security system every month. If you would like to incorporate this into your practice, have the system placed on test (make sure it is on test), then hold the Fire panic button, and the siren will sound in your home. Please be mindful of neighbors, dogs, children when you do this.

 

 

 

Home Security Tips for Vacationers

Do you worry about your home when you leave to go on a trip? Check this list before you leave, these handy tips may help increase your peace of mind while you’re away.

Before you leave, you’ll want to create the illusion that somebody is still home:

  • Set your lights on timers to go on and off at different times in different rooms, preferably when they would when you are home.
  • Create the sound of someone at home by programming or setting a time for your radio, sound system, or television to turn on and off.
  • Leave a car in the driveway – even better, have a close family member, friend, or neighbor park there or move it from side to side occasionally.
  • If you normally leave a hose uncoiled in the yard or a few toys around – do so. The idea is to look like things are normal!

Other tips:

  • Consider your windows. Should you leave your curtains or blinds closed — or open? You may think closing your curtains will prevent people from peering inside your home. However, closed curtains also stop those who aim to help — the police, your neighbors, or friends — from seeing inside your house. So, leave your curtains exactly as you usually keep them when you are at home. Remember – you want to create the illusion that things are normal. Of course, never leave expensive items, like jewelry or computers, out where they are visible from the window.
  • Keep the outside neat. If you are going on an extended trip, arrange to have your lawn mowed. Nothing signals “not home” stronger than an unkempt yard, especially one that is normally regularly manicured.
  • Run by the post office (or fill out the online form) to ask them to hold your mail. Cancel any deliveries scheduled for that week. Or ask a trusted friend or neighbor to collect them for you while away.
  • Stow away your valuables and important papers. Lock up any valuable jewelry, deeds, titles, and small electronic devices. Thieves want to get in and out fast, carrying as many valuables as possible, so things that are small and easily transported are targets. If you don’t have a safety deposit box, store these types of items in a fireproof lockbox. Great places to hide the lockbox are in children’s bedrooms or playrooms, laundry room, garage, or the kitchen. Thieves will look in master bedrooms and living spaces.
  • Remove Your Spare Key(s). If a criminal figures out you’re away on vacation, it’s likely that they will first check your porch and obvious locations for a spare key.  That plastic rock or hiding place under a mat/flowerpot won’t fool them.
  • Keep quiet on social media. Don’t announce you are leaving or your whereabouts right before or during your vacation. Many of us enjoy keeping up with friends and family on platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. The perceived anonymity of the Internet can encourage us to share personal information without fully realizing that there could be strangers viewing our daily musings. So try to avoid posting pictures and updates showing you at locations away from home until you are home.
  • Be careful what you say on your voicemail or email auto-response. People trying to reach you don’t need to know that you’re out of town — they just need to know that you can’t respond right now.

Then, for the highest level of assurance, alert your:

  • Home Security Company and double-check that your door and window alarms are activated before you leave. Also, leave a house key and the code with someone you trust and provide the police and alarm company with their name and phone number.
  • Consider adding cameras or a video doorbell to your home security system so you can check on your home while you are away.

And if your home is not monitored, consider adding that service for 24/7 protection.

Final Tip: Right before leaving , save yourself and the environment and Pull the Plug!  Disconnecting the power to electronics, like computers, routers, televisions, and other appliances can save you money while you’re gone and eliminate worry. Turning off your garage door opener is also an effective way to keep thieves from opening it with a universal remote. Finally, never leave a portable GPS in your car when parking at the airport. It’ll alert thieves that you’re not home and give them a convenient map to your house.

Secur-Tek wishes you and your families a safe and worry-free vacation holiday!

Secur-Tek’s provides home and business security in Central North Carolina, including Raleigh and the Research Triangle area.  If you are interested in a home security system or would like to add monitoring to your current system, please give us a call at 919-387-1800.

More than Home and Business Security Systems

home and business security banner

Security is our industry, but at Secur-Tek, it’s not just a business.  Our job is to help people feel safe, more secure, and able to get help when it’s urgently needed.

As a locally owned and operated company based in Apex, North Carolina, we are proud to serve our neighbors in the greater Triangle area, including:  Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro.

We appreciate our customers. If you contact us, we’ll take the time to understand your situation and give you an honest quote on a quality security system customized to fit your needs.

Our installation is done by trained technicians who are part of our team, not subcontractors. And we service what we sell.

Some of the custom security system features frequently asked for include:

  • Cameras – indoor and outdoor cameras
  • Security – dual technology motion detectors, with the combined strength of microwave and PIR technologies providing superior detection and reduced false alarms
  • Video doorbells – see who is at your door without having to be there
  • Smart locks – go key free; lock and unlock from anywhere

Secur-Tek can also include smart devices that can make your life more convenient, all connected by the Resideo Total Connect® app, including:

  • MyQ Garage door control
  • Smoke and CO detectors – these life safety devices actively protect you 24/7, even if the system is not armed
  • Temperature controls – to control your climate and save money on your heating/cooling bills
  • Water leak monitors

We also offer special customizations to make life easier for senior citizens. With our Total Connect app, family members can receive event notifications and alerts, letting them know when the senior arms/disarms the security system or presses a button to call for help. When needed, a text alert can be sent when a medicine cabinet or the door to the garage is opened.  And it can help with communication – for example, having a Total Connect camera near the TV will allow the caregiver to chat with their loved ones after their favorite program.

We’ve been in business since 1990 and have many long-time customers. We’ve grown by referral. And we appreciate that!

If you have any questions or would like a complimentary quote, please call us at 919-387-1800 or fill in the form below.

 

HOA Security and Access Control

Homeowner associations in subdivisions, planned communities, or condominium buildings make and enforce rules for the properties and residents. HOA-governed communities often have common areas like swimming pools, fitness centers, and clubhouses.

A private swimming pool run by a homeowner association is an attractive amenity for property owners and potential buyers. However, while they can be popular, pools create some liabilities for the association that need to be addressed to avoid safety and legal concerns. To retain the benefits that a pool brings to the community, the HOA board of directors or association management should mitigate these risks of operating a pool by instituting proper safety measures.

There are four areas of risk to consider:

  • Individuals getting hurt or drowning in the pool area
  • Chemical imbalances in the water that can cause illness
  • Overcrowding and unauthorized entry – this includes people swimming during closed hours or unsupervised children or pets gaining access
  • Vandalism

To mitigate these risks, a HOA should consider:

  1. Proper fencing and gating – this is a basic requirement and is required by North Carolina State law. Check here for a FAQ on Wake County Pool Regulations.
  2. Control access – options available to HOAs include mechanical coded lock systems, magnetic strip key cards, and coded key fobs. Card and key fobs are the most popular solutions to control swimming pool and fitness center access. Requiring proximity cards or badges to enter the pool gates keeps strangers or unattended children out while offering convenient access to members or residents. They can also be set up to open gates at specific times and coded so authorized personnel can review when keys are used for legal as well as illegal entry.
  3. Cameras – A perimeter fence and locked gate is a good start but will not always deter trespassers or vandalism and can’t help in identifying the perpetrators if this happens. Cameras are recommended to supplement fencing and gates. Cameras serve two purposes. If they are openly visible to people entering your community, they will serve as a deterrent to vandalism and off-hours entry. They will also provide helpful evidence for prosecuting individuals caught in the act of committing crimes or in enforcing violations of an HOA’s governing documents. In addition, should someone get hurt or drown, cameras offer the option to review the situation to ensure that safety equipment was in place and that lifeguards and EMTs followed protocol.    It is important to note that cameras should be regularly checked and maintained to ensure proper operation.

Key Considerations when installing or upgrading pool surveillance cameras:

1) Fencing and camera line of sight: Angles and positioning are major concerns for the direction you would like to aim the camera. Be mindful of potential visual obstructions that could become a problem in terms of where the camera is positioned.

2) Height off the ground: If possible, cameras should be placed at least nine feet above the floor/ground, so that it will be more difficult for would-be intruders to tamper with them.

3) Image quality: Your surveillance cameras should have “recognizable” image quality that could be used to identify a suspect or clarify a situation.  After all, what good is having video footage if you can’t use it when you need to? In addition to having the right camera, there needs to be enough lighting at night where the cameras are placed to produce usable images.

4) Camera angles for a clear view: For example, a camera that is positioned in an area with seasonal trees may be fine in the winter, but leaves may block the view in the summer. Or if you have a camera positioned towards nighttime lighting or morning/evening sun, it could hinder the camera’s field of vision during that time.

Secur Tek, Inc. has experience helping HOAs in the Triangle Area select and install the right equipment for the situation, budget, and homeowner requirements. We’d be happy to talk with you if you are in our service area, which includes Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro in North Carolina.

 

To learn more, visit our HOA page.  Contact us by filling out the form or calling 919-387-1800.