Secur Tek

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.

 

 

 

Seven Handy Home Automation Features

A security system with home automation features—like cameras, smart locks, and lighting control—can add convenience and increase your peace of mind. To see how, check out these seven handy home automation features:

1) See what’s going on at home while you’re away.

  • Know immediately if a family member has arrived home or left the premises.
  • Speak to babysitters or your children through the Total Connect® app for reassurance and to let them know you are watching.
  • Get push notifications, email, and video alerts when events occur, like when you have a delivery or a stranger is at the door.
  • Monitor key hallways, staircases, and doors with live, look-in video.
  • Receive a notification of selected events – for example, if a bathtub or toilet overflows or when an extreme temperature has been sensed.

2) Check if the garage door is closed. Have you ever driven away and wondered if you left the garage door open? If you have kids (or another forgetful family member), it can be worrisome when they leave the garage door open. A great solution to this is the MyQ app, which works well with Resideo Total Connect.

With the MyQ app, you can not only check if the door is closed, you can even accept home deliveries safely even when you’re at work – with the deliveryman on the phone, you can open the door, watch him put your package inside, then shut the door to keep everything safe until you return home.

3) Garage/Outbuilding Monitoring. In addition to monitoring the door of your garage or other building, if needed, you can keep tabs on the temperature inside. This can be important if you store items in your garage that can be harmed by extreme heat or cold –  and can be achieved by adding a temperature sensor to your Total Connect system.

4) Vacation Home Alerts. If you are away on vacation or own a vacation home, a “hard freeze” alert can let you know if special measures need to be taken to prevent burst pipes and flooding. In addition, water sensors can detect leaks and send warnings before they become a flood.

5) Power-saving “Mockupancy”. When you’re on vacation, your home automation system can turn lights on and off at random intervals when your house is in “vacation” mode, saving energy while creating the illusion that someone is home and moving from room to room.

6) Lock Programming. The Total Connect app scenes and schedules feature can keep everyone safe and comfortable and free you from having to remember to adjust the thermostats, turn lights on or off, or lock the doors at night, so If you sometimes wonder if you locked the door(s), don’t lose sleep worrying. If your teens are old enough to come home by themselves after school or late at night, you can have a text message or e-mail notification sent to you to let you know exactly what time they arrived home.

7) Warning Alert Lights. The lights can be programmed to flash all over the house or in certain areas when a smoke detector goes off or the security alarm is activated. It’s sometimes hard to hear all of your various bells and buzzers when you’re watching TV or listening to music in another room, but these events are hard to miss when the overhead lights let you know what’s happening.

Interested in learning more?

Call Secur-Tek at 919.387.1800 (or fill out the form below) and ask about customizing a monitored security and automation system for your home.

 

Are you on Facebook?  If so, you can follow our page for safety tips and events in Raleigh, Apex, Cary and Garner North Carolina.  https://www.facebook.com/SecurTekNC

 

 

 

Sensors and Your Security System

sensors and safety home security

When you think of a home or business security system, you might think of window and door sensors.  However, there are other sensors that can be integrated into your security system to improve your safety and security.  

Smoke detectors  

Smoke alarms are essential for a home or business. According to the National Fire Protection Association, 50% of all fatal home fires occur while people are sleeping.  When there is a fire, these alarms detect smoke particles and can warn you before you even smell the smoke, so you and your family can get out of the home safely. When integrated into a monitored security system, the fire department will be notified of a fire, even if you are away from home. 

Heat Sensors

Heat detectors differ from smoke alarms as they respond to high temperatures, not smoke particles, making them an ideal sensor for garages, attics, or commercial environments that are dusty or have exhaust fumes that could cause false alarms by a smoke detector. Fires that start in these areas are often not quickly detected and can be devastating. When the heat alarm is connected to your home security system, the smoke alarms will go off if the heat sensor is triggered, and if your system is monitored, call the fire department.

Heat sensors are recommended if you use many Lithium-ion batteries – in fact, some insurance companies are requiring homeowners to have a monitored security system with a smoke/heat sensor in the garage if an EV charger is installed.

Motion sensors

These sensors detect movement and can trigger alarms by sending a signal to your security system that an intruder is detected. This sets off the alarm, and if your system is monitored, it alerts the monitoring center to a potential threat in your home.

Glass break detectors

These are set to detect the frequency of the sound of breaking glass, they will set off the alarm. This lets you know if an intruder is trying to enter your home by breaking a window or glass door.

Gas Detectors

Carbon monoxide detectors are recommended by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA).  Large amounts of CO can overcome a person in minutes, causing them to lose consciousness and suffocate. The gas has no odor, color, or taste – it cannot be detected by the senses, so detectors are a good idea to protect your family and pets.

Leak detection

Water sensors detect leaks from appliances and water pipes, preventing or limiting damage. It’s a growing problem; according to the American Insurance Association, water damage claims have been growing faster than any other component of homeowners insurance. Adding a water leak detector to your security system can alert you if this happens – our monitored smart system can even turn off a water shutoff to minimize damage.

Specialized sensors and monitoring systems

Secur-Tek can design specialized systems to fit specific needs. For instance, if you need to monitor elderly parents, systems can be set up to send notifications when they get up out of bed, open the medicine cabinet, or when there is no activity in the home for a period of time.

 

To learn more about how a security system with sensors can improve your safety and peace of mind, call Secur-Tek at 919-387-1800  or fill out the form below.

 

Resources

How to minimize risk from lithium-ion batteries

Home fire prevention tips from FEMA

Product alert – New Video Doorbell

first alert video doorbell

Have you been thinking about adding or upgrading your home security system by adding a video doorbell? 

If so, there is good news for the Raleigh/Durham area: Secur-Tek, Inc. now has the new VX1 HD Video Doorbell from First Alert!

With this new model, you can select and receive the alerts you want — like when there is a package delivery, animals, people, and/or vehicles — from your Total Connect home security system, right to your phone or PC.

In addition, this doorbell features:

  • A durable design that can withstand a variety of extreme weather conditions – including temperature, (-40 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit), humidity, dust, moisture, and ultraviolet rays.
  • Innovative AI that can reduce false alarms by detecting and differentiating between people, packages, vehicles, and animals. Homeowners can customize notifications and detection areas based on their needs.
  • Deterrence Features, including siren & spotlight LED.
  • Night vision Modes: IR (infrared light) and color night vision
  • Field of view options: Tall, Wide, and Full.
  • High Resolution: 5MP sensor, 2592×1944 pixels max.
  • Better Wi-Fi connection with Dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5Ghz
  • Anytime, anywhere programming, troubleshooting, account creation, and more via web, IOS, and Android devices.

 

If you are located in our service area and would like to learn more, contact Secur-Tek at 919-387-1800 or fill out the form below.

Secur-Tek, Inc. is locally owned and operated in Apex, NC, offering home and business security, monitoring, controlled access, automation, audio, and central vacuum systems.  We serve Apex, Cary, Fuquay-Varina, Chapel Hill, Clayton, Garner, Holly Springs, Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville, and Pittsboro in North Carolina.