Who Knew Home Security Could Reduce Household Hazards?
Home Security Systems Increase Safety To answer the question the title asks, we knew. We know how home security systems can reduce personal injuries and their complications and environmental issues in addition to break-ins. Once upon a time, the home security system was installed to keep burglars from breaking into homes and only for that reason, but systems have evolved into something much more. These systems detect carbon monoxide, smoke when there’s fire, and you can even contact emergency services at the push of a button. This makes the home security system a pretty amazing thing to have! SPS Fire and Security can install these systems so that you can make your home a much safer place than it is now. Reducing Personal Injuries It’s unfortunate that there are times when a minor accident can result in a serious injury. This is especially true for the elderly. The CDC says that one in five elderly people experience serious injuries like broken hips and other broken bones from simple falls. Children are also at high risk for accidents in the home. They are curious and get into everything. Here are some ways to minimize personal injury risks in the home: Invest in a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS). This is a bracelet that can contact emergency services at the touch of a button. This allows elderly people to have more independence in their homes. Add more security in high-risk areas. This is where we come in because we can add additional video surveillance in pool areas, around gates, in garages, and in areas where accidents could happen around the home. An alarm system can sound if certain doors are triggered. If you want the pool gate to trigger an alarm so you know if your child infiltrated the area, you can have that. Reduce Environmental Issues As mentioned before, home security systems can detect smoke when there’s fire and that invisible poison called carbon monoxide. Both can be deadly. Being notified in plenty enough time can save your life and the lives of the rest of your family. To reduce these environmental matters that could be life-threatening, you can do the following: Turn to a security provider that you trust and who will answer your questions when you have them. Make sure your security system is always up-to-date. Having the latest technology is a big deal. SPS Fire & Security will ensure your system is a great system. You can also keep your software up-to-date when prompted so that you don’t risk a security breach and so you can keep track of your home’s environment. Combat Break-Ins Of course, home security is aimed at eliminating break-ins so that everything you’ve worked hard for stays exactly where it is supposed to be. Your security system can be as simple as sensors on doors and windows or can be as involved as cameras placed around the property. You can also remotely access your system via your smartphone so that you know what’s going on at home when you’re away. Simply having the system can thwart break-ins, as you will most likely have a sign in your yard and a sticker on your door that says your home is protected. If a thief still gets brazen and they break into the home, the alarm will sound and the 24/7 monitoring service will be notified so authorities can be sent to the address. If you make video surveillance as a part of your system, you can catch the burglar’s face on video and it can be used as evidence. When they’re caught, it is hard to tell how many potential victims you saved. Contact Your Rochester, NY Home Security Company Protect your home and your life with a quality and technologically up-to-date home security system that will help reduce hazards and complications stemming from personal injury, from the environment, and from thieves that want to take what’s yours. To learn more, call SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348 or complete the contact form below and we will get back to you ASAP.
Tips for Dealing with Bank Scams
Protect Your Money Not only has there been door-to-door scams (in which your home video surveillance system can identify the individual) and many different kinds of telephone scams, one of the most recent scams that have come about is the bank scam. These bank scams happen in many different ways such as telephone calls and emails or letters similar to the ones the bank may send you. One important source of information to remember is that banks will never ask you for confidential information over the phone, so they are most likely not the ones calling you. This newest bank scam has many individuals super careful about the way they gave out their personal information. The person that calls will inform you that there is a safety or security problem with your account or your bank account card. They will also tell you that you can fix the problem right over the phone. Normally, when there is a problem associated with your account, you, as the account holder, are the one that contacts the bank, not the other way around. While keeping your bank accounts secure, don’t forget your home by contacting SPS Fire & Security. Consequences of Bank Scam Calls If this ever happens to you, one fast rule of thumb is wait at least five minutes and then contact your bank at the number on the back of your bank card. The reason for waiting five minutes is for security proposes due to the fact that the person calling you is not your bank and therefore they have not terminated the call. They are waiting for you to start dialing right away. What will happen is your think that you have dialed your bank when really the fake bank caller is still on the phone? It could be very bad. There are many things that could happen if you do not be careful about protecting your bank account and your bank account cards. Your account will become empty. The bank account card that has certain limit on it will be used to the max. You will and could become a victim of identity theft. Chances of other accounts you are associated with being hacked increases. What Can You Do to Avoid Bank Fraud? Your bank will never call you when your bank account is having issues. Normally you are the one that is calling the bank. So keep that in mind. Your bank will never call to ask you to transfer any amounts of money from one account to another. Like stated above, you are the one that is calling the bank or going online to transfer your own money. If for any reason someone calls you and claims to be your bank, wait five minutes before calling your bank. Let your bank know what has happened and they can put a freeze (put a stop to having access to your account for a period of time) on your account. That way the scammer can have no access to your account and you don’t loss money or become a victim of identify theft Never provide ANYONE that calls and claims to be your bank with information such as: name, address, telephone number (they should already have that one since they are the ones that called you), security questions, account numbers, social security number and more. If you have younger children in the house that might know any information associated with your bank account and they are old enough to be answering the telephone, make them aware of this bank scam and any other scam that is going on. Some children don’t know any better and might slip, telling the scammer personal information. Contact Your Rochester Security Alarm Company It is important to keep all elements of your life secure. Not only do you need to protect your bank accounts, but you need to protect your home and everything that you have worked for. Home security systems are a way to do that. If someone knocks on your door, trying to sell you something that isn’t legit or they want information from you, you can capture their face on a home surveillance system. If someone tries to enter your home, whether you are there or not, you and the central monitoring center will know so that the matter can be addressed promptly. If you have become a victim in any bank scams contact your bank you are associated with for help. If you have any questions associated home and phone security contact SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348.
Safety During Power Outages
What to do When the Power Is Out Every year, Rochester, New York sees some of the craziest wind. In some places, it has been known to reach speeds over 80 MPH which is considered hurricane force wind. One storm in 2017 had hurricane force winds that left many in the dark for a little over a day. Others had no electricity for more than a week. RG&E stated that on Wednesday March 8, 2017 at 2:30 PM there were an estimated of 31,000 customers in Monroe County without power and that number grow over the course of the day. Many businesses even closed early, and school events were canceled and rescheduled. The next day, Thursday, many schools closed. As of Sunday, March 12, 2017 there are 9,314 customers without power. During weather-related power outages like Rochester, New York faced, there are many residential and commercial security factors that should be kept in mind. Power Outage Safety Tips Keep in mind that if you lose power that you should contact a neighbor to see if they have also lost power. Sometimes it might just be a blown transformer or fuse from the power lines. If your neighbor tells you that they don’t have power, then go head and contact your local electrical company to report an outage. They will be able to look into the outage and send an employee out to assess the situation. If possible, check the local weather on the internet or a battery powered radio. To prevent overloading outlets, unplug any unnecessary appliances such as microwaves, coffee makers, and refrigerators and electronic devices such as computers, TVs, etc. Once you have unplugged the refrigerator and freezer, keep the doors closed as much as possible. If it is cold outside, think about getting a cooler or two and filling them with ice for the items that you might have to take out of the fridge. Food will last no more than 24 hours if you minimize the door being opened. If the outage is due to windy weather, don’t use outside grills or go outside for any reason because it could become dangerous with falling trees, falling power lines, and airborne debris. In the event that you ever experience an outage contact your local electrical company (RG&E 1-800-743-1701 or NYSEG 1-800-572-1131). Contact Your Rochester Alarm Company Today! Alarm systems have backup battery power that can last up to a specific amount of time. Know your battery life. If you want to keep your home secure during a power outage, contact SPS Fire & Security today to learn about how an alarm system can still protect your home even while the power is out. Remember that most power outages last less than half a day, but power outages can also be a time when burglars become more active around places they know won’t be occupied. Call today at 585-770-0348.
Age Guidelines for Staying Home Alone
When Are Kids Old Enough to Stay Home Alone? Age guidelines for staying home alone, is a very gray area for most people. Just because Macaulay Culkin who was eight years old at the time was able to stay home alone in the hit 1990 movie Home Alone, doesn’t mean that it is the right thing to do. Each state has their own laws about the appropriate ages to be left at home without supervision. The child’s age and their maturity also play a huge part in whether or not they can stay home solo. Basically, it comes down to discretion and the law. Home Alone with Home Security First, you want to have good home security in place to ensure your child has extra protection. If something goes wrong, the authorities can be alerted. This will give you added peace of mind. There are also many guidelines that you as a parent should follow if you are thinking about leaving your children at home by themselves: Age of the child Maturity level of the child The length of time the child will be home unsupervised Are other children being left home with your child The safety of the neighborhood Are there neighbors that can check in on the child Does the child feel safe staying home by themselves? Guidelines considering the age range for leaving a child home alone: 7 & Under: children that are seven years old and under should never be left alone at home for any length of time. This also includes never leaving them unattended in the car, at a playground, or the backyard. 8 to 10 years old: Children that are 8 to 10 years old can be left home only during daylight and early evening hours but only for no more then 1.5 hours. 11 to 12 years old: Children that are 11 to 12 years old can be left home for no more than 3 hours at a time and not overnight. 13 to 15 years old: Children that are 13 to 15 years old can be unsupervised for long periods of time but not overnight. 16 to 17 years old: Children that are 16 to 17 years old can be unsupervised and can stay home overnight up to two nights alone. Keep Your Family Secure Through a Rochester Home Security Company If you have children that are age appropriate and are ready to stay home alone consider contacting SPS Fire and Security at 585-770-0348 to learn about a security alarm that would be right for your home.
Fireplace Safety in the Winter
Tips for Safe Fireplace Use Many individuals buy a house with the added feature of a fireplace or buy a house with the intentions of putting a fireplace in. When getting a fireplace installed in your home, there are many things that you as a homeowner should think about, especially if you have small children in the house. There are many fireplace safety tips to consider: Your fireplace should be installed professionally. Every year before using your fireplace, you should hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. As a homeowner, you should make sure that your home has the right smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure that each detector works properly and has new batteries. When owning a fireplace, you should make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby. Never place any kind of material close to the fireplace. Flammable materials should be three or more feet from the fire. If there are pets or small children in the house, you might want to consider getting a gate to put around the fire place. Never burn anything that could cause the fire to get out of hand. Don’t burn trash, Styrofoam or plastic. Burning these things could lead to your fire getting out of control and becoming dangerous. Never use flammable liquids to get your fire started. There are fire starting logs that can help with getting your fire started easier. Also make sure you have a fire alarm installed in case the fire does get out of control when you are not in the room. You and your family can be alerted immediately and the fire department called so the fire can be taken care of as quickly as possible. Contact Your Fire Safety and Home Security Company For more information or questions regarding your fireplace or need to have smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors installed in your house, you can contact SPS security and Fire at 585-770-0348.
Protect Yourself Against Phone Scams
Identifying the Most Common Phone Scams What is this world coming to? Not only do we have door-to-door scammers, email scammers, and internet scammers but now scam artist have come up with new ways to scam the people that they are calling – through phone scams. And it should be noted that some types of phone scams can lead to a robbery. They might be putting out feelers to identify who is in the home, if there is a security system in place, and much more. Despite technological advances, telephone scams are getting more and more popular as a way to steal someone’s identity. Scam artist find it easier to do this type of scam and on their end a little safer because it is harder to catch the scammer doing it. There’s no paper trail like there can be on the internet. Plus, they are able to manipulate caller ID systems to make them look like something they’re not. Recently, there has been a new phone scam called “Can You Hear Me Now?” This scam is a way for the scam artist to access the sound of your voice that is recorded on the scam artist’s end. After the question “Can you hear me now?” is asked and you say “yes,” the scam artist will then say that you have agreed to something. During all the small talk back and forth, the scam artist is gaining access to your personal information or anything else that might be on your phone. Scam artists may use many other questions to gain access to your information. Some other questions they might ask are: Are you the lady of the house? Are you a homeowner? Do you pay the household telephone bill? Scams like this are being more and more popular and there are many ways that you can protect yourself from them. Protecting Yourself From Theft Through Phone Scams Don’t Recognize Phone Number: If there is ever a time that you don’t know the number calling or it says restricted, chances are it is someone you don’t know. If that ever happens, just let the call go to voicemail. Scam artists don’t ever leave messages and if it is someone other then a scam artist, they will leave a message. Act Slowly: Don’t always rush to answer your phone. Chances are if you are rushing thinking it is someone you might know and answer the call, you could end up being a victim of a targeted scam. Look carefully at all calls before answering and leaving the unknown numbers to go straight to voicemail. Don’t Answer Any Questions Over The Phone: Answering questions over the phone lead to information in many ways being leaked to the scam artist. Even the littlest details can help a scam artist gain access to your personal information. Never Give Out Information: No matter what, unless you initiate the call when buying anything over the phone, don’t give out your information. If a company ever calls you about an item that you have purchased, there are questions you can ask to verify the caller is really from the company you have purchased your item from. Don’t Pay: If you are ever ordering anything over the phone, the company that you order from normally doesn’t call you to initiate a payment. You as the customer always call the company to pay for your purchases. Never give out your payment information or social security number to an unknown number. One favorite tool of scam artists is asking for wire money transfers. If you ever hear the word wire transfer, you can be sure that it is a scam. Contact Your Rochester Security Company and Protect Yourself More! Take action now to be safer when answering the phone. You never know what scam artist is going to be calling next. If you have any questions on how to stay safe contact SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348.
Your February Home Safety Checklist
Safety Tips You Can Use Year Round Every year starts with resolutions, such as helping people more and losing weight. One resolution that some people forget about is home safety. It’s a good resolution to have and one that is not too late to make since it’s still early in the year. Below you will find a home safety checklist that you can use in February and year-round to make sure your home is as secure as possible. Bedrooms and Other Living Spaces Practice an emergency plan and come up with escape routes for each member of your family. Practice this escape route at least once a month so that everyone knows it well. Make sure there are flashlights with functional batteries in every storm in case the power goes out due to snow or a general power outage. Take a home inventory in case a time comes that you need to file an insurance claim due to burglary or damage to the home. Install smoke detectors in bedrooms and change the batter every time Daylight Savings Times begins and ends. Make sure instruction manuals and serial numbers to important things in these rooms are kept in a file. Include warranty papers. Hallway Test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. Also, remember that if you don’t have a home security system, they have built-in carbon monoxide detection and built-in smoke-detection so that authorities are alerted when these two dangerous elements are sensed and you aren’t interacting with the system. Make sure your fire extinguishers are full. The needle must be in the green. If the needle is not in the green zone, it is time to have it replaced or serviced. Make sure the hose isn’t cracked and that the handle and locking pin are in place. Kitchen Have a contact list on your refrigerator that includes all important numbers like Poison Control, the doctor, emergency services, and close family members. Check the hood fan of your range for signs of grease buildup, which can cause a fire, and regularly clean it so it performs properly. Check your kitchen fire extinguisher to ensure the needle is in the green and that nothing is broken or out of place. Deep clean your oven and range top. Use vinegar, baking soda, ice, hot water, and some lemon or lime to clean your garbage disposal. Basement Make sure the circuit breaker is clean to avoid outages and power surges. Make sure pipes are properly covered to make sure they don’t freeze. If the basement gets below 32 degrees, you are risking pipe freezing. Furnace filters need changed every four to six weeks. Air vents need to be dusted. Inspect the basement for cracks, leaks, or mold that could cause health hazards or other dangers. Make sure any outside doors to the basement are secure. If you are having a security system installed, you will want to have a sensor placed on the outside basement door, even if a thief would have to go through an interior door to access the contents of the home. Bathroom Make sure your first aid kit is full. Make sure windows have locks and that they are locked. This is something you should check throughout the entire house. Outside Check your outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting is extremely important in ensuring that you and visitors can see where you’re walking. Outdoor lighting is also a burglar deterrent. If you don’t have outdoor lights, have some installed. Motion lights are great additions. If you don’t have outside video surveillance, this is important as well. You can see who comes to your home. If someone isn’t welcome, you can see who they are. Overall Consider a full security solution. You can outfit your home to be safer, but checking fire extinguishers and making sure garbage disposals are clear don’t keep thieves away. Unfortunately, homes throughout Rochester and all over New York are being accessed by burglars daily because they don’t have security systems. Not only does this result in the loss of belongings, but a loss of personal security. Contact Your Rochester Security System Installer To make your home more secure, SPS Fire & Security has a full suite of solutions available to you. All you have to do is make the call and ask us about the solution that will fit your home and your needs. Call us today at 585-770-0348 to learn more.
Another Type of Home Security: Children and the Internet
How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online Another type of home security, children and the internet, is something that people wouldn’t usually link together. Recently across the internet there has been a very disturbing video of a young girl killing herself and it has been accessed by many young children across the nation. After hearing about this video, a great number of schools sent out a letter to parents stating that they are doing everything that they can do to protect children by controlling what they see on the internet. We as parents can not be with our children every waking minute of the day, but in order to ensure safety online during computer use, there are many steps you can take to make sure that your child doesn’t ever come across another disturbing video again. Teaching Children about Online Safety Online safety is another measure in home security because of the information that can be relayed on the internet. The most important rule for online safety for children is to set up a time with how long that children can go online. Your children should never give out personal information to anyone or at anytime. Giving out any information should be the decision made by the parent. Never give out your passwords to any one other then parents. Never allow children to post pictures without approval from the parents. It happens and people find a way to use pictures as a source to find out where you or your children are at. If messages come across the computer and you don’t know who the person is, don’t respond. Your child should close the opened app or window and tell an adult. Before downloading any software that might damage the computer, children should ask parents first. What Parents Can Do To Secure Online Safety If you have young children that are using the computer ,you want to do the following things to protect your children and the computer: Set up security guidelines (block all sites your children can not go on) on the computer. Your children should only be on age appropriate websites. Set up a timer to measure the length of time your children is on the computer. Some software programs have a timer that will allow the computer so shut off after a certain length of time. After your children has been on the computer, always be sure to check the browser history to see where your child went to. If you are not home and you don’t want your children to have access to the computer until you get home, there are ways to add a password to the computer. Make the password something that your children will never figure out. Contact Your Rochester Home Security Company For any questions about more online security and protecting your children contact SPS Fire & Security at 585-770-0348.
Home Security in the New Year
Make a Security Resolution The new year is almost here and so is the long list of New Year’s resolutions that you want to commit to so you can improve your life. One of the ways you can improve your life is through your level of home security. These are resolutions that can be applied to business security as well, such as adding surveillance cameras where they need to be or upgrading existing cameras to ones that have better picture quality. Regardless of whether you need improved security for home or business reasons, here is a list of home security resolutions that you can use to make life a bit safer for you, your family, your belongings, your business, or all your interests: Improve Your Habits Make sure doors are locked, the security system is set, batteries are changed in smoke detectors, and that lights are on when they need to be. Install timers for lights, especially before going on vacation, and make sure you have good outdoor security. A home or business that is lit up is one a thief is more likely to stay away from. Consider Adding Extra Security It may not be enough to have an alarm because thieves can strike other parts of your property. Surveillance cameras can capture who is outside. If someone breaks into an outbuilding or tries to break into your house, you can acquire footage that will help authorities catch the culprits. Replace Outdated Security Systems It is good for homeowners and business owners to replace outdated security systems. If your system is old, you could do better. Systems now have fire and carbon monoxide detection built in. You can add motion detectors and more sensors. There are many possibilities. All you have to do is talk to a security company that specializes in advanced systems. It is even possible to turn your home into a smart home, which makes life more convenient for you. Home automation is becoming very hot with the ability to remotely arm the security system, unlock doors, turn lights on and off, and even adjust the thermostat. All of this can be done from a smartphone. Change Your Passcode If you already have a security system, it is good to change your passcode. Having the same passcode all the time is a security risk. In fact, it is good to change it a couple times a year. Now is a good time to change it for the first time this year. Make sure you give the new code to everyone who needs to have it and remind them not to share it with anyone. Lock Outside Buildings If you have outside buildings on your property, keep them locked. Add outside video surveillance to give better security. You also want motion lights so that they are triggered when someone comes on the property. Light is always a good defense against burglars. Buy a Fireproof Safe If you haven’t already, you need a fireproof safe. While the security system, motion sensors, video cameras, and window and door sensors are all designed to keep thieves out, having valuables in a fireproof safe can give them even more protection in case someone does get in. One of the first places a thief visits when inside a home is the bedroom. When inside a business, they will go to the office in hopes they can find money, catch a cash register on the way, or break into the safe. Call Your Rochester Home Security Company To make yourself safer this year, consider investing in a modern home security or business security system. If your home or business is ever broken into or someone attempts to do so, you will be very glad that you protected everything you care about in this way. Call SPS Fire & Security today at 585-770-0348 to learn more.
Airport Safety Tips & Personal Security
Stay Safe While Traveling After hearing about Rochester International Airport receiving suspicious bomb threats on Thursday December 29, 2016, people who travel by plane should take airport safety tips seriously. These tips will assist you in making sure that you have safe travels. Keep Yourself Safe at Home as Well! Many people were either coming to the airport or just getting ready to board or get off their flight. Report from the news says that many did not expect to come to the airport to see that the roads blocked off and hear that they would have to wait to even get in. Airport Safety Tips Listen to Authority: If this situation ever happens to you, first and foremost, listen to authority. The proper authority will be contacted and arrive in a timely fashion. Don’t move or open anything that might look suspicious: Like the incident that happened at the Rochester International Airport with the two unattended bags, if you see anything out of the ordinary, don’t do anything without proper instructions. Leave all suspicious items to the proper authority to inspect. Act calm and appropriately: If you and your family or friends get separated in any case, act calm, as you will be connected once the incident is over. Keep track of all your belongings during emergency situations: Keep a close eye on all your luggage, bags and any young children you happen to be traveling with. Just because one incident happened at a local airport doesn’t mean that it has to put a damper on your future travel plans. If you or a loved one are traveling in the near future just always be cautious about your surroundings and keep in mind the above safety tips. Ensure Personal Security Through a Security Alarm Company Don’t forget to contact your security company to give them a heads up that you and your family will be away from home so if anything goes wrong at home you can be contacted in a timely fashion. Call SPS Fire & Security today at 585-770-0348 for a free consultation.