A Safe Plan Of Action
Taylor Jensen writes about Home Security at http://www.ushomesecurity.com, is considered an expert in the field of wireless home security, and has published hundreds of articles informing consumers about what to look for when considering a home security system.
The air has that tang of salt, breathed and tasted nowhere but the beach. Sea gulls whirl and cry above the roar of the surf. You raise your hand against the glare of endless glistening waves as your companion leans intimately toward you. Your senses are blissfully lulled and then…
The telephone rings. Your disrupted dream shatters into stark reality. You awaken disoriented, cursing the phone and fumbling to find the handset in the dark.
“H’lo,” you mumble.
“This is Central Station Alarm Monitoring for High-Tek Home Security,” a crisp voice states. “Your home security system has activated. The motion detector set off the silent security alarm. Police have been dispatched. Please state your security password and indicate your status.”
Your sleep-numbed brain struggles to recall the password, coming fully alert as you realize that somebody has set off the alarm. Straining for sounds of an intruder, you leap to your feet and send the blood rushing from your head. Steadying yourself, you reach for your robe, but stand immobilized in the dark for several minutes wondering what you should do.
The doorbell rings and you realize it is the police–you hope it is the police. You cautiously peer around the corner and down the steps and descend to answer the door with your heart still pounding.
Words are exchanged. You stand by the door while officers search the house and trespass into every corner and closet. You smile inwardly, thankful that you tidied the kitchen and put your dirty underwear in the hamper last night. They return shortly, irritated to report “no intruder and all windows and doors secure.” You wait for their dreaded words.
“False alarm!”
Confused, you look at the motion detector and talk it over with yourself. “The system has been working perfectly for a month and a half. What changed? When?”
Moments later, movement draws your attention to the left as fronds on a 5-foot tall Norfolk Island Pine begin bobbing up and down in the air flow from the overhead vent. A thank-you gift from your friend Sandra, it arrived last weekend, just before the drop in nightly temperatures caused the heat pump to cycle on and off overnight. You exhale in relief, and annoyance.
What have you learned? That new or relocated objects can cause false alarms? Sure, but what about the need to have a plan of action AFTER the monitoring system activates? Standing frozen beside your bed wondering what to do is no plan! Flight or fight, hide or seek–figure it out ahead of time in the light of day. You’ll sleep better and wake next time knowing what to do.
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