Alarm System False Alarms and What To Do When It Happens

Every once in a while we make a mistake or an accident happens. We are human after all. Sometimes we trip over the coffee table that’s been in the same place for years or spill water everywhere trying to carry too many things at once. When it comes to your home alarm system, false alarms can happen as well. Because an alarm system communicates with the local authorities many people freak out when their alarm goes off accidentally. They frantically try to shut off the alarm system and contact the monitoring station to stop police from coming. However, there are a few things you can do about alarm system false alarms when they occur.

Stay Calm!

When you have an alarm system false alarm the first thing to remember is to stay calm! Of course the siren will be blasting in your ear and you may have kids screaming or dogs barking but in the end just take a deep breath. If you get too flustered you may forget your passcode or forget how to disarm your alarm system. Staying cool and collected will help you solve you small issue.

Shut Off The Alarm System!

Even if it’s just an alarm system false alarm the siren still goes off just like any other time. The alarm system does not know it is you that created the alarm. If you’ve created an alarm system false alarm you should first go over and disarm the alarm system. You can do this via the Control Panel or a keychain remote device or even your phone. Just make sure to disarm the system to shut off the siren.

Wait For The Monitoring Station To Call

After your alarm goes off the monitoring station should be calling you to ask if everything is ok and if you need police assistance. If you’ve had an alarm system false alarm you can simply tell the monitoring station that the alarm triggered accidentally and you do not need assistance. The monitoring station will likely ask you for a ‘password’ to verify your identity before agreeing not to dispatch police. This is a safety measure to make sure intruders do not pick up the phone and say everything is ok so that the monitoring station won’t take action. Once you’ve told the monitoring station that all is well you should be good to go.

Call Your Alarm System Company

You may want to give you alarm system company a call after an alarm system false alarm to make sure that everything with your system is working correctly. Although it’s rare these days that a system malfunction will cause an alarm system false alarm it’s still a good idea to call and make sure.

If you follow these rules you’ll have no problem dealing with the pesky alarm system false alarm that may come about every once in a while. Remember to stay cool, disarm your system and wait for the monitoring station to call. You’ll be all set and won’t have to worry about possible false alarm fees either.