Did you know that deaths and injuries from all natural disasters are only a fraction of those caused annually by fires in the United States? Did you realize that a home fire remains the most dangerous fire threat to most Americans?
In fact, about 81 percent of all fire deaths and 76 percent of all fire injuries occur in homes, according to the United States Fire Administration’s 2012 statistics.
While smoke and fire can be seen and smelled, a threat known as “the silent killer,” carbon monoxide gas poisoning, can’t be easily identified. This colorless, odorless gas is created when fuels like wood, oil, gasoline, coal, natural gas and propane burn inefficiently.
In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to approximately 80,100 non-fire carbon monoxide incidents, according to the National Fire Protection Association (the latest statistics available). In those events, carbon monoxide was found by the fire department. In addition, the number of carbon monoxide incidents has increased exponentially since 2003—by 96 percent (40,900 incidents in 2003).
Electronic Monitoring Services of Fire and Carbon Monoxide
You probably have a smoke detector installed at home and you might even have a carbon monoxide detector, too. Although these detectors are essential to home safety, there is yet another layer of protection that My Alarm Center can help provide—24/7—through home monitoring services.
Think about being at work with pets at home. A fire erupts from an electrical source in your home. Even though the smoke detectors are sounding, your pets are at risk of not being able to escape the fire and you don’t know it’s happening. But with My Alarm Center home monitoring, you can have additional wireless smoke detectors installed with special sensors that signal a fire to a dispatch system. Then, the fire department arrives on site at your door ready to put out the fire and save your beloved pets.
Similarly, imagine your aging mom lives at home alone. Her portable, fuel-burning space heater malfunctions and carbon monoxide fills the air. Because it’s colorless and odorless, she can’t detect it and could be sickened by the fumes or even killed by them. She might have a carbon monoxide detector alert her to the poison. Unfortunately, many people, like your mom, don’t believe that they’re at risk when the detectors sound because they can’t see or smell it. However, with My Alarm Center Wireless Home Security, you can have carbon monoxide detectors installed with sensors that speak to the dispatch station, which sends the fire department to get your mom out of the house and directly to safety.
Customizing the Warning
Also, through My Alarm Center, you can opt to have other warning systems alert you and your loved ones. For example, sensors can be installed to trigger the lights to turn on if fire or carbon monoxide is detected.
Finally, My Alarm Center’s home automation service, My Home, can send real-time alerts via your computer or smartphone to let you know fire and/or carbon monoxide was detected in the home while you’re away from it. Plus, you can customize the service to place a call to alert you of any dangers.
Next month see how My Alarm Center home security services can protect you and your family from damaging flood waters.