THE SETTING
At some point you will be faced with that moment of “panic”. The moment that you hope never has to come, but most likely will. That moment when your security system sounds and you just aren’t expecting it. Chances are you will be sleeping peacefully in the midst of a glorious dream, because that is always when emergencies seem to inconveniently occur. There will be loud noise everywhere. That is the moment where most people PANIC. Questions start to flood the mind. Did someone break in? If so, where? Is it a fire? Is it a false alarm? But the biggest and most lasting question is “What do I do?!”
STAY CALM
During an emergency you are biologically wired to react NOT think. However, it is vital in emergency situations that decisions are made based off of critical evaluation, not emotion. When the alarm begins to sound, take a moment to calm yourself before proceeding. Take. Deep. Breaths. Deep breaths sound silly, but they work. Also when faced with an emergency, individuals with a previously implemented plan seem to panic less and act more (we will talk about the plan more later).
KEEP YOUR PHONE NEARBY
It is important to keep your phone within reach for a couple reasons. First, in an emergency it is important that you have the ability to call for someone outside your home. Be ready to call that one person to let them know what’s going on. Second, when the alarm is tripped, the alert is immediately sent to your monitoring company. They in turn look at your file to determine which phone number to use in order to notify you of the event. It is important that you are near your phone to receive this call.
KNOW YOUR PASSWORD
When the monitoring company calls your home, they will ask for your password. In order to have flexibility in your choices you need to know this password. For example, if you know that it was a false alarm and you do not want the police notified, you must have your password. If you do not, they will dispatch the authorities under any circumstance.
HAVE A PLAN
Lastly, never forget to have a plan. Plans not only help you stay calm but they have the potential to save lives as well. It is important that whether it is a plan for potential burglary or fire that your family knows exactly what the procedure is. There should be no second guessing during a real emergency.
REMOTE SAFE
