How accessible is your property in case of emergency?

Starting a new year is always a good idea to switch around the codes on your security devices, particularly if you have changed tenants or have new domestic staff on the property.
But, the cardinal rule is to ensure you alert your security provider to these changes.
Ensuring your security profile is up to date is probably one of the best security measures a homeowner can make.
The last thing you want is your security company being unable to access your property when you are under attack or have a medical emergency.
High walls and electric fences are a great deterrent in keeping criminals out, but they can also have the reverse effect if they prevent access by security officers.
According to Charnel Hattingh, head of marketing and communications for Fidelity ADT, they have had cases in the past where clients’ suffered a medical emergency and even though they pressed their panic, access to the property was a problem. This is because the remote control was out of the client’s reach who was incapacitated by a stroke.
“As a result, nobody could enter the property to help her.”

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Fidelity recommends if access is difficult, homeowners must consider combination locks, lockboxes or access keypads.
Both of these can only be accessed with a secure code shared between the homeowner and the security company.
As long as that code is not changed the system works well.
“We are, however, finding in some cases that a homeowner may have changed their code as a result of an incident or perhaps just as a safety precaution if there have been any staff changes.
“This change is often not communicated to the monitoring centre and prevents access when the homeowner may need it most.”
Another potential problem is not alerting your security company about any guard dogs on your property.

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According to Fidelity ADT’s standard operating procedures, officers will not enter premises where there are vicious dogs.
“Vicious dogs can pose difficulties for security companies tasked with protecting the property and can prevent entry.”
Hattingh said: “We rely on our clients to tell us whether they have dogs, especially vicious dogs, at their premises. We try and avoid any harm to animals or our officers.
“All Fidelity ADT reaction officers have undergone a dog awareness training, which focuses on identifying dog behaviour, and how the officer’s body language could prevent or even provoke a dog attack.
“They are also equipped with pepper spray and a baton which is used as the first line of defence in a dog attack. Our officers wear pants made of a dog bite-resistant material.
“The safety of our officers and the well-being of our customer’s pets are a key priority.”
Homeowners are urged to keep all of these special instructions up to date to ensure their safety and that of their family members.

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