WITH the recent loadshedding experienced by large parts of the country, a private security company has urged residents to ensure their alarm systems are tested and working properly.
“Many people assume that their home alarm system is deactivated when the power supply is interrupted. However if you have a stable and correctly programmed system coupled with a battery that is in good condition, it will continue to protect the premises during a power outage – regardless if the outage is because of loadshedding or not,” said Charnel Hattingh, national marketing and communications manager at Fidelity ADT.
She said the only time it may not function correctly is if there is a technical issue, or the battery power is low.
“Most modern alarm systems have a back-up battery pack that activates automatically when there is a power failure,” she said.
Hattingh said there are a number of practical steps that can be taken to ensure security is not compromised during power cuts.
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Ensure that the alarm system has an adequate battery supply, that all automated gates and doors are secured and remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to your security provider or SAPS.
With the added inconvenience of the lights going out at night due to power cuts, candles and touch-lights are handy alternatives. Hattingh said home and business-owners should consider installing Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology which is integrated into the alarm system’s wiring and automatically switches on for up to 15 minutes when there is a power outage.
“If there is an additional battery pack, the small, non-intrusive LED lights can stay on for the duration of the power outage – or a maximum of 40 hours – without draining the primary alarm battery,” she explained.
Hattingh said the most important tips to remember about being prepared for a power cut, are that it is important that your alarm system has an adequate battery supply, that alarms should be checked during extended power outages to keep systems running, that power cuts can impact on fire systems and fire control systems, so these also need to be checked regularly, that the more frequent use of gas and candles can increase the risk of fire, and home fire extinguishers should therefore be on hand, and above all, to remain vigilant during a power cut and be on the look-out for any suspicious activity.
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