Storms are security companies’ worst nightmare

While the warmer weather is a welcome relief from the winter chill, Spring and Summer bring with them the stormy season on the Highveld.

“However, the storm season places security companies under pressure, as storms play havoc with alarm systems”, said Theunis Kotze, General Manager of ADT’s Inland Region. The high number of signals that control rooms receive during a storm can lead to delayed response times, as well as diluting critical emergency resources.

“In order to cope with this deluge of activity, monitoring centres have no option but to prioritise all signals that are received. Phone-in, duress, silent panics and general panic signals are prioritised in that order, followed by fire, alarm and mains failure,” Theunis explained.

To help reduce unnecessary call-outs, Theunis urged residents to contact the monitoring centre to cancel the alarm activation should the alarm go off accidentally during a storm.

He offered the following additional tips for alarm use in the stormy season:

• Check the weather forecast before you leave home in the morning. If a storm is predicted, do not leave windows open that will cause curtains to move, as this will in turn set the alarm off.

• Wind storms play havoc with outdoor detectors and beams, especially those close to trees and bushes. Consider bypassing beams that could cause false alarms during windstorms.

• Doors that get hit directly by wind may cause false alarms if the doors are not properly fitted or have aged, leaving room for movement. Consider utilising single-sided rubber tape to close the gaps and prevent the doors moving.

“If you should experience an emergency during stormy conditions, contact the monitoring centre directly by telephone or if this isn’t possible, by activating your panic button,” Theunis advised.

He also reminded residents that there are reports of fatalities as a result of lightning strikes every year.

“We have seen some tragic cases where people have been killed on the cricket field at schools, standing under pavilions and hiding under trees for shelter. The reality is that direct strikes are responsible for only 5 per cent of lightning related deaths and injuries. There are other ways lightning can hurt you – ground current and side flash (where the current ricochets) account for up to 80 per cent of lightning-related injuries and or deaths.”

“That’s why when you see a storm approaching, you need to get indoors. It doesn’t even need to be a severe storm and there doesn’t necessarily have to be rainfall for lightning to strike,” he pointed out.

“Avoid flat, open areas. Lightning will usually hit the highest point so when you’re in an open space, there’s a higher risk of being hit as you’ll be the highest point. Stay away from water and don’t swim during a storm. Don’t take shelter under trees during storms. But if you’ve got no choice, rather take shelter under a group of shorter trees among larger trees. Be aware that buildings with exposed openings, such as camping shelters or pavilions, are not safe.”

Theunis also encouraged parents to talk to their children about staying safe during a storm.

“Let’s work together to make this an incident-free storm season,” he concluded.

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