Keep Kids Safe and Happy this Halloween

Costumes, candy and scary things, can it get any better for a kid?

To make sure your little witches, goblins, scarecrows and princess' are safe this Halloween, Nationwide Children's Hospital offers these quick safety tips.

COSTUMES:
 Be sure your child's costume is large enough to be worn over warm clothes, if needed, but not so large that they could trip. Bright colorful costumes that reflect light and can be seen by drivers are best.
Add reflective tape to costumes or trick-or-treat bags. Reflective tape can be found in hardware or sporting good stores. Choose costumes and accessories that are flame resistant. Shoes should be comfortable for walking. Choose face paint or make-up over wigs or masks as they can interfere with a child's vision. To be seen more easily, have your child carry a flashlight.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY:
Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older responsible child. Walk from house to house and use the sidewalk. Cross streets at crosswalks or well lit intersections. Remember, don't walk between parked cars and avoid crossing thru lawns or yards where ornaments, furniture or objects present dangers.

SAFE HOUSES:
Children should only go to homes where the residents are known and who have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.  Never enter a home or an apartment unless accompanied by an adult. If you are expecting trick-or-treater's remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns, steps and porches. Candlelit jack-o-lantern's should be kept away from landings or doorsteps where costumed children could brush against the flame. Never leave a lit pumpkin unattended. One option for your jack-o-lantern is to use a flameless candle. Leave both indoor and outdoor lights on if you want visits from trick or treaters.

POISON PREVENTION:
Check your child's treats and throw away anything that is not securely wrapped. Do not allow your child to eat any candy until you or another adult check it for tampering. The  wrapper should be intact on all candy.
Fruit should be undamaged, washed and cut before eating. Do not allow your child to eat homemade treats unless you know and trust the person who made them. Young children should not have gum, nuts, seeds, hard candies or other choking hazards such as toys with small parts. If you suspect tampering with any of your candy or treats, contact the police.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Have an EXIT strategy - Work, Live, Play

Imagine you are in a crowded place and a fire breaks out.... do you have an exit strategy?

Many people overestimate the amount of time they might have to escape from a fire. Many mistakenly believe they have at least six minutes to escape before a fire becomes life threatening. Fire and toxic smoke spread much quicker than you might think.

A small fire can grow in a matter of seconds into an inferno, creating thick toxic smoke. Temperatures can quickly soar to 800 degrees or more. Flashover, the point in a fire when superheated gases cause everything in a room to ignite, can kill occupants within 2 - 4 minutes.

In any fire, seconds count. Once a room becomes thick with smoke, it is difficult to see. In the panic, people rush to the only way they know out, the entrance. However, that may not always be the best or quickest way out.

Whenever you enter a building, any building, be it a mall, your child's school or day care, the local post office, plan an exit strategy. Notice at least two different exits that you can use in the case of an emergency.

Why two exits? Any one exit can become blocked in the event of an emergency, so having at least one and preferably two alternative exits, can save your life.

EXITS: Make a mental note of where they are located. Not just doors with lit exit signs, but windows as well, if you are on the first floor.

DOORS: Take notice. Are they blocked or locked? Sometimes, restaurants or retail managers lock doors to keep people from sneaking in or out. In a club, bands may stack their equipment off stage. Trash or boxes may be stacked in front of a door. If you ever see a door blocked, bring it to the attention of the owner/manager and local authorities immediately. Objects in exit ways (halls leading to an exit), boxes, stacked merchandise, equipment, trash, can impede the exit pathway in case of an emergency.  Keeping exit pathways clear of any obstacle enables people to exit a location, quickly and safely.

CROWDS: Clubs, restaurants, public establishments have capacity limitations put in place by the local authorities for your safety. If people are jammed in to a location like sardines, move close to an exit. If doors or halls are also packed, report it to the local authorities. Often times like new year's, birthdays, weddings, Fourth of July - when people get together to celebrate, especially if alcohol is involved, safety is forgotten.

Keep a level head, don't panic and be confident that you have an exit strategy in place.

** The Have a Exit Strategy was the result of a study conducted by the Texas State Fire Marshall's office in 2004. They conducted fire safety inspections of bars, nightclubs, lounges and dance halls in eight Texas counties. Of the 189 establishments that they inspected, 182 of them had means of egress violations. For more information and resources, visit Texas State Fire Marshall - Have an Exit Strategy.

The Future of Alarm Communications

With today's ever changing technology, cell phones are typically replaced every 12 to 24 months. Have you given any thought to your alarm panel? The days of using the same panel for 15 to 20 years is over.

According to a recent study, one in every four homes in the United States has no landline, or standard phone. They use a cellular phone as their primary means of communication. Just under 25 percent reported mobile phones only in their household at the end of 2009. That means that some 52 million adults and 19 million children live in a home with no landlines and that number has been steadily increasing.

Alarm companies are installing more and more cellular systems every day and the GSM Network is growing at an unprecedented rate. How is the new cellular technology going to effect you and your alarm system?

HISTORY OF GSM NETWORK (AT&T & T-MOBILE)
1G or AMPS was deployed in 1973, however the alarm industry did not start using it widely until 1992. 1G (AMPS) was sunset (or made obsolete) in 2008. AMPS had a "shelf life" of 35 years but was only in use in the security industry for the past 16 years.

2G or GSM was deployed about 1990 and had a shelf life of approximately 25 years. 2.5G or EDGE was a software upgrade to GSM deployed in 2002. Both GSM and EDGE will be turned off at the same time. This will be done slowly, tower by tower as economics and equipment repair necessitate. Although everyone is in agreement that this will happen, no one can or will say when this will happen. Conventional wisdom says that the GSM Network will be replaced in the next 5 to 10 years.

3G or HSPA/UMTS was widely deployed in 2005 and uses totally different hardware from 1G and 2G. It has an expected shelf life of 25 years.

4G (LTW or Wi-Max) is currently being deployed as two different technologies, depending on the carrier. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobil are all using LTW which is a 700Mhz band product. Sprint is rolling out what they call 4G using a Wi-Max technology from Clearwire. Sprint may move to LTE in the future.

CURRENT ALARM HARDWARE
Today's wireless alarm panels are using 2G (GSM) modules because the 3G (HSPA) modules have only become available in the past few months. The current love of Smart-Phones have driven the technology to move towards the 3G networks and higher. Hardware manufactures focus on building handsets for the first 2-4 years of deployment of a new technology in order to cash in on a short lifespan product, typically 18 months. Once most of the profit is extracted from that space, they design and deploy modules for use in the Market-to-Market applications. 

3G (HSPA) modules are just now starting to become available as they are still cost prohibitive. 3G Modules are available on Cell Communicators to the security industry today however they are 3x the current price of standard modules. In 12-18 months, as volume increases, the costs will come down. At that time, you can expect panel manufactures to be able to offer cellular products that operate on 3G Network and have a life expectancy out towards 2025-2030, approximately 15 to 20 years.

4G Network (LTE on AT&T and Verizon) will be deploying in late 2011. Once that starts, we should see the same effect as the 3G Network. Security Communicators will start to become more affordable and available approximately 4 to 5 years from now and will have a life expectancy up to 2040, again approximately 15 to 20 years.

CDMA Networks (Verizon & Sprint) Sprint has publicly stated that they are planning on maintaining the 2G (1XRTT) and 3G (EVDO) network until at least 2020 or another 10 years. Verizon has stated it will maintain the 1XRTT for at least 5 more years and EVDO for another 10 years.

Currently, IP looks to continue to dominate commercial alarm communication and cellular is becoming the choice for residential. However as the cellular market continues to grow and mature, and local Fire Authorities allow for UL864/NFPA72 approved GSM Fire Communication with No other technologies required, you can expect the trend for commercial to move more toward Cellular Communication.

As the industry migrates from 2G to 3G and then on to 4G, cellular communication will become a more affordable option for residential and then on to commercial applications. Even if communication panels are changed out every 10 - 15 years, using a panel that is forwards and backwards compatible will allow you to stay up to date on the latest advances.

Cellular enabled panels allow all kinds of possibilities that are not available on a panel that is 15 to 20 years old. The ability for a user to arm or disarm their system from their cell phone, check current status of their system, monitor who is using their system (guests, children, deliveries etc) gives you a peace of mind that currently is not possible with an older model panel.

Don't get left behind on the latest technology. Contact SAS Security and let us help you navigate this new world of Cellular Communication.

Cellular Communication for today's technology driven world

SAS SECURITY ALARM SERVICE
(972) 312-1700

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Advantages of Using SAS Security for your Alarm Needs

* SAS Security Alarm Service offers you customized security, fire and CCTV systems designed for your residence or business. We keep your needs and concerns in mind to design and install a system that works best for you.

* SAS Security Alarm Service is locally owned and operated. No worries about your alarm monitoring going down because there is a hurricane or snow storm on another coast.

* SAS Security Alarm Service utilizes a local, U.L. listed 24-hour a day/7-days a week/365-days per year Monitoring Station.

* SAS Security Alarm Service's false alarm average is well below the national average.
* SAS Security Alarm Service technicians are available 24-Hours a day/7-days a week/365-days a year for any situation.

* SAS Security Alarm Service techicians are professional, experienced and educated in their field. We perform background checks, criminal checks and drug screens on employees.

* Each phone call to SAS Security Alarm Service is personally handled by one of our professional office staff and your needs are taken care of immediately. We handle every client with the one on one attention that they deserve.

Call us today and let us show you how we can take care of your home and business security and alarm needs.

SAS Security Alarm Service

Phone: 972-312-1700

SAS Security Alarm Service

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Sparky's Safety Spots - Smoke Alarms

We're coming to the end of Fire Protection Week. This year's theme is "Smoke Alarms: A Sound you can live with!".

This is a great time to think about your home or business and your fire protection.

This year the emphasis is educating people about the importance of smoke alarms.

Take the steps necessary to update and maintain your home or business' smoke alarm protection.

Contact SAS Security Alarm Service for an inspection or maintenance of your home or business Fire Detection System.

Smoke Alarm Facts:

* Smoke Alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported fire in half.

* 96% of all homes have at least one smoke alarm (2008 - telephone survey)

* Each year nearly 3,000 people die in U.S home fires.

* In more than half of the reported home fires in which smoke alarms were present but did not operate (even though the fire was large enough), batteries were missing or disconnected. Nuisance alarms were the leading reason for disconnected alarms.

* Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. Only 12% of the people surveyed in 2008 knew this.

*In fires considered large enough to activate a smoke alarm, hard-wired alarms operated 91% of the time; battery powered smoke alarms operated 75% of the time.

Planning a remodel? Re-arranging your furniture for the fall?

Before you re-arrange your furniture... Before you hang those new drapes....take a moment to think about your alarm system. Your alarm system? How is hanging a set of drapes going to affect my alarm system?

When making any changes to your environment (rearranging or moving furniture or aquiring new items), think about the following:

* Ensure nothing is placeing in the path of the motion detectors which can cause false alarms. New drapes look good, but does the Air Conditioning unit or Heating unit cause them to move and set off the motion detector?

* Do not move items such as plants or accessories in the path of the motion detector. Plants or other hanging objects can sway and cause movement which is picked up by the motion detector.

* Make sure that newly placed items or decorations, expecially around the holidays, that are hung near doors or windows, do not interfere with the door or window contacts or motion sensors.

* Don't forget about pets. Was your alarm system designed and installed before you got Fido or Fluffy?
Call your alarm company immediately so that they can review your system and insure that your newest family memeber won't cause any false motion alarms.

Moving any furniture, painting or remodeling is bound to uncover or create dust and debris. The sensors in your alarm system (Motion Sensors, Smoke Detectors, Heat Detectors etc.) must remain dust and bug free.
Make sure to include checking for dust and spider webs around sensors when making any changes to your living space.

And always before undergoing major changes to your home, check with your alarm company about how it might impact your system. It would also be a great time to schedule a routine maintenence check-up of your equipment.