How to Effectively Respond to a Burglar Alarm Activation:
A Guide for Businesses

Burglar alarms are an essential component of business security, yet it’s surprising how few businesses have a plan for what happens if an alarm is activated. In this guide, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of burglar alarm activation, from tips and tricks for maximizing your system to the essential components that make a system most effective.


Understanding Your Business Security System

Business security systems are designed to respond to a long list of triggers, with different components built to detect different things. The first step in building a successful response strategy is fully understanding your system’s components, what they’re engineered to respond to, and what that response looks like. Let’s explore the different types of system components and how they work.

Environmental Sensors and Detectors

Alarm systems can include smoke, carbon monoxide, and even flood and freeze detectors, which can trigger the alarm when environmental changes occur.

Security Cameras and Motion Sensors

Security systems often feature components like security cameras or sensors designed to detect motion. These security devices can monitor specific perimeters or assigned geofences and trigger an alarm should activity be detected within a designated area.

Access Control and Restricted Area Breaches

Another key feature of security systems, particularly those installed in facilities that control sensitive information or house valuables or hazardous materials, are access control panels and restricted access zones. Security alarms can be triggered when specific zones are breached or access control panels are tampered with or an unknown user attempts to gain access.

 


 

What to Do Immediately After an Alarm Activation

When a burglar alarm is activated it can be a chaotic experience. Establishing a plan with what steps to take immediately after a security breach can help you best safeguard not only your property, but your staff and customers as well.

Step 1

Assess

Use all the components of your security system: cameras, sensors, web platforms, and more to learn as much as you can about the trigger and its severity as you can.

Step 2

Get a Head Count and Ensure Safety

Communication is key in an emergency. As soon as you’ve determined the alarm is authentic and you know the cause, account for all personnel and instruct them to move away from danger.

Step 3

Contact Authorities and Security Providers

Contact relevant emergency response teams. If your alarm system is monitored, contact your security provider so they’re best able to help coordinate response efforts.

Step 4

Follow Protocols Until Emergency Response Teams Arrive

Following the protocols you have in place (locking windows and doors, gathering in designated areas, etc.) and working within assigned roles can ensure a calm and efficient response.

Step 5

Stay Alert and Observant

You should hang tight but stay alert. Keep notes of anything you see that could be used in a potential investigation or to improve your response plan later.

 


 

What Not to Do When an Alarm Is Activated

Here are a few of the most common mistakes that people make during a burglar alarm trigger.

  • DO NOT assume it’s a false alarm or ignore it altogether
  • DO NOT confront intruders without proper training
  • DO NOT act without verification of the emergency
  • DO NOT move independently without communicating

 


 

What Kinds of Things Can Trip a Burglar Alarm

Depending on the types of security alarm components and system features, there can be several causes for an alarm event beyond burglars or intruders. For environmental sensors like smoke and carbon monoxide, actual fires can trigger the alarm, or more innocuous activations like a bag of burned microwave popcorn in a break room can set the system off. Understanding the components of the system and verifying any alarm event is crucial in emergency response planning.

Similarly, alarms set to go off on motion activation can be triggered by intruders, but common false alarm triggers like animals or insects wandering into the path of the sensor can also cause an activation.

 


 

Verifying False Alarms: Procedures to Follow

Step 1

Assessment

When an alarm is triggered the first step needs to be assessment. Use all of the tools at your disposal: cameras, web platforms, and your senses to respond to the type of alarm you’re experiencing.

Step 2

Contact Your Security Provider

Contact your security provider if they have live monitoring to get a professional opinion on the trigger.

Step 3

Contact Emergency Services

If you have an independently verified false alarm, ensure you contact any relevant emergency services that may been triggered in response.

 


 

Responding to a Real Alarm Activation With an Emergency Response Plan

Building an emergency response plan can ensure preparedness during an alarm event. Most common emergency response plans include the following information:

Designated Captain

A designated floor or site emergency response captain.

Essential Phone Numbers

Essential phone numbers to contact in an emergency, including fire, police, EMS, security company and more.

Maps

Maps, evacuation routes, and assembly points.

Step-by-Step Procedures

Step-by-step procedures and protocols in the event of an emergency.

 


 

Post-Alarm Activation: Assessing and Reporting

It might seem like your work is done once the alarm event is over. However, a serious alarm trigger can often involve authorities, security companies, and insurance companies.

After the alarm situation has been resolved, conduct a thorough assessment of the premises to identify any property damage or breaches. Document any relevant information, including actions taken and observations made during the incident. By providing detailed accounts you’re best able to facilitate investigations and claims processing.

 


 

Preventing Future Alarms: Tips and Best Practices

It’s important to learn lessons from security events to prevent future alarms. Suppose a system is experiencing repeated false alarms. In that case, you’ll want to correct the causes of those triggers, which could mean replacing old or faulty sensors, adjusting geofences or motion detection zones, or upgrading to more current hardware.

If a business is broken into, using that emergency event as a learning opportunity can be valuable. Understanding points of vulnerability in a property or a security system can help remedy those weak points and prevent future security threats.

 


 

Training Your Team: Preparing for Alarm Activations

Regular training and drills will help keep a team up to speed on the ins and outs of alarm activations and emergency response. Training should take place multiple times per year (particularly if new staff has been onboarded) and cover the following:

How Things Work

How the alarm and security system works; its triggers and components.

Emergency Preparedness Plan

The emergency preparedness plan for each alarm activation type, including personnel roles in the plan and emergency contacts.

Maps

Maps, exit routes, and assembly points.


Upgrading Your Business Security System for Better Response

As alarm events happen, it becomes clear where points of vulnerability may be in a system, which can be augmented with additional cameras, sensors, and more. Security system technology is also advancing. More nuanced sensors capable of detecting new environmental triggers are entering the market each year, as are cameras capable of differentiating different objects and people. Every security system is a work in progress, and investing in continuous upkeep and maintenance can ensure a better system for years to come.

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