How Our Home Security System Offered Us True Fire Protection

It was one of those evenings where I was rushed for time in everything I did. My daughter was sick and crying, the dog was hyper jumping up and down, my sister had the music blasting and I was irritated. Company was coming over in 3 hours and nothing was ready for this "get together" you call a party. It was supposed to be an anniversary dinner for my parents, though I'm still not sure how I got stuck with all of the arrangements. With about 15 minutes to spare, to shower and get ready; the house had been cleaned, my daughter was no longer wailing, the dog was in her kennel, decorations had been placed, the food was staying warm in the oven, and the candles had been lit.

One by one the guests started arriving. We were expecting about 18 people, not including the children. As the evening went on we indulged in food catered by Olive Garden, listened to speeches as friends and family gave toasts, and I was finally ready for the beautiful cheesecake that was for desert. Just as I was ready to take a bite, 2 of my teenage cousins were outside fighting and to top it off the dog was going crazy again. All I wanted today was to throw a great party and relax, but no! From the time I woke up this had been a bad day.

I gathered everyone to go outside in the backyard to enjoy the karaoke bar that was set up. The D. J. had a nice display with 3 microphones and the TV that shows the words to the songs. We were all in the back yard enjoying the music and each other. I suppose our music was too loud because the next thing I remember is the police coming into the backyard asking for the home owner. When I went over to him, he motioned for me to come to the front yard. As we walked around the side of the house to the front yard, there were 2 police cars, an ambulance and 2 fire trucks outside. My front door was open and I could see smoke coming out the door. The officer informed me that my in home security system notified them of a fire emergency and that when the monitoring company did its call back to assure it was a true emergency there was no answer. They immediately dispatched the fire department.

I was in so much shock, and even more so, I was confused. How did this happen? What happened? Why did we not see or notice anything? Was anyone in the house? According to the fireman, a lit candle was the culprit. It was somehow knocked over and the table cloth caught on fire. The smoke detector which is linked to our in home security system detected the smoke. Whenever smoke is detected it automatically alerts the monitoring company. The monitoring company then calls the home, but because we were all in the backyard and could not hear the phone, the security systems monitoring company automatically dispatches the fire department.

It had been a pretty messed up day from the beginning, but I am sure glad that our home is monitored by a home security system. When we bought the system we were assured that it provided more than just burglar protection and were they ever right. Though we lost a party table, 2 chairs, and suffered minor damages to the carpet; we could have lost our home. While we were outside partying, the house was burning. I am thankful for security systems.

There are many benefits to having a home security system. One being if you are asleep, away from home, or even in your backyard in the event of a fire you will be protected. Your home and assets are protected from theft with a home security system. Also most in home security systems offer medical help too. In the event of a medical emergency all you have to do is push a button on the key pad of your security system and immediately an ambulance is dispatched to your home. A lesson learned, never leave lit candles in the house. More seriously, protect your home and invest in a home security system.