How To Make Sure Your Spring Break Is Restful, Not Stressful

No one wants to come home from spring break to discover pipes have burst flooding the basement, or your business has been burglarized. And you certainly don’t want to get a call in the middle of the night about a fire in your home or business.

Those worse-case scenarios can be prevented by checking out your fire and security systems before you leave. The advance planning will bring peace of mind so you can relax and enjoy your vacation or focus on your business trip.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHILE YOU’RE AWAY

A study by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety found that 65 percent of water damage insurance claims were the result of a failure of the plumbing supply system material. (Eighteen percent were caused by frozen pipes, so keep that in mind when you leave in the winter.)

In 41 percent of alarmed homes that were burglarized, the security system was not turned on, according to a Temple University study.

While fewer fires occur on weekends in businesses because they are less likely to be fully populated, the National Fire Protection Association reports that weekend fires cause over 30 percent of property loss.

PREPARED AND PROTECTED

Those stats prove the need for fully operational water systems, automatic fire detection and extinguishing equipment to protect properties when structures aren’t occupied. Brothers Fire & Security suggests taking these steps to prevent damage while you’re away.

• If your home or business is going to be unattended, turn off the main value to your water supply so it’s not running unattended.
• Check your security system with the monitoring company to make sure that they are properly receiving signals, and that your system will be armed if you normally don’t arm it.
• If you don’t use signals, make sure that you can receive signals and that your property will be armed when you’re gone. Then call your alarm company to let them know “all systems are go.”
• It’s a good idea to check the date on all your batteries to make sure that you have protection and security in the event of a power loss.
• Make sure that you are updating your card access profiles for people. Flush out any past employees and confirm that your current employees have the correct status.
• Does your staff understand and know how to implement your emergency plan? It’s a good idea to create a “fire drill” event to make sure your staff knows what to do.
• Designate a responsible staff person or two from each shift to provide leadership in case of an emergency.

Brothers Fire & Security doesn’t want you to be caught unprepared and unprotected. Call us when you make plans to be away from your business. We’ll go over your security and fire systems with you, and help you create or update an emergency plan. After all, planning and prevention can prevent a catastrophe.

ABOUT BROTHERS FIRE & SECURITY

As one of the premier providers of fire and security solutions in the Upper Midwest, Brothers Fire & Security strives to build long-term, value-added relationships. We work with business owners and property management companies, as well as all types of public institutions to solve fire and security needs. By taking advantage of our integrated bundled services, many of our clients find that they can save 25-30% on their safety services, annual inspections and more. From a single location to franchises throughout the region and the country, our integrated approach saves our clients valuable time, money and stress. We provide fire protection systems, security systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire alarm systems, 24-7 monitoring, fire extinguishers, card access and kitchen hoods.