Home security systems have grown in popularity as they’ve become more and more affordable over time, and for good reason. A professionally installed, comprehensive home security solution offers both protection and peace of mind against a number of threats including intrusion, fire, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Still, a number of people believe that their guns, dogs, or other layers of protection are sufficient in protecting their home without considering the whole picture. While man’s best friend and firearms are definitely popular options for home security, they have unfortunate limitations.
- Firearms only work when you’re home to use them, and most burglaries happen to unattended homes (In fact, firearms are routinely very high on the list of items stolen from homes.)
- Fido might not be the guard dog you believe him to be, and he may end up being a victim of an home invasion instead of a defender.
- Lastly, those two options cannot protect against fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, or water leaks, all of which are some of the most expensive and debilitating events that can happen to a homeowner.
At EPS Security, we know we offer services that are both life- and money-saving, and we take great pride in it. We’ve also gained decades of experience within the security industry and deeply understand the need for professionally installed security and life safety systems in residences. In the interest of home security, we’ve compiled a few poignant security and life safety statistics for you to consider.
358,500 home fires occur each year.
When addressing home security, many people who focus on protection from human threats, which is certainly important. However, this statistic from the NFPA highlights the importance of total security against a wide range of threats, and no common threat is as dangerous as a house fire. 2,510 civilians die on average every year from home fires, and many of these deaths can be attributed to the fact that no working smoke detectors were in the immediate vicinity of the fire when it broke out. Working smoke detectors save lives, and smoke detectors that report to 24/7 monitoring centers (such as our own right here in Grand Rapids!) go even further to protect what matters most.
It’s important to ask yourself, “Who hears the smoke detector when no one is home?”
400 people die of carbon monoxide poisoning every year.
400 may not seem like a lot of people, but it’s 400 lives unnecessarily lost to a detectable threat. It’s also estimated that 4,000 people are sent to emergency rooms every year because of carbon monoxide poisoning—an alarming amount considering highly reliable carbon monoxide detectors are widely available and can be tied into your home security system. Even if a carbon monoxide leak renders you unconscious, a monitored detector will send a signal to its associated monitoring center, whose operators will dispatch authorities to your position immediately and potentially save your life.
An estimated 1.6 million homes are burgled every year.
1.6 million is a staggering number, and it’s even more bewildering to find that many burglars simply walk through unlocked doors. Security systems have evolved to cover nearly every corner of the modern home, with devices for detecting motion, door and window entry, glass breakage, and more. It’s become so difficult to break into a home with a security system that more than 60% of surveyed burglars admit the presence of a security system would cause them to choose a different home. Considering the average cost of a break-in totals around $2,000, a professional home security system essentially pays for itself.
98% of home basements will have a water leak in their lifetime.
Maybe you believe a fire or burglary won’t happen to you, but especially in Michigan, it’s almost guaranteed that your house’s basement will leak at one point or another. Water leaks aren’t cheap, either, with repairs capable of surpassing $10,000 depending on the severity of the damage. Modern home security systems can include water leak detectors that can alert you to a leaky sink or burst pipe before the damage reaches critical levels. This is a service every homeowner should consider.
Covering your bases
Fire, burglary, and water threats do not exist in a vacuum. They are all present at the same time, meaning your home is constantly under threat from multiple external factors. Instead of spending your days worried about your sump pump or your furnace leaking, invest in a professional home security system that does the work for you. EPS Security will engineer a solution tailored to your unique home design and can monitor your devices 24/7. With an EPS Security home solution, you can go to work or on vacation and know your home is under the careful watch of an award-winning monitor center and protected by top-of-the-line security products. It doesn’t pay to be unprepared, so investing in a complete EPS Security home solution can pay dividends in the long run.