I have to be honest, up until now I’ve never had an alarm system much less a home monitoring system in my house. I was one of those naïve individuals (or maybe the kind who sticks her head in the sand) who never believed something bad could happen in my perfect little town. Who would break into my house?
But now, as The Safety Mom, I hear too many stories. I had the pleasure of having Marc Klaas on my radio show, Keeping It Together With Alison, The Safety Mom. Marc is the father of Polly Klaas the girl who was abducted from her own bedroom and brutally raped and murdered. Polly also lived in one of those sleepy suburban communities where “nothing happens.” But, tragically, it does.
I’ve also heard too many stories of entire families who have died in the middle of the night due to carbon monoxide poisoning, a deadly killer that oftentimes goes undetected until too late.
I’ve learned not to take anything for granted. No, we can’t live in a bubble or be completely paranoid. But we can take realistic proactive measures to ensure our family’s safety. And that’s what ADT Pulse is all about. My phone rang the other night at 2 A.M.. Immediately I expected the worst – a car accident or some other tragedy. It was actually an ADT operator telling me that an alert had come in about a problem with my kitchen heat detector. Fortunately it was just a low battery. But, it could have easily been a problem with carbon monoxide. I never thought about it but a traditional CO and smoke detector will ring and alarm you but it doesn’t alert anyone else! If it’s not connected to the fire department and the police department it might not actually save your life.
Again, I’m not looking to be an alarmist but I’ve learned not to be complacent when it comes to safety. So now, not only do I feel protected in my home but I can watch over my kids when I’m not there. I can check in on them and their babysitter through my iPhone or computer. I can be sure that the lights are on when we walk in the door. I can take a photo of everyone coming in and leaving my home. And, God forbid someone invaded my home, I could hit a panic button.
I’ve come to realize this isn’t a luxury. This is peace of mind whether I’m at home or on the road. It’s the extra set of eyes on my kids and it’s someone that’s protecting me in the worst case scenarios.
*Content expressed in Home Security Source does not represent the thoughts and opinions of ADT Security Services, Inc. unless explicitly indicated.