Simple Fix for Roomba

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Don’t you love it when you find a simple fix to something you thought was going to require a complicated solution? We do.

When we provide security solutions to businesses or homes, many are very straight forward. But, we also receive our share of curveballs when it comes to requests or obstacles.

For example, if you have a Roomba (robot vacuum cleaner), you probably love the convenience. What you may not have considered when you purchased it is whether it would set off your motion sensor. That’s something we think about at H&S Protection.

We make sure your Roomba works effectively AND our alarm system works in tandem with it, so alarms don’t go off  from the little guy’s motion. That requires some well-learned experience from our sales and installation team to make sure you are covered, and that you still get clean carpets.

Similar to the adjustments made for pets, the vision field for your motion sensor can be raised so that a potential intruder will still be detected, but at the lower height, Roomba gets to do its job unnoticed.

Yes, simple. That’s the experience we bring to help put in place effective and intelligent solutions that work for each specific location. Our team knows each customer has unique circumstances and we take the time to discuss them with you and craft the best installation.

Give us a call in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727, or in Pewaukee at 262.574.7777, and we’ll be glad to keep your Roomba puttering effectively along the carpet while your motion sensor continues to do its job.

Newspaper Tossed Over the Fence

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What would you do if someone kept tossing newspapers over your fence into your yard in the middle of the night? What if it was dead mice his cat killed that he kept launching into your yard? Would you confront him? Would you get angry? Would you ignore the incidents and jam the debris in the recycling or garbage containers, humming a tune to yourself to contain your irritation?

Hard to say. We probably all respond differently to situations like that.

One way to deal with another individual dumping into your space is to have security cameras installed. Voila! You have images to look at. You can determine exactly who the perpetrator was.

That doesn’t completely solve your problem, because then you must decide what to do next. But, at least you have proof. You can point to the video. “Here, is this you or not?,” you can say to the individual denying culpability.

Capturing the incidents on video leads to resolution. That’s what we provide at H&S Protection. We put the tools in your hands to solve problems (or irritants) like this.

We hope no one is throwing dead raccoons or skunks into your backyard. But we’ve certainly heard of random garbage tossers who repeatedly target the same location. If you want to catch them on video, we can help. Give as a call in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727, or in Waukesha at 262.6-574.7777.

A Special Thanks to Our Customers in 2020

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We want to give our customers a special thank you for sticking with us in 2020. It hasn’t been easy for us, and we’re sure you have had many obstacles to overcome as well in your businesses and on the personal front. The fact that you trusted us with your homes and businesses, allowed our sales and service personnel to perform their functions successfully, says a lot to us about the trust you have in H&S Protection. Thank you.

There was no way to prepare for 2020. We’re sure you had to adjust and adapt, as did we. On an almost weekly basis we had to stay informed and be willing to change to ensure we protected you and our employees. As a small business in Wisconsin, that is an advantage we provide our customers – the nimble ability to respond and change quickly.

Whatever 2021 brings, we’ve learned that we can step up to get the job done safely. When you face challenges like the Covid virus, you come to understand more about people and processes. We learned to apply the virus protocols quickly. That gives us confidence moving forward to serve you even better. Our H&S team made this happen, and their daily commitment is to provide you safe and quality service.

Our deepest thanks to you for maintaining confidence in H&S Protection. We never take that for granted, and are proud that we were able to demonstrate in a tremendously difficult 2020 environment that we earned your business the right way. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday season with your families and loved ones, and we look forward to working with you in the new year.

Mike Horgan and Steve Garritson

H&S Protection Co-Owners

Covid and Conscious Protections from H&S Protection

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We’re in the business of protection here at H&S. “Protection” is part of our name. We make conscious efforts to protect each customer through our security solutions.

The past eight months, during this heightened health concern period around the world, we’ve added a conscious effort to work safely at our customers’ locations and at our offices in Stevens Point and Pewaukee. We blogged on this subject earlier this year, but with the end of 2020 in sight, we felt it worth reminding our readers of the importance we put on doing our part to prevent the spread of the virus.

We’re thankful that most of our customers allow us to continue to work onsite. That, in and of itself, we believe speaks to the faith they have in us to get the job done as safely as possible. Not every customer is currently comfortable with bringing in service technicians. For those where we’ve had to postpone jobs, we will work to get those finished as soon as a vaccine is widely distributed and we have  the go-ahead to return to your site.

While with customers, all our employees are required to wear masks. We keep hand sanitizer conveniently placed around our two offices, and our field staff has sanitizer available as well.

Around our office we mandate masks during any interactions. For meetings, we’ve gone virtual. Our regular operations and sales meetings now occur through Zoom. We fully expect that to continue, as well, until a vaccine is successfully deployed. That protects us and you.

Some locations have pumped the brakes on installations, in particular senior facilities. We completely understand this need for protection, and will work with you when the time is right to  complete projects that were in the pipeline.

Other than a few situations like those at the senior facilities, we continue at our normal pace for service  calls and installations. For example, manufacturing plants, bars and restaurants continue to need security services, even during the pandemic. We’re busy. That’s a good indication our customers continue to operate successfully. We’re pleased to have your business, and to serve you in the best way we know how: As our name H&S “PROTECTION” implies – protectively.

Video Surveillance Trends in the U.S.

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Most citizens of Wisconsin probably recognize the growing trend of video surveillance. There are more cameras watching us today than there were five or 10 years ago. But, what are the most accurate numbers?

A recent study from safety.com indicates that the average U.S. citizen is under video surveillance “approximately” 238 times a week. We all need to take that with a grain a salt, as anyone in a city environment will be exposed more frequently than an individual in a rural environment with no street or red light cameras. Still, those numbers are disconcerting, even to us here at H&S Protection, and security cameras are part of our bread and butter.

So, we want to provide you some context if you happened to hear about or read up on these statistics from the report. First, most of this surveillance occurs on the road. Up to about 160 times a week, your exposure to video comes during driving. Those cameras are designed to enforce safety standards. But, as any police officer knows, video clips from these cameras often help solve crimes.

Second, your office environment (on average) contributes up to about 40 of those exposures weekly. If you work in the retail or transportation sector, those numbers can be dramatically higher. Remember, that skews the numbers for the average person working in a business office.

Third, the average American is under surveillance approximately 24 times a week while shopping or in a retail environment. As we can attest at H&S , retail cameras are the norm. To prevent shoplifting, monitor stock and employee theft, many businesses choose security cameras as the best security option.

We install every video system with diligence and based on the needs of the customer. We understand we all live in a society where cameras are part of our every day lives. Our goal at H&S is to protect your home or business.

Cameras are here to stay. At H&S, we make sure to exercise good judgment with every installation. We plan to continue earning your trust for many years to come.

Can Burglar Alarms Go Touchless?

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There’s a lot going on these days as Covid continues to further impact lives and businesses. The security industry has its share of questions regarding what direction our market will take. At H&S Protection, we monitor these trends to see what the best options are to offer our customers.

Here is one: Will burglar alarms go touchless? With concern about hand contact from devices, will voice activation be a product purchased in the future? A lot depends on what happens with Covid.

We need to be aware of market conditions, so here’s another one to ponder: What will the interest be in video surveillance and access control? Will there be further demand, for example, to install video to monitor interactions in businesses to determine if people are following proper virus protocols? Stay tuned.

How about law enforcement issues? Growing support for body cameras for law enforcement seems a given. Will the money be there to invest in these technologies to provide officers the best technology to do their jobs most effectively?

More and more, police are looking for footage from businesses. We’ve found law enforcement wanting access to footage from cameras to monitor video from a potential crime scene. If you run a business, does it make more sense today to install a camera security system?

The trend towards use of video footage by law enforcement is growing. It helps them monitor and police their local community more effectively, particularly in large crowd situations.

H&S Protection is monitoring these, and other trends to serve you to the best of our ability. We anticipate trends by studying customer behavior and industry data. Evolving trends occur over a period of time, but this year activities have occurred at a more rapid pace. We’re listening, watching and adjusting to these trends to help you protect your business and home.

Steve Garritson Receives Industry “Bill Cooper” Award

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Honest communication, respectful dialogue, articulating concerns, listening, trying to find solutions that benefit all sides. Building bridges. H&S Co-Owner Mike Horgan cited these qualities (and more) inherent in the Bill Cooper Award, given annually by the Wisconsin Security Association (WISA).

Those qualities embodied Bill Cooper’s approach to his work in the security industry, and Horgan used them to recently honor H&S Co-Owner Steve Garritson with the 2020 Bill Cooper Award. The award, first given in 2007, also recognizes a balanced approach to problem-solving.

“Steve is an excellent fit for this award.  And that shouldn’t be a surprise, since he actually received it once before back in 2011,” Horgan said.

“If you have spent any time with Steve, you’ve probably seen his sense of humor; his ability to have fun and to laugh.  You may even have a sense for his love for and dedication to the alarm industry, which he has been a part of now going on 41 years.  But what isn’t always as obvious is the care that he has for his employees, his family and friends, for people in general; and that I think is what impresses me the most — his generosity and willingness to do the right thing,” Horgan added.

“…  When you’re in the trenches with someone like Steve for as long as I have been, through that many ups and downs, and especially through the hardest times; you learn a lot about someone — about their character, their true colors,” Horgan continued.

“I’ve known Steve Garritson for about 15 years, and most of them have been as his business partner.  During that time, we’ve been through a lot together — enduring some lows I wouldn’t wish on anyone; riding highs too good to believe; and everything else in between,” Horgan said.

“Hard-working, professional, sense of humor, and a good human being.  I’ve seen it first-hand for a long time now.  So it is a special honor for me to present this year’s Bill Cooper Award to our WISA Board Member-at-Large, and my business partner and friend — Steve Garritson.”

H&S Protection Honored as Wisconsin’s Security Dealer of the Year

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The Wisconsin Security Association (WISA) recently honored H&S Protection with its “Dealer of the Year” award. It is the second time H&S has received the statewide prestigious award, which recognizes a company for its commitment to the security industry and to the communities it serves.

WISA icon Dave Koenig made the presentation for the association, specifically recognizing the leadership of H&S co-owners Steve Garritson and Mike Horgan. “Mike has been a previous president of the association, and Steve is currently on the Board of Directors. Their involvement in the association leads to the success of our industry, and the success of their business,” Koenig observed.

Koenig also pointed out the unique family ownership of H&S. “You have the fourth generation of the Horgan family working in their Stevens Point office. And the second generation of the Garritson family working in their Waukesha office. That type of commitment stands out in their local communities and leads to long-term success for their business and our industry,” Koenig said.

After the awards ceremony, Koenig said he was glad that Garritson attended, given Covid concerns. “We brought the whole team to the front for the presentation. Steve was completely surprised about the award, so we did a good job keeping the lid on it in the association,” Koenig said wryly.

Monitoring an Area of Refuge

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With the advent of Covid, there are multiple security scenarios no one envisioned six months ago. At H&S Protection, we monitor trends and respond with solutions. One issue spotlighted recently has been an “area of refuge.”

What does that mean and who is affected? Simply put, an area of refuge is where people congregate for safety purposes. For example, in a senior facility, there might be one floor designated for safety purposes and in a time of crisis, individuals are directed there. That area must be monitored. That’s where H&S comes in, as we provide that monitoring service to senior facilities, high-rise apartment buildings and hospitals.

Our 24/7 monitoring service can also apply to elevators. This is separate from an area of refuge, but provides similar service to these facilities. Through the elevator phone, we provide monitoring if there is a crisis issue. Any elevator can face an operational issue or malfunction, a scary situation for anyone. Our monitoring service is specifically designed to be responsive to any issues generated. Any elevator with more than two stops can be monitored.

Independent senior living facilities or for the handicapped often require additional protection for their residents to ensure safety. No one should ever be left behind in a critical situation. Whether it’s monitoring an area of refuge, the top floor of a senior facility or an elevator, H&S has the technology to help.

It’s important for a senior facility, apartment complex or hospital to think ahead on these issues. That helps us coordinate the best approach to ensure solutions to meet your needs.

Talk to our H&S Security Consultants in our Stevens Point or Pewaukee/Waukesha office if you would like to discuss any of these issues. Stevens Point – 715.344.0727; Pewaukee/Waukesha – 262.574.7777.

Mitchell Wilson Keeping on His Toes

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Mitchell Wilson is keeping on his toes. He likes it that way. As a Security Systems Technician at H&S in Stevens Point, he’s the guy who installs security, camera and access control systems, and gets them up and running.

“I install all our systems. It keeps me on my toes because every job is different. It’s not the same thing over and over,” he said.

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Mitchell found his way to H&S from the retail industry, and is glad he did. In-between jobs, he went to a hiring agency web site and applied to a different position. One of the women at the hiring agency suggested the H&S position and after interviewing with Co-Owner Mike Horgan and Operations Manager Jeff Lukasavige, he was hired.

“I’m really glad to be out of retail, and like this position much better. Everyone in the company is awesome. I like everyone I work with,” Wilson observed.

A self-avowed “computer nerd since I can remember,” Wilson uses some of those hobby skills on the job. He enjoys online gaming – “I’m into that stuff. I’m a well-established nerd, I have been my whole life.”

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A fan of online entertainment, Wilson said the technology “keeps me thinking.” He enjoys video games with his friends, hiking and golf. “I enjoy a range of things,” he said.

He recommends H&S Protection to others, saying, “The peace of mind we give customers they can’t find anywhere else. Big companies don’t seem to operate the way we do. We’re small, operate on a personal level and are personable. It’s a great job and helps me keep that mindset.”

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His favorite thing about H&S is the “people. I enjoy everybody who works here. They’re great people. I felt welcomed since Day One when I started. You don’t get that in a lot of jobs. It’s refreshing. Even though I’m still the new guy, my opinion is respected.”

If you’d like to reach Mitchell directly, contact him at 715.347.3349 or email at mwilson@hsprotection.net.