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.

Video analytics are here. With our alarm.com app, we now give our customers even better recognition of a potential threat facing their homes or businesses.

Seriously, it won’t identify a spaceship, but it will identify most other things. As one of our H&S offerings, the alarm.com app identifies the moving object coming or going into the area of a video camera. And with that identification, you receive a notification, a “ding” on your phone to alert you.

One of our customers, for example, uses the system at his lake house. He has been able to identify an individual walking the shoreline at his dock. The app can tell whether it is a vehicle a person or an animal.

Why does that matter? It helps you use the data to know whether the movement is a threat. It helps you with quick identification.

Clips of your email notifications are stored in the cloud. They can be viewed later and even help authorities identify perpetrators of crimes.

Don’t forget you can always pull up the live view on your smart phone, tablet and computer. The same customer was waiting for a service individual to show up when he was not available to be there to let the technician in the house. He used the app to see when the service individual got to the house and was able to make sure work got done. In this way, the app can be used as a management tool and gives customers peace of mind.

“You can use the app to play thumbnail clips that can be exported. It’s a great tool. We recommend it to homeowners, and it is also very useful at construction sites and other businesses. You do need Wi-Fi to utilize it effectively. It can be set up to give email or text notifications. We program the system the most convenient way that the customer requests,” H&S co-owner Steve Garritson said.

You won’t identify a spaceship with the alarm.com app. But you will have a new tool with enhanced data analytics to help you protect your premises. Give us a call in Stevens Point at 715.344.0727 or Pewaukee at 262.574.7777 for more information.

It’s that time of year where a lot of Wisconsin residents head up north. Enjoy the lakes. Do some fishing. Grab a cold one on the boat.

 

How do you feel about your home when you head off for a one- or two-week vacation? Do you forget about it? Probably not. Some people have a neighbor watch the house and the pets.

That’s not always possible. It’s a reason to consider our H&S Protection home security systems, and/or a surveillance camera setup. We offer multiple options to keep you connected to your permanent residence. And our technology helps you monitor remotely.
Remote monitoring of your security and video systems is something we’ve introduced and refined over the past 3-4 years. We’re proud of the technology we can provide you, and the quality of our installations. Not only do you get well-trained H&S technicians, but they help prep you afterwards so you are comfortable accessing all the functions from your smart phone.

 

When you’re heading back to your cabin after a day on the lake, take a few quick taps on your phone to check in. Access your cameras. See if anything looks odd. Feel free to change the temperature setting for your house. All of these functions and more are available to H&S customers.

 

We work hard at H&S Protection to continue bringing you the best security technology on the market. We stay up with the trends, and ensure our people are well-trained to both install equipment to the highest standards, and so they can explain it to you in words that put you in your comfort zone. Because what’s a security system worth if you’re not comfortable using it?

 

If you’re like many other Wisconsinites, you’re heading off to the water this summer, either for a vacation or just a day. Regardless of how long, increase your comfort zone with security from H&S Protection.

 

We service Southeast Wisconsin, and most of the center part of the state. Give us a call or check out our web site here for more information. Stevens Point, 715.344.0727 or Pewaukee, 262.674.7777.

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Over the years, we’ve been a proud member of the Wisconsin  Security Association (WISA). There are many reasons for this. Because our industry is made of many small businesses such as ours, it’s important to set high standards to follow and ensure consistency. WISA passes down that type of information to its membership and helps us improve over the long run.

 

For example, classes to certify our technicians in the next best available practices are held annually. We regularly send out technicians to these sessions. We want to ensure the work we provide our customers is the best possible, and our people are up-to-date and properly trained in these procedures. That benefits H&S customers in every installation. Mistakes are minimized. Overall quality improves.

We actively participate in our WISA membership, going to meetings, making submissions to their annual awards program and volunteering in leadership positions. What does that mean to our customers? Again, it demonstrates our commitment to the association which lets you know that we care. It’s important for us to not only do business the right way, but also to help influence best business practices in the state of Wisconsin. That’s our commitment to you.

 

Sometimes it’s just about fun. We all need to take a breather now and then. We’ll send a team to the WISA annual golf tournament, for example. Yes, we play bad golf. But the day is also about camaraderie and friendship, and over the years at the annual WISA golf tournament, we’ve learned lessons to help better serve you. Sometimes the newest idea comes during a conversation on the golf course or afterwards in the clubhouse catching up with a colleague.

 

Our WISA membership means a lot to us. It should mean a lot to you as well. We’re better because of it.

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Dave Kwasinski recently received a referral from an existing customer of H&S, who was building a new home. He had the blueprints. He didn’t know much else. He walked in the door, not knowing the homeowners were hearing impaired.

 

Dave, a Security Consultant in our Pewaukee, WI office, was taken aback. He didn’t know what to do. What happens when the alarm goes off? How do you design a solution for a hearing-impaired family? When the alarm goes off, there’s a challenge – how will I make sure they are notified effectively, safely and efficiently?

Dave dug in. He worked on a security system based on the blueprints he was provided. He worked with electricians on a few wire runs in new house. He researched. He knew this: When the alarm went off, the homeowners wouldn’t hear the siren.

 

What to do? Designing a device for a hearing-impaired family was the solution. But how to go about that? Dave didn’t know. He thought of how a clock could vibrate a bed. Perhaps alert the family in a novel way.

 

He sat down with our partners at Alarm.com. They have multiple products and services to deal with fires, floods, break-ins, sound, lamp modules. They must have something to turn on and vibrate a bed, right?

 

Maybe not. Dave explored options with a manufacturer of equipment that provides a product line specifically designed for hearing impaired people and together with Alarm.com, came up with a solution: A bed vibrating device that would trigger when the alarm system went off due to an intrusion or a fire; including wireless strobe lights in the bedroom and living room. This would wake the homeowners. Sounds kinda simple, but it took a lot of exploration, discussion and innovative thinking.

 

“It was a learning curve for us. We spent a lot of time on it. It took multiple trips to troubleshoot different solutions. Now someone who is hearing impaired can be safer in their home, knowing that we have designed a system that would work specifically for them to help them get a better night’s rest” Kwasinski explained.

 

“It’s pretty neat. It was quite a learning curve but an amazing experience,” he said.

 

Now, the family has a health and well-being system, and will be notified even if they are sleeping. “They were very appreciative of it,” Dave observed.

 

H&S is a custom security company. We offer solutions using all our tools.

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