Greg discusses the advantages of home alarm systems in this episode of Ask The Expert. 800 CHAB radio presents Ask the Expert with Greg Marcyniuk of Heritage Insurance located in Moose Jaw.
Here's a full transcript of the episode:
Rob Carnie: Hey, there. We're at CHAB's Ask the Expert on the air today with Greg Marcyniuk from Heritage Insurance, and Greg, today we're focusing on alarm systems and the advantages of having an alarm system in the house. It certainly helps out with insurance, right?
Greg Marcyniuk: Oh, it definitely does. And just before we get into this, Rob, I just want to talk a little bit about a story.
I just came back — I was away for five days — and 5:30 in the morning, phone rings — the alarm company. They say, "We've got a water problem." So we get up in the morning, turn off... There's just a little bit of water, fortunately. It was right around the sensor, and what had happened is — I hadn't tightened up for the underground sprinklers that tight. But it just gives you an idea of the advantage of having an alarm system. And there's many others, but that just — it saves so much hassle. For me, I just had to go down, wipe it up, and I was done. But had we been away. It could've been a lot worse.
But the biggest thing is that, number one, it protects your home and family from intruders. In fact, they say that homes without security systems are 2.7 times more likely to be targeted by a burglar. As well, it protects your home and family from fires, first and foremost. And the biggest thing is that firefighters, they say that in just 30 seconds, a small flame can turn into a full-blown flame. That system goes off right away and it immediately alerts the fire station, and it kind of cuts out the middleman there.
The next thing is carbon monoxide poisoning, and the thing with the monitoring system, it's attached to the actual electrical system, so you don't have to worry about batteries. It's there, and it will alert you in the event of carbon monoxide. It also provides your family with the peace of mind, especially if you've got somebody that's incapacitated, someone that's elderly that you're taking care of and they're there, and you're leaving them. And it's not just the elderly, it's when young kids are home, left behind.
The other thing is protecting your valuables. With the way B&Es are going up right now, people are there for the quick grab and cash. And they don't care a lot of times whether somebody's there or not, so that's the biggest thing.
The other thing is having someone else monitor your home. When you have that system in place, you don't have to worry about asking your friends or your family. And the insurance companies don't care either — as long as it's got a temperature device in there, so that if the furnace cuts out, a water indicator, and motion sensors. You don't need to get anybody else. You don't have to hire a sitter. So, you are saving costs and you're not having to interrupt family or friends to go and check your place.
And again, like we had talked about. You also save on your homeowner's insurance. And in general, you can save between 10% and 20%, depending on the company.
Rob: Now, there's a lot of security companies out there. How do we go about choosing one, sir?
Greg: You know, you can come in and talk to us. We have a couple of different vendors that we can recommend to you that do a great job and that are available. And the systems that are out there — they're very reliable, very easy to use. You can get these touch-pad keys. I've got them in my business, my homes. It's just real easy to use. So there are a lot of companies out there.
Rob: Home alarm systems, good to have. Greg Marcyniuk at Heritage Insurance. We can get more info at Heritage Insurance in downtown Moose Jaw, but also online.;
Greg: You sure can. nohassleinsurance.ca, or come on down and see us at the corner of Fairford and First Northwest.
(Video transcription by Speechpad)