Jean in Newcastle Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I got a call this morning from an alarm company telling me that I was set as emergency contact for a cross-town friend and that their burglar alarm has gone off. What did I want them to do since the homeowners are unreachable? Should they call the police? Well, I was gobsmacked because I didn't even know that I was an emergency contact person and because I didn't know what the homeowners would want me to do. I was in this situation once before with another person and was reamed out because by calling the police for what turned out to be a false alarm, they were given a "false alarm charge" from the police department. So - I ended up throwing the kids in the car and driving 20 min. across town to their house. We kept trying to reach them by cellphone while I drove and was able to reach them when we were halfway there. They were at the home, the house was fine though the back door was partly open and we turned around. I did find out from them what they want me to do next time - call the police. So - first a reminder to tell any emergency contacts who they are and what to do in that situation. And tell me - what would you have done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Honestly.....20 minutes across town? On a moments notice? And you didn't even know you were listed as a contact? I would have told them to go ahead and call the police. That's quite a drive (40 minute round trip) to be someone's alarm contact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith That never even occurred to me!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabeline Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I'm not sure, but think I would have had them call the police. If it was a true emergency or a fire or something, I would be of no help.:willy_nilly::willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith I couldn't agree more. And then I would tell the friend that as much as I like him/her, I don't appreciate being put in such a responsible position without my consent! Who does that?? We don't have an emergency contact with our security company. If we don't answer, the police are automatically called. What if we were being held hostage in our home, or worse? Egads! Which BTW, is why we spent so much money having it installed and pay a monthly charge for monitoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 My parents were listed as alarm contacts by my in-laws. Apparently though they do not speak to me, their son, or grandchildren, ever, they have no problem authorizing my parents, without their knowledge, to make decisions on the safety of their home and property. :confused::glare: When the call came and caught my parents by surprise, they simply told the dispatcher their name was listed without their knowledge and they could not in good conscious make decisions on the others' behalf. And my parents requested their name be taken off the list. :) I'd never put myself or my children into a situation where a possible break in could be in progress, or even worse if someone broke in while the homeowner was there. That's one of the important roles police perform for society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith I think that's mean and very unfriendly. If I had an alarm system and had to put someone as a contact person, I would assume that the contact person would call the police if the alarm went off. I would have no idea that the police would hold a false alarm against a homeowner, if called in good faith.So, I wouldn't realize that it was a big deal who was listed as a contact person. I wouldn't realize that I would be putting undue stress on my friends. I'd figure they'd just say, "Call the police," and be done with it, and wouldn't worry about police reports of "false alarms." So, as a friend, I would NOT say, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a contact person," and let my friend's house get robbed and/or vandalized. What a crummy friend I would be!!!! "I'm not a contact person, so just let my friends die at the hands of a violent thief!" Really? I'd call the police. What if the friends were hurt or in immediate danger. That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. Edited March 30, 2011 by Garga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. It does stink, but we have that policy in our city as well. The problem was the police were getting so many false alarms they had to respond to, taking them away from more important situations and costing them time and money. So I understand their position. On the other hand, are false alarm charges really some kind of deterrent? I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. I agree. And yes, the whole time I was driving, I was hoping that someone wasn't bleeding out on the kitchen floor. I'm very happy to now know what the homeowner's want me to do. It takes a lot of stress off of me. I get put in this kind of situation a lot where people sign me up as their emergency contact. And they don't tell me. Or perhaps they do and I forget which would make me a particularly bad choice as an emergency contact! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I think that's mean and very unfriendly. If I had an alarm system and had to put someone as a contact person, I would assume that the contact person would call the police if the alarm went off. I would have no idea that the police would hold a false alarm against a homeowner, if called in good faith.So, I wouldn't realize that it was a big deal who was listed as a contact person. I wouldn't realize that I would be putting undue stress on my friends. I'd figure they'd just say, "Call the police," and be done with it, and wouldn't worry about police reports of "false alarms." So, as a friend, I would NOT say, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a contact person," and let my friend's house get robbed and/or vandalized. What a crummy friend I would be!!!! "I'm not a contact person, so just let my friends die at the hands of a violent thief!" Really? I'd call the police. What if the friends were hurt or in immediate danger. That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. No, but I don't see how telling the truth -- that you didn't know you were the back up listed and that you don't feel comfortable making the decision -- makes you a bad friend. Look at it this way -- what would the company have done if they couldn't get ahold of the homeowner OR you? That is what they will now have to do. And that is likely stated in the contract signed by the homeowner. You aren't any more responsible for the outcome than you would be if you hadn't been home to take the call, IMO. The company would have figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 So, as a friend, I would NOT say, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a contact person," and let my friend's house get robbed and/or vandalized. What a crummy friend I would be!!!! "I'm not a contact person, so just let my friends die at the hands of a violent thief!" Really? Why can't the alarm company call the police? Wouldn't they do that if they couldn't reach anyone? I would assume that if I told them I don't want to be the contact person, that would put the ball back in their court--they are responsible for calling the police in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I probably would have done what you did, but I like what Faith said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 What *do* they expect you to do? Run across town? I'm just curious. I wouldn't want to be a contact person and have to do that. I would just want them to call the police~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith I would have said this too. Largely because I would be afraid it was some type of scam, if I had never heard anything about being their emergency contact. (And then I'd try calling my friend to check up.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith That is exactly what I would have done. Then I would have seriously contemplated calling the police because how do I know this was a legit call from a legit company. It could have been someone trying to get me out of the house for 40 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It does stink, but we have that policy in our city as well. The problem was the police were getting so many false alarms they had to respond to, taking them away from more important situations and costing them time and money. So I understand their position. On the other hand, are false alarm charges really some kind of deterrent? I don't know. It really does force the alarm companies to be up to par. Customers who have to pay excessive fines complain to the alarm companies. Some times they even go to competitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC in KS Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I'm just really trying to figure out the alarm company's logic. Alarm goes off -- potential crime in progress. Homeowners either not at home or not able to answer phone. Now let's waste some extra time by phoning around a list of "contact people"? :confused::confused: BTW, I used to be the contact person for the store I managed. Quite often I was called to *meet the police there*. Let me tell you, that's a scary feeling, hanging around "out of range" in case a bad guy comes out with a gun. No WAY I'd have my kids at the scene, and DOUBLY NO WAY if the police weren't going to be there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 What *do* they expect you to do? Run across town? I'm just curious. I wouldn't want to be a contact person and have to do that. I would just want them to call the police~! You know, I've been wondering about this. What does a contact person do? Are they expected to go into the house where the alarm is going off to see if something is wrong? That sounds preposterously dangerous to me. It's just such a bizarre concept for me to wrap my brain around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 I think that's mean and very unfriendly. If I had an alarm system and had to put someone as a contact person, I would assume that the contact person would call the police if the alarm went off. I would have no idea that the police would hold a false alarm against a homeowner, if called in good faith.So, I wouldn't realize that it was a big deal who was listed as a contact person. I wouldn't realize that I would be putting undue stress on my friends. I'd figure they'd just say, "Call the police," and be done with it, and wouldn't worry about police reports of "false alarms." So, as a friend, I would NOT say, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a contact person," and let my friend's house get robbed and/or vandalized. What a crummy friend I would be!!!! "I'm not a contact person, so just let my friends die at the hands of a violent thief!" Really? I'd call the police. What if the friends were hurt or in immediate danger. That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. On the contrary. I think it's mean and unfriendly to list someone as an emergency contact without their knowledge and permission. I have been put in that position myself with the parent of a girl my stepdaughter used to babysit. If you want someone to be an emergency contact, it should be someone who knows you well enough to have an idea how you want things handled, or specific instructions should be provided, even if it's "use your best judgment." If you have an alarm system installed, you should be informed as to the cansequences of a false alarm. If you are a police department, you should be compensated for answering alarms that turn out to be owner error or malfunction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 31, 2011 Author Share Posted March 31, 2011 Talked to my friend last night. She was extremely apologetic. It turns out that one of the batteries had died on the door, making the seal "broken". They've updated the company with cell phone data. She confirmed that the police do charge a "false alarm fee" but are more than willing to pay it if I'm contacted again. I'm happy that in the unlikely event that this happens again, I know exactly what the homeowners want. For those worried that I would have put my kids in danger, I would have parked down the street and left them in the car. They are old enough that no "good samaritan" would call the police on me for doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 It really does force the alarm companies to be up to par. Customers who have to pay excessive fines complain to the alarm companies. Some times they even go to competitors. Oh, I never thought about it being the alarm company's fault! But I guess some are. I assumed they were mostly false alarms of the kind where a 3-year-old pulls a chair up to the alarm box and pushes the button, and a couple of not very understanding cops show up shortly. You can tell I've had this experience. This also happened to my neighbor (her son was 2), and she was about 3 weeks postpartum and was drying her hair upstairs and didn't hear the cops knocking at the door. As soon as she was done drying her hair, she put her clothes on. Seconds before the cops burst into her bedroom. Close call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I think that's mean and very unfriendly. If I had an alarm system and had to put someone as a contact person, I would assume that the contact person would call the police if the alarm went off. I would have no idea that the police would hold a false alarm against a homeowner, if called in good faith.So, I wouldn't realize that it was a big deal who was listed as a contact person. I wouldn't realize that I would be putting undue stress on my friends. I'd figure they'd just say, "Call the police," and be done with it, and wouldn't worry about police reports of "false alarms." So, as a friend, I would NOT say, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a contact person," and let my friend's house get robbed and/or vandalized. What a crummy friend I would be!!!! "I'm not a contact person, so just let my friends die at the hands of a violent thief!" Really? I'd call the police. What if the friends were hurt or in immediate danger. That's a crummy policy on the police's part. It's not like you can know it's a false alarm. What if the family can't afford the $150 for the "false call" report? What if the reporting family gets blamed for making that decision? Why not let the alarm company "do their job" and call the police, rather than rely on the completely unprepared "contact person" to make a split-second correct decision? Unfriendly, egads! Forsooth. Good grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I would have told the alarm company that I was never asked to be an emergency contact and would not make that decision. Thanks and have a pleasant day. Faith :iagree: I would not take on a responsibility that is not mine, just because someone else thought it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Jean, What you did was so kind, considering these people had not even let you know that you were their contact. :) However, I would have told the company to call the police. If the homeowner reamed me later, I would tell them to please remove me as their emergency contact and kindly inform the next one what their wishes are in case this happens again. Also, if someone asked me to be their contact, I would tell them I wasn't going to check out the situation if the alarm goes off. If someone is actually breaking into the house, I, an unarmed, untrained citizen, do not want to deal with it. Send the police please! Bless you for making the best decision possible under the circumstances! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Honestly.....20 minutes across town? On a moments notice? And you didn't even know you were listed as a contact? I would have told them to go ahead and call the police. That's quite a drive (40 minute round trip) to be someone's alarm contact. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'd tell them to call the police. If they wanted another course of action, then they really needed to discuss it with me when they chose me as the emergency contact. And no, I'm not going to go and put myself in danger by checking it out myself, though if it was someone (geographically) close I'd be willing to drive by and see if there was anything obviously amiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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