FAQs
Enter your code to silence the system.
Call our Central Monitoring Station at 206-328-1800 immediately to let us know that it is not an actual alarm/emergency. Depending on how quickly you are able to silence your alarm, it may have registered as an “alarm trip and reset” in our system. Depending on the situation, we may choose not to contact you if your system briefly goes into alarm and is immediately disarmed. Instruct your employees to answer the phone if they inadvertently set off the alarm system-it may be Washington Alarm calling to verify the alarm!
- Because the vast majority of all burglar alarms are false alarms, Washington Alarm voluntarily adopted a “multiple call verification” policy in 1990. When we receive a security alarm signal from your home or business, we attempt to reach someone by calling the premises and the Emergency Call List (ECL). That is why it is critical that you periodically review and update your ECL! This policy of verifying alarms before dispatching is so effective in reducing the number of false alarms that several municipalities and police departments throughout the country have recently adopted similar “alarm verification” procedures with stiff fines and penalties for companies not observing the procedure.
- Please note that if we have reason to believe that the alarm is real, we may elect to contact the police prior to notifying you or calling the ECL.
An ECL is an abbreviation for your Emergency Contact List, which is a list of the individuals we are to contact in the event of an alarm. Typically these individuals are authorized to make decisions concerning your alarm system. It is critical that you periodically review and update your Emergency Call List. If you or anyone on your ECL gets a new cell phone, a new job or moves away, we need to be notified so we don’t waste valuable time calling disconnected numbers.
We treat all fire alarm signals as real, actual emergencies requiring response from the Fire Department and dispatch immediately. We can not cancel a fire alarm dispatch once it is requested, but we can call them and let them know that it is not an emergency so they do not risk the lives of the fire response crew and citizens by racing to a non-emergency. If you set off your smoke detector while cooking, please call us at 206-328-1800 and let us know that there is no fire.
A UL-Listed Central Station is subjected to outside inspections and is held to a higher standard of site safety and reliability. Our records, building, systems and procedures are independently surveyed by Underwriters Laboratories to assure that we meet their rigid requirements. UL is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting consumer safety. As an end-user, you can be assured that Washington Alarm has passed the highest ratings in the industry! Washington Alarm has been UL listed since 1974.
- The alarm panel uses your telephone line to communicate with our Central Monitoring Station. When there is an alarm signal or event, the alarm panel in your home seizes the telephone line and sends the information to us. For this reason, we try to schedule your automatic system test signals for a time of day that you are least likely to be using the telephone. There will be a brief period (usually lasting about a minute) following an alarm signal or event during which your line will appear 00-01dead’ and you will not be able to make or receive telephone calls. Do not keep trying to dial out manually. Wait for approximately one minute to give the system time to communicate. The more zones tripped, the longer the communication process.
- If you have supervised openings and closings on your system, each time the system is armed/disarmed the panel will seize the phone line and terminate any call that was in progress at the time of the signal. If you find that it is too disruptive, please call our Sales Department (206-328-3288) to discuss alternate methods of communication that we offer our customers.
Washington Alarm smoke detectors do not chirp; they communicate directly with our Central Station. If yours is chirping, the most common cause is that you have a simple battery-powered (usually 9-volt) smoke detector in need of a fresh battery.
Our Central Station is the go-between for your alarm system and the local authorities. Should your fire or burglar system go into a state of alarm, your system will communicate the emergency to the Central Station. In most cases, Washington Alarm will then attempt to contact you to verify the alarm, and will then dispatch the appropriate local authorities. In the event of a fire alarm, however, the fire department will be dispatched immediately.
No, we will not receive an alarm signal. It is important to turn your alarm on, even when you are at home. It is best to have your perimeter protection on whenever possible. Perimeter protection is an option that allows you to move about freely inside your home while all doors and windows are armed.
Yes, and we recommend that you make a habit of it! To use your system while you are in your home, you will need to ‘bypass’ any zones of interior protection (i.e. motion detectors). Contact our Central Station 24 hours a day at 206-328-1800 if you need help determining which zones are interior, bypassing them temporarily, or to inquire if your system is capable of being programmed for “home”, “sleep” and “away” modes. Many systems will even prompt you to select “perimeter” or “all” protection when you are arming your system. Remember, if you don’t arm your system we won’t get an alarm signal and won’t know there is a problem.
Most insurance companies give significant discounts to homeowners who have monitored alarm systems. Call your agent.
Prior to testing devices, call our Central Monitoring Station (206-328-1800) and inform that you intend to test your system. They will ask you questions to identify your system i.e. Name, address, etc. then they will ask for your passcode. After the operator has confirmed that your system is in the test mode, you may arm it, and then begin testing devices. When you are done, call the Central Station back and request that they verify receipt of your test signals, and then inform them that you are done testing. (Any signals received after that will be treated as actual alarms!)
Normally, if your phone lines become disabled due to tampering, severe weather, or construction, your alarm signal will not reach our 24-Hour Central Monitoring Station. Because our 24-Hour Central Monitoring Station is a critical part of your security and fire alarm system, Washington Alarm offers several alternative communication options, such as cell, radio or internet. Please contact our Sales Department at 206-328-3288 for more information.
Yes. In many cases Washington Alarm will be able to program your existing panel into our monitoring station. Repairs and upgrades can also be done if needed. When you’ve satisfied your current contractual obligations, call and ask about our special conversion rates for existing systems. Please call (206) 328-3288 and ask to speak with the representative for your area. Or, if you prefer, we can contact you concerning your activation. Just click here to provide the necessary information.
Please call (206) 328-3288 and ask to speak with the representative for your area. Or, if you prefer, we can contact you concerning your activation. Just click here to provide the necessary information.
YES! If you are having someone care for your home while you are away, please notify our Central Station. Too often house/pet sitters are unfamiliar with your alarm system and inadvertently set off the alarm. Then they either do not answer the phone when we call to verify the emergency or they answer the phone but are unable to provide us with a valid password/code. When this happens we treat the event as an actual alarm and dispatch the police. If you are leaving town, please contact our Central Station to let us know and to request a temporary password/code for your house sitter. Similarly, if you have household employees who are authorized to be in your home please instruct them to answer the phone if they set off the alarm and provide them with a password/code. Please contact our Central Station to request a household employee password/code and to advise us of the hours that they may be in your home with permission.
