Fire Alarm Systems for Home or Business
A fire event can have devastating consequences for homeowners and business owners alike – including property damage, destruction of one’s home, loss of business revenue, personal injury and even loss of life. Preventing or lessening the severity of such events is what a professionally installed fire alarm system is designed to do.
Properly functioning fire alarm systems are mandated by local, national and international building codes, and they also provide significant peace of mind to homeowners and business owners. A professionally designed and installed fire alarm system from Mcdavid can help protect your family, your employees, your customers, and your property in case the unthinkable happens.
Fire Alarm System Benefits
Having a professionally designed and 24/7 monitored fire alarm system provides important benefits for Austin, TX homeowners and business owners alike:
- Early warning in case of a fire event, with immediate dispatch of firefighters and EMS
- Loss prevention / reduction
- Legal compliance with local fire codes and building codes, and reduced liability exposure
- Opportunity to reduce your insurance premiums
- Peace of mind that your loved ones or business assets are protected
Fire Alarm System Features
Today’s fire alarm and life safety systems go far beyond simply sounding an alarm and notifying first responders if a fire event occurs. Popular features of advanced fire detection systems include:
- Sophisticated smoke and heat detection
- Carbon monoxide detection to detect CO gas, which is odorless and colorless
- Auto-unlock doors for easy exit and fire department access
- Turn off HVAC system, to slow circulation of smoke
- Extra high capacity battery backup
- Remote arming and disarming via smartphone
- Monitoring and arming multiple independent zones
- Integration with surveillance, burglar alarm, and home automation systems
Fire Loss Statistics
According to the National Fire Protection Association:
- In 2017, there were 1,319,500 fires reported in the United States. These fires caused 3,400 civilian deaths, 14,670 civilian injuries, and $23 billion in property damage.
- Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms
- 77% of all fire-related deaths occur in the home
- In just two minutes, a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames.
- Carbon monoxide (CO) – often referred to as the silent killer – is an odorless, colorless gas that is virtually impossible to detect
- More than 370 deaths occur per year in the US from unintentional CO poisoning
Early Warning Alerts
In the event of a fire, only a few seconds can be the difference between minor damage and total loss. When home and business owners choose a fire protection system from Mcdavid, they are automatically connected to a 24/7 professional monitoring service, ensuring that alerts are delivered in real time to you as well as to emergency responders. If fire, smoke, or carbon monoxide were to be detected at your home or place of business, both you and local firefighting authorities would receive an immediate alert. You can set up your alert system however you choose, with the option to be notified via a text message, a phone call, our mobile application, or via all of these options.
Loss Prevention
In addition to posing a safety risk for people, fire can take away possessions both expensive and sentimental, as well as valuable business inventory. If you don’t have a properly functioning fire alarm system that provides 24/7 protection, you risk losing treasured possessions at home, and the business livelihood you’ve worked hard to create. Every home and business owner should make it a priority to have a quality fire alarm system, to ensure their family’s personal safety and to protect against the financial loss of having to rebuild a business from the ground up.
Code Compliance and Liability
At Mcdavid, we hope you will never have to use your fire alarm system. But if disaster were ever to strike, we want you to have the peace of mind that comes from working with trusted professionals to design and install a reliable, legally compliant fire protection system.
If a fire event was to occur, and investigators determined that you did not have a fire alarm system in place, or if your system was not code compliant, your insurance company potentially could refuse to pay your claim. You could also face fines or additional liability exposure. A properly installed and functioning fire alarm system in your home or business can provide protection from such an unfortunate situation.
Home Security
Having a professionally installed fire alarm system in your home provides peace of mind that you and your loved ones are protected. You’ll be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing that your system – and our 24/7 monitoring service – is there in the unlikely event of a fire.
The team at Mcdavid can also help you devise a fire escape plan for your family, taking into account the layout of your home, location of family members’ bedrooms, and the most direct routes to safety. Having such a plan in place – and conducting regular fire drills – is important to ensure that everyone knows what to do should a fire break out. Additionally, your fire alarm system is connected via our 24/7 monitoring service to local authorities, to ensure that firefighters are en route to your location as soon as the alarm sounds.
Workplace Security
In addition to keeping you safe at home, fire alarm systems also keep employees and customers safe in the workplace. It’s imperative for business owners to install a fire detection system, fire alarm system, and fire suppression (sprinkler) system. Putting these measures in place will provide business owners, employees and customers with the peace of mind that they will be safe at your place of business. As with home security, our team can help you create a company policy and fire escape plan for your employees, as well as provide instruction on conducting regular evacuation drills, emphasizing getting everyone to the closest exit as expediently as possible.
Your Local Fire Security Expert
At Mcdavid, we value the relationships that we’ve built with our residential and business customers. We see it as our responsibility to provide and install quality security products that help keep your home and business safe. That’s why we offer the most advanced fire detection and fire alarm system technology in the security industry.
Our fire safety products and services are custom designed to meet a wide range of building structures and end user applications, and to comply with Federal, state and local building codes. We have extensive experience designing and installing both residential and commercial fire protection systems. When planning your fire safety system, we consider all aspects of your home or workspace, and the future growth prospects of your business, to design a scalable, flexible fire safety system that can grow with you as your personal or business needs change.
Fire Protection Services
Mcdavid provides fire protection services, including:
- Fire alarm systems
- Fire suppression systems
- Fire alarm repair
- Fire alarm replacement
- Fire alarm testing and inspection
The Importance of Professional Installation
Our team of installers is experienced in fire safety, fire detection, and applicable fire codes and standards. Their knowledge of installation requirements, proper system maintenance, as well as testing and use of fire detection equipment and fire alarm control units ensures that your fire alarm system is always code compliant and functioning properly.
Many home and business owners do not realize that their fire alarm systems may not be up to code – especially if their system was installed some time ago. Failure to address these issues could result in code violations and fines, or worse, a dangerous fire event.
Initial Assessment
At Mcdavid, our highly trained technicians begin by conducting a thorough walkthrough of your home or workplace, and will inspect your blueprints and floorplans. We will evaluate your existing fire protection system if you have one, and recommend any improvements to your existing infrastructure.
Since no two applications are the same, we design a custom fire protection solution for each one of our customers. You’ll receive a detailed proposal that’s tailored specifically to your lifestyle or business needs, and your budget.
Fire Alarm System Installation
We will schedule your fire alarm system’s installation around your schedule. With options for early morning or weekend starts, we strive to minimize the impact on your business operations. And we will ensure that you understand your new fire alarm system, providing in-depth training for you and your key staff members.
Fire Protection System Inspection and Maintenance
Mcdavid also provides regular inspection, testing and maintenance of existing fire protection systems including smoke detectors, pull stations, audio-visuals (horns, strobes and speakers), sprinklers and smoke control systems.
Your fire alarm system is at work 24/7/365. Proper inspection, testing and maintenance of your system can ensure that it is operating at peak performance, and keep you in compliance with NFPA as well as Federal, state and local building codes. Regularly scheduled maintenance also can significantly reduce false alarms, by keeping your smoke detectors clean and set at the required sensitivity level.
All fire alarm systems are required to be tested, inspected and tagged by a licensed fire alarm company at least once a year. Don’t wait to have your fire alarm system inspected and repaired weeks or months from now – having it serviced today could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars tomorrow!