Security Products

By Security Products Staff · April 2006

A conversation with Glenn Fischer

AFTER a five-year retirement from the industry, Glenn Fischer, founder of KingAlarm Distributors Inc. and King Central Inc., has resurfaced with a new broader vision for the security industry. We sat down with Fischer to find out where he sees the security industry heading in 2006 and why he recently launched SafetyCare, an innovative new company that is incorporating home security alarms with security, safety, health and wellness services.

Q. Next year appears to be a prosperous new year. Please discuss the prospects of 2006 not only for the company, but also for the consumer.

A. In 2006, consumers will find that, in addition to advancements in technology, there will be vast improvements in the level of service they receive from their monitoring stations.

Before we started SafetyCare, we hired an independent marketing research firm to conduct consumer focus groups. The findings showed that, in order to supplement the security and medical products they were purchasing, consumers wanted access to security professionals 24 hours a day for questions or concerns about their hardware and personal security.

Consumers noticed the security industry was being driven by technology, but were concerned that the level of customer service might lag behind great innovations. This also was a major concern of SafetyCare. All monitoring companies benefit from upgrades in technology, but SafetyCare's on-call, customer-driven services are designed to add value to home security products, as well.

In 2006, look for SafetyCare to expand its central station capabilities and its 24-hour-a-day call center to surpass security consumer expectations.

Q. Home security monitoring and family safety are paramount. How does SafetyCare address the family first?

A. According to the dictionary, the word "security" means "freedom from risk, danger, doubt, anxiety or fear." Security is peace of mind. It is about saving lives, helping people feel safe, reducing anxiety and protecting property. SafetyCare puts its families first by providing services to fulfill all security needs.

Our team of experienced security and wellness professionals provides much more than just monitoring of burglar alarms and motion detectors. We provide physical and mental security that gives our customers peace of mind. The value of these services to families is a truly unique resource.

Aside from burglary, smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, flood and frozen pipe monitoring, the most interesting aspect of SafetyCare is its wellness and counseling services that assist families through normal day-to-day living. SafetyCare provides 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year access to professional counselors and licensed nurses for health crisis counseling, consultation, conflict resolution, problem solving and critical incident intervention in a broad range of areas, such as health and wellness, family concerns, mental health issues and addictive behaviors.

SafetyCare services feature two-way voice verification. The company has gone even further by introducing an entirely new signal called "Family Emergency." This is a button that anyone -- child or babysitter -- can activate to speak with one of our associates to address any concern, such as the loss of a loved one, anger management, stress and anxiety, alcoholism, drug abuse, nutrition and weight control, exercise and smoking cessation.

If family members feel insecure for any reason, SafetyCare professionals are on-call to reduce anxiety and alleviate fear.

Q. The company is combining security monitoring with other wellness and safety services. How will this affect the way customers view security monitoring?

A. From the consumer focus groups we conducted, we learned that consumers give little thought to their home security systems. They may choose to activate the alarm when they leave for work or go on vacation, but rarely do they think about the technology behind the system.

SafetyCare enhances the way in which customers view all monitoring stations because our professional staff is readily available to assist during both emergencies and non-emergencies.

Because our staff can quickly answer questions about medication, allergies, injuries or mental health ailments, customers know our name and depend on us. More importantly for the industry, customers know we monitor their homes with a high level of service, bringing trust and credibility to all home monitoring companies.

Q. What types of innovative services can we expect from SafetyCare in 2006?

A. The company is dedicated to remaining a pioneering business in the home security market. Innovative services are continually added, such as our Expanded Neighborhood Watch, an Internet-based system that helps members track down lost pets, children and people with disabilities.

The company also will be adding Medical Records On-Call, an encrypted database to store and retrieve the personal and medical records of our customers. This service will be crucial in the event of a flood or fire, and especially helpful for those who travel often.

GPS tracking capabilities for children and elderly adults also will soon be added. Locators will be in the form of a cell phone or a small, lightweight device that can be carried by a child or attached to a car. We will be able to locate children within just a few feet of their location using a Web browser. This amazing technology can zoom down to a precise street address.

SafetyCare's Geo Fence tracking capability uses GPS technology to create an invisible fence to define an area of freedom for children, elderly adults and pets. This tracking device sends an alarm to the SafetyCare Family Center if the person or pet carrying the device goes beyond a designated border.

Q. False alarms continually plague homeowners and emergency management officials. Some municipalities are now handing out hefty fines when alarms are falsely tripped three or more times. What is SafetyCare doing to curb false alarms?

A. Research shows there is up to a 99-percent chance a customer's last monitoring system was set off by household nuisances like a burnt dinner or a tree limb hitting the house. While it is annoying for customers, imagine how frustrating it is for the dealer who hears constant complaints, as well as local police and fire officials who must use limited resources to respond to thousands of calls a year.

SafetyCare is ending these disturbing false alarms through two-way voice verification between the monitoring station and the homeowner. The process is simple yet effective: Instead of an alarm company automatically contacting the police to dispatch them to an emergency, SafetyCare immediately contacts its customers to verify the alarm.

Through this two-way voice service, SafetyCare offers customers the opportunity to talk to experienced licensed nurses, emergency medical technicians and emergency dispatchers via intercom or telephone. Questions are answered quickly, and the right course of action is diagnosed within seconds.

Because of this service, customers will never have to pay municipal fines for false alarms or battle the annoying alarm blaring throughout the house while waiting for local officials to deactivate it. More importantly, it brings customers an unprecedented level of service and peace of mind.

Q. How is SafetyCare prepared to address other new trends in the security industry?

A. From the inception of the company, we recognized the future of home security is two-way voice verification and the on-site staffing of security and medical professionals to handle calls from customers.

We have hired licensed nurses, police officers, EMTs and other emergency response professionals to manage our central station. It is critically important that consumers are confident the person they talk to is trained to provide the necessary follow-through, whatever need arises.

The growth of two-way voice verification has been restricted by the cost and complexity of setting up a central station to monitor two-way audio systems. The central station that undertakes two-way voice monitoring requires a major investment in new equipment, facilities, training and personnel. Until now, cost has impeded the complex undertaking needed to ensure the verification system is implemented correctly.

This efficient and effective system, coupled with live security and medical professionals, is the future of security monitoring. We are proud to be at the forefront of this evolution.