What is the purpose of central station monitoring?

As a business owner or facility manager, you face millions of dollars in damages due to fires and security-related incidents. Whether it's an intrusion, burglary, or a fire-related emergency, you need a quick and effective way to alert the appropriate personnel when your alarm system activates.

This is where central station monitoring services come into play.

Central station monitoring is vital for any successful fire and life safety plan. When working with a UL-listed central station monitoring partner, you receive around-the-clock coverage of your property, rapid response to any fire or security alert, and the ability to dispatch appropriate authorities immediately.

Before discussing how these essential services benefit commercial and industrial facilities, let's review what central station monitoring services are.

What is a Central Station Monitoring Service?

Central station monitoring is a mission-critical service, helping businesses across industries maintain expensive equipment and respond to critical events such as:

• Power failure
• Fire protection system actuation
• Sub-optimal system performance
• Break-ins, burglaries, or security breaches

When monitored fire protection or security systems activate, they use standard phone lines (POTS Lines), internet protocol (IP), or cellular transmission to transmit an alert directly to the central station. Once the signal is received, central stations utilize automation software, redundant technology, and qualified operators to quickly assess the cause and immediately contact the appropriate emergency personnel for dispatch.

Most businesses associate central station monitoring with fire protection systems, including fire alarms, fire sprinklers, and special hazard fire suppression systems, but the service also supports security systems such as:

• Intrusion alarm systems
• Digital surveillance cameras
• Access control
• Internet closed-circuit TV (CCTV)

Discover how to choose the right security system for your facility. Learn More →

In addition to fire and security system monitoring, a quality central monitoring station adds a preventative maintenance component by evaluating alerts that identify sub-optimal system performance. With trained operators closely monitoring system malfunction alerts, businesses can rest assured that their fire and security systems are continuously functioning as intended.

Get in touch with your local district office to discuss integrating central station monitoring services for your fire and security systems. Learn More →

What are the Benefits of Central Station Monitoring?

Various industries utilize and benefit from central station monitoring services, including:

• Industrial
• Education
• Healthcare
• Multi-family housing

The industrial sector uniquely benefits from central station monitoring. While monitoring isn’t a regulatory requirement, these facilities significantly benefit from 24/7 monitoring as they typically contain expensive equipment, store hazardous materials, and are frequently occupied. Due to this dangerous combination of factors, it becomes clear why industrial facilities need central station monitoring and rapid response of local authorities in the event of an emergency.

Central station monitoring provides a valuable layer of protection, helping businesses prevent property loss, minimize emergency response times, and ensure system functionality. Here are a few other ways central station monitoring benefits commercial and industrial facilities.

Immediate emergency dispatch - Dedicated operators respond to fire or security alerts immediately, notify first responders of the situation, and send them to your location within minutes, ensuring your property remains safe and secure – even when no one is present.

Add a criminal deterrent - Criminals are far less likely to target properties when they know it is monitored 24/7 by a professional UL-listed monitoring company.

Recieve insurance benefits - Many insurance agencies offer discounts to businesses with around-the-clock central station monitoring, which helps reduce operational costs.

Ensure safety and quality - A UL-listed monitoring company guarantees service continuously meets rigorous safety and quality standards.

Reduces false alarms and associated fines - Central station operators verify alarms before notifying the police. Alarm verification helps businesses avoid false alarm fees, ranging from $100 for the first offense and up to thousands of dollars for repeat offenders.

Reduce costs - Qualified operators interpret system trouble signals in real-time and regularly conduct system testing to identify issues before they cause costly system failures, helping businesses reduce maintenance costs.

Conveniently monitor multiple systems simultaneously - Credible central stations combine fire and security monitoring into one integrated service for maximum cost savings and convenience.

Discover the advantages of having a dual fire and security system. Learn More →

Protect Your Business Premises with Rapid-Response Central Station Monitoring Services

No matter the scale of your business—whether it’s a single commercial location or a network of campuses—every organization needs monitored fire protection and security systems.
When these systems are monitored uniformly, they become safer, easier to use, and more cost-efficient in the long run.

Building owners and facility managers should partner with a UL-listed monitoring company to discuss a combined monitoring solution for their fire and security systems. An effective central station monitoring partner will monitor all of your fire and security systems to ensure rapid first responder deployment when you need it most.

You work tirelessly to ensure the safety of your property or business. But what if you didn't have to? What if there was a more definitive way for you to know whether you've had a security breach or not?

If you experience a burglary or another event that can trigger your alarm system, there's no need to panic with central station monitoring. Instead, consider it an essential part of your property's protective system and an asset for your peace of mind. If you aren’t familiar with central station monitoring, here are some reasons why you'll want to start investing in this service.

What Is Central Station Monitoring?

Central station monitoring is a service through which you can contact the authorities when your property's fire safety or security systems activate. Central stations have staff who work around the clock. As a result, they can immediately handle emergencies and dispatch the necessary personnel. So if your business experiences an intrusion or burglary, central station monitoring has a handle on it by ensuring a swift police response.

How Can It Keep Your Business Safe?

While your safety alarms are a solid piece of protection for your property, they can only do so much when they need to communicate an actual emergency. With a central station monitoring system, you'll have the reassurance that your business is in good hands. In addition, you’ll have access to real, trained professionals 24/7. And there are a lot of great benefits your company can enjoy when using central station monitoring that goes beyond emergency services.

Monitoring for System Malfunctions

While your fire sprinkler system is designed to tackle a fire at a moment's notice, how can you ensure that your alert system is ready for it? With central station monitoring, you'll oversee your security systems and be alerted of any alarm issues or system failures. It's an excellent way for you to stay on top of your security equipment while keeping your business safe from break-ins or other disasters.

Immediate Response

As a general rule, emergencies are never very convenient and can happen at odd hours or on holidays. These are the moments when you might let your guard down for even just a split second. It isn't fair to you to be on high alert every moment, so a central station monitoring system is there to provide backup. A highly trained operator is always there in those crucial minutes or seconds. So, no matter the hour of the day, there's always someone there with your company's best interests at heart to handle the crisis.

The Best Protection for Your Business

Professional monitoring means you'll never have to worry about getting caught off guard when disaster strikes. There's no staying up late worrying about system malfunctions or fire detection. There's no need to communicate or facilitate a dispatch with the police or fire officials. The system has your business completely covered and works with your current alarm network. When you choose central station monitoring, you can control and protect your property at all times.

To learn more about central station monitoring for your business, contact Koorsen Fire & Security. We can answer all your questions about monitoring and get your business set and monitored in no time.