Emergency Response False Alarms Guide

This article applies to all users with an active Awareness Protection Plan.

Your home monitoring system can automatically contact emergency services when it detects potential threats to your safety.

However, not every system activation requires emergency response. Understanding Emergency Response false alarms and how to manage them helps ensure emergency services are available when truly needed while protecting you from unnecessary fees and penalties.

What are Emergency Response False Alarms?

Emergency Response false alarms occur when your monitoring system triggers emergency service dispatch for non-emergency situations. This is different from regular device alarms (audible or lighting alarm from your cameras). Emergency Response false alarms actually contact emergency services such as police, fire department, or medical responders.

Key Distinction:

• Device Alarms: Your cameras make audible & lighting alarms or send notifications
• Emergency Response Alarms: Your system contacts emergency services who may dispatch responders to your location

Emergency Response false alarms can result in real emergency responders being sent to your home, potentially leading to fees and penalties even when no actual emergency exists.

Common Causes of Emergency Response False Alarms

Emergency Response false alarms can happen for various reasons:

• Accidental activation: Your security system activates accidentally
• Forgot to disarm: You forget to disarm your system before entering your home
• Pet triggers: Pets or moving objects trigger motion detection
• Environmental factors: Weather conditions affect camera motion detection
• Incorrect settings: Away Mode or Emergency Response settings cause unexpected alerts
• Use error: Accidentally pressing the emergency button or long-pressing video notifications

When any of these situations trigger Emergency Response, real emergency services may be dispatched to your location to ensure your safety, even when no actual emergency exists.

Impact of Emergency Response False Alarms

Financial Responsibility

You may be responsible for fees and penalties associated with Emergency Response false alarms. Many local jurisdictions charge fees when emergency responders are dispatched for false alarms. These costs can include:

• False alarm fines imposed by local authorities
• Ambulance transport fees (if medical services respond)
• Fire department response fees (if fire services are dispatched)
• Additional penalties for repeating false alarms
• Fees for unregistered alarm systems in some areas

Important: Check with your local jurisdiction to understand specific fees and regulations in your area. Review your monitoring service terms to understand your responsibilities regarding false alarm costs.

Emergency Response Process

When Emergency Response is triggered, the monitoring center follows a specific process to verify the emergency before dispatching responders:

1. SMS Verification

   • Agents from the monitoring center will first send text messages to:
     • The primary user
     • All emergency contacts
   • You can cancel the alarm by responding to this text message immediately.

2. Phone Call Verification

   • If there's no response to the SMS, agents will call:
     • The primary user
     • All emergency contacts
   • You can cancel the alarm by answering the phone call and speaking with the agent.

3. Emergency Service Dispatch

   • If neither SMS nor phone calls reach anyone, the agent will automatically contact local emergency services (police, fire department, or medical responders depending on the type of alarm).

This is why prompt response to verification attempts is crucial - you have multiple opportunities to prevent unnecessary emergency dispatch.

How to Cancel Emergency Response False Alarms

There are two main ways to cancel Emergency Response false alarms:

1. Respond to Monitoring Center Agent

   • This is the easiest and most reliable method:
   • Respond to SMS immediately when you receive a text from the monitoring center
   • Answer phone calls from monitoring center agents and confirm the false alarm

2. Cancel through the App

   • Admin or shared users can manually cancel the alarm through the Vico Nature app.

Special Note for PIR Motion Detection

If the Emergency Response was automatically triggered by PIR motion detection, you can also cancel by switching to a non-Away mode (Home or Disarmed mode).

Important: Manual emergency requests (Shield button or long-pressing video notifications) cannot be canceled by switching modes, as these are considered intentional emergency requests.

Note: When you successfully cancel an alarm, both the Noonlight alarm and device alerts will be stopped, and you'll receive a notification confirming the cancellation.

How to Prevent Emergency Response False Alarms

Respond Promptly to Verification Communications

Answer text messages and phone calls immediately when the monitoring center contacts you. The monitoring center follows a specific verification process:

• Respond to SMS first: This is your quickest opportunity to cancel the alarm
• Answer phone calls: If you miss the SMS, agents will call you and your emergency contacts
• Keep emergency contacts updated: Ensure your emergency contacts can also respond if you're unavailable

To ensure you don't miss verification calls:

• Add monitoring center contacts to your phone: During setup, add the monitoring center's contact information to your phone's address book
• Use the My Service feature: Go to My Service page and select "Add Monitoring Center to Contacts" to automatically save the contact information

This prevents calls from being filtered as spam and ensures you'll recognize incoming verification calls

Quick response during the verification window can prevent unnecessary emergency dispatch and associated fees.

Configure Your System Properly

Configure Away Mode Emergency Response:

• Understand the setting: When in Away Mode, you can choose whether to enable Emergency Response for motion person detection
• Make informed decisions: If you disable Emergency Response in Away Mode, motion detection will still work but won't trigger emergency dispatch
• Consider your needs: Only disable Emergency Response if you're certain you don't want emergency services contacted when motion is detected while you're away
• Review settings regularly: Ensure your Emergency Response settings match your current security needs

System Maintenance and Setup

• Test your system regularly to ensure cameras and motion detection work correctly
• Keep cameras clean and free from obstructions
• Secure pets in areas away from cameras when the system is armed to prevent motion detection triggers

Train Your Household

• Train all household members on system operation, disarm procedures, and PIN Code usage
• Keep emergency contact information updated with your monitoring service
• Inform emergency contacts about their role in the verification process. They may receive SMS and phone calls from the monitoring center
• Ensure emergency contacts know how to respond to verification communications from agents
• Have emergency contacts add monitoring center to their contacts so they can also recognize and answer verification calls

What to Do if an Emergency Response False Alarm Occurs

1. Cancel immediately by responding to monitoring center SMS/phone calls or through the App if you realize an alarm was triggered accidentally
2. Contact monitoring center immediately if you realize an alarm was triggered accidentally. If your phone number is associated with an active alarm, your call will be routed to the agent handling your case. Otherwise, it may go to a pre-recorded message.
3. Cooperate with emergency responders if they arrive at your location
4. Review the cause of the false alarm with your monitoring service
5. Take corrective action to prevent similar incidents

Getting Help

For specific information about false alarm fees in your area, contact your local emergency services or city government. If you experience repeated false alarms or need assistance configuring your system, please feel free to contact us. Remember, while false alarms can be costly and inconvenient, your safety is the top priority. It's better to have a false alarm than to ignore a real emergency situation.