Kendallville, IN
One Sunday afternoon, an alarm system begged for attention. It first gave a burglar entry signal at one of the doors inside the building.
James, the building owner, knew it was unlikely that an inner door would be set off first, so he advised AvantGuard team member Morgan to disregard.
The alarm came in again only three minutes later and surprised both Morgan and James.
“We are receiving an additional alarm this time,” Morgan told James.
James’ tone changed and seriousness filled his voice.
“Go ahead and alert dispatch,” he said, giving Morgan the approval to send the fire department to assess the scene.
Lightning had struck the building’s electrical panels and started a fire within the walls. The fire soon spread to the insulation, where if not stopped, it would have destroyed the entire building
When the building’s electrical panels were damaged, the burglar alarm was set off, alerting central station and saving the building.
Within seven minutes, the fire department arrived on scene and put out the fire before James got there.
“I am so glad to have that alarm system!” said James excitedly. “It has saved me so much grief.”
“The operator was so precise and on target. I didn’t have to do anything except show up, and everything was perfectly fine when I arrived,” James recalled. “The building looks normal. You would never have even known there was a fire except for the smell.”
“You just automatically have this thought that the second one will be a false alarm too” said Morgan. “I followed strict adherence to procedures … regardless of what I might have felt and I called the subscriber again.”
Thanks to Morgan, only a door and some electrical boxes were damaged.
We would like to thank the Kendallville Fire Department for their fast response time and dedication to protecting their city.