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  1. #1
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    Default Scare last night

    So last night had a bit of a scare. Alarm went off while we were asleep, at 21:30 (we go to bed quite early). I want to pen this down so I can think about it a bit more and maybe get some input here.

    First thing that struck me when it tripped was how incredibly confused and dazed I felt. We do sometimes get false alarms from the wind blowing the curtains in the living room or whatever, so I'm not immediately in "panic mode". Half asleep still I got up, switched off the alarm and tapped the light to get some light on in the bedroom. My eyes were blurry and I didn't see well, but when I checked the alarm panel I saw Zone 4 being the one that tripped.

    That jolted me wide awake, immediately. Zone 4 is the main gate. It has a sensor on it that trips when you try to open the gate with the alarm activated. First time it tripped at Zone 4, and I'm starting to get worried.

    Switched off the white noise generator so I can hear better (wife can't sleep without it), I grab my gun and my torch and move to the bedroom door. Unlock it, peek out the door into the hall leading to the living room. No movement and dead quiet. Dogs are quiet as well (and they're quite attentive). I move back to the alarm panel. Clear the trigger and try to arm it again. I can't - Zone 4 remains lit, meaning there's something wrong at the gate. By this time my cellphone rings - security company. I tell them the gate tripped, I can't see the gate from the bedroom so they should please send someone.

    I grab the keys and move to the hall gate, unlock it, shining my torch around to look around the house as I go along, gun in hand. By the time I reach the front door I realize I'm standing out like a sore thumb in the house right now. We have lots of big windows around the house, and the torch is lighting me up like a Christmas tree in the otherwise dark house. Torch off. There's more than enough ambient light to look around anyway, and there's a lekker light at the gate that allows me to see outside well enough.

    Move to the kitchen window where I can see the gate - it's still closed. Nothing seems off. Lights coming up the driveway means the security dude has arrived. I switch on the porch light to show him I saw him and unlock the door and security gate. I get outside, make sure the car is a marked security company car and open the gate. Guy comes in and I share what's happened with him.

    He offers to walk around the house and I tell him I'll go with him. He's (apparently) unarmed while I walk with my unholstered CZ85 ready for action (but safe direction and grip and all that at all times). Besides, his R19,99 china mall LED torch is useless, so I really can't let him go alone. Suddenly I realize how seriously crucial a proper torch is for a person to have. 960 Lumens lights up everything around the house as I peek and poke around the house. Yard is clear, so I explain to him it's the first time the gate has tripped, and he offers to drive around a bit in the area to see if he can't see something odd.

    I thank him, shake his hand and close the gate behind me as I go in. Lock up everything, get to the alarm panel in the bedroom and see the zone is still lit. I figure the zone must be busted so I bypass it, arm the alarm and get back in bed.

    Now I'm wide awake and I can't sleep. I lie, eyes open, staring at the ceiling as I mull this in my head. 3 minutes later I see a light flickering through the curtains. Someone is in the yard. I grab my gun, tell my wife to be quiet (don't want them to detect where the bedroom window is), get my torch and get up. As I move to press the panic button I hear knocking on the bedroom window.

    Its the guard again. The gate didn't close properly when I know for a fact I did close it. Explains the lit Zone 4. I disarm the alarm, walk out again and thank him. I clear the gate's track and close it. This time it closes and stays closed. I get back into the house, lock and arm everything and go to bed. No further incidents for the rest of the night.

    Now, I think back and there's a plethora of mistakes I have made. Stupid, stupid things that I will not do again - ever. I made a list, as well as my possible solutions for them. I would love some input here.

    1. I think I did fine in the immediate seconds, apart from the dazed and confused part when the alarm actually tripped. To solve this I will NEVER treat any seemingly false alarm like a false alarm ever again. Ever. It's not going to happen. From now on, every trip is an incident.

    2. I took my pistol and walked out. This, while there's a safe with a shotgun and a lever gun not 3m from my bed. Next time I'm pulling on a pair of PT shorts, tightening the drawstring and clipping in my pistol (holstered) in the shorts. Before I open that bedroom door I will have the lever gun in hand. I'm not leaving or checking the house with just a pistol again when there's much better firepower at my fingertips.

    3. When I walked out, I left the front door and gate wide open. This I only realized after I checked around the house and came back. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I was "relaxed" when I left the house and only when I got back did I realize that it's all standing wide open for anyone to pick and choose when they want to come in. STUPID.

    4. I assumed the gate's sensor was faulty, and promptly bypassed it. If the security guy didn't come back around the gate would have stood open - uncontested entry for anyone. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Assumption is the mother of all #@%$ups and it won't happen again.

    5. When I went out for the second time to close the gate properly, I never took my gun with me. I don't know why, but when I heard the security guy talking I assumed safety and stupidly left it in the bedroom. Read solution for 4.

    So yeah, that was my night. Yay.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    Valuable, thanks for sharing!

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    What triggered the beam on the gate? Was it bg to test the situation and familiarise himself with the procedure that follows after the alarm is tripped? I never leave the safety of my home! The armed response must do the investigation around the house. Pity there is no cameras to monitor the gate area,

    Check the beam on the gate for geckos etc.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    Quote Originally Posted by Niekiepienaar View Post
    What triggered the beam on the gate? Was it bg to test the situation and familiarise himself with the procedure that follows after the alarm is tripped? I never leave the safety of my home! The armed response must do the investigation around the house. Pity there is no cameras to monitor the gate area,

    Check the beam on the gate for geckos etc.
    There's no beam on the gate, the sensor is built into the motor. I don't know what tripped it, but I'm thinking it might have been the cold causing the gate to contract too far, tripping the alarm. Either that or someone "tested" the gate and bolted when the alarm tripped.

    As a PS: I don't generally exit the house. For this case though with the security guy standing at the gate I figured it's worth checking the outside where the dogs don't come at night. We close them up at a "safe" section at the back door, so they can see the gate but you can't see them from the gate, neither can they be poisoned. Also can't get into the yard without them noticing, so it's the safest bet for them.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    Quote Originally Posted by Toxxyc View Post
    There's no beam on the gate, the sensor is built into the motor. I don't know what tripped it, but I'm thinking it might have been the cold causing the gate to contract too far, tripping the alarm. Either that or someone "tested" the gate and bolted when the alarm tripped.

    As a PS: I don't generally exit the house. For this case though with the security guy standing at the gate I figured it's worth checking the outside where the dogs don't come at night. We close them up at a "safe" section at the back door, so they can see the gate but you can't see them from the gate, neither can they be poisoned. Also can't get into the yard without them noticing, so it's the safest bet for them.
    Be carefull!

    Sent from my VFD 1100 using Tapatalk

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    Quote Originally Posted by Niekiepienaar View Post
    Be carefull!

    Sent from my VFD 1100 using Tapatalk
    Always, and thanks for the sentiments. Same goes for everyone else!

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    Invest in security cameras, have a tv/monitor displaying all your security cameras in your bedroom. This way there will be no guessing on what happened or who is in your house, as they will have recorded the event if any at your gate. They also provide a live view of the inside and outside of your house, no more need to exit your bedroom "blind".

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    My opinion :

    First and most importantly... Invest in a better armed response company.

    A response by an unarmed and poorly equipped security officer tells me the company is not really serious about protecting you or even their security officer... Probably just a good income generator.

    Had there actually been some bad guys that managed to get into your house and you were dependant on rescue by a third party... Would you want it to be an unarmed security person?


    Secondly, you were behind locked gates... I would stay put in my safe zone waiting ready to let all hell loose if someone came through. Let the security come and check from outside - that's why you have them. once they confirm all clear will I open the hall gate. By opening the gate, you gave them easy access to you and the wife if someone was waiting around the corner to rush you in.

    Finally, cctv that you can view from within your bedroom like suggested so that you don't have to open yourself up to see what's happening.


    Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    I find clearing a house with a rifle a pain, and unless your lever or shotty has a good torch on it forget about it sorry.

    Is your wife armed ?

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Scare last night

    “Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth.” - Richelle E. Goodrich

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