By law, fire extinguishers are required to be accessible in case of an emergency. This can leave them vulnerable to theft.
A ECAM security operator contacted police shortly before 6 a.m. after seeing several individuals enter an Arlington, Texas apartment laundry room and remove the fire extinguisher. After a few minutes, the group left the laundry facility and walked around the complex. One of the suspects was seen spraying the fire extinguisher on vehicles in the parking lot. Officers arrived and patrolled the area.
Laundry Room Fire and Vandalism
There were nearly 380,000 fires in residential buildings in 2018. Thousands of those started in the laundry room. That makes having a fire extinguisher handy even more critical, which can be a problem when it has been stolen. There is also a risk when an extinguisher is unnecessarily discharged. The fumes from certain ones can cause asphyxiation. Others have the potential to impair vision.
When vandalism incidents occur, they can be a burden to property owners. They often generate costs of cleaning and repairs. According to the Urban Institute, it is difficult to gauge the true cost of vandalism because these types of crimes often go unreported. While these incidents may seem trivial, they can lead to more serious crimes if they aren’t properly addressed.
An Effective Solution to Deter Vandalism
Statistics show that most vandals are young people. They tend to damage property because they are bored, angry or looking for revenge. Most vandalism occurs at night when people think they can’t be seen easily. However, that’s precisely when we are watching.
Live video monitoring is a proactive security solution that uses a combination of human intelligence and advanced technology to watch when there is activity, not just motion. Analytics-based cameras alert trained security operators when something suspicious is spotted. The operators can quickly assess the situation and respond accordingly.
Unlike security guards who can only be in one place at a time, our strategically placed cameras can watch multiple areas of your property at the same time. We cover more ground with less liability and greater cost savings.
If you would like more information about our proactive security solutions for your apartment community, contact us.
