What Happens During An Alarm?
Updated
SimpliSafe’s® Pro Premium Monitoring protects your home, building or property across many types of alarms. If your SimpliSafe® Alarm is triggered during ‘Home’ or ‘Away’ mode, our 24/7 monitoring partners at Securitas are here to protect your home and coordinate the right response.
This article explains what happens during each type of alarm event, how Guard Dispatch works, and what to do to make sure your monitoring information is always up to date.
If an alarm is triggered from your system, you’ll be immediately notified through App Push Notifications.
In most instances, you will also receive a phone call from our monitoring centre following these notifications.
There are two exceptions:
If you cancel by Keypad, Key Fob, App (OFF) within the false alarm grace period.
If you request help by pressing a silent Panic Button, or entering your “Duress Pin” when disarming your system.
The types of alarms that can occur are divided into three categories:
Each is handled slightly differently by our Monitoring Centre:
Burglary Alarms – Entry, Motion, Glassbreak, Panic, or Duress
Life Safety Alarms – Smoke
Environmental Alarms – Water and Temperature
If you have cameras and have enabled Visual Verification, our Monitoring Centre can review the recordings to confirm whether a real incident has taken place. Learn more about Visual Verification here.
Burglary (Entry, Motion, Glassbreak, Panic Button, Duress)
What Happens Step-by-Step:
Sensor Activation: The first sensor triggers and sends an alert to Securitas. You’ll also be immediately notified through App Push Notifications if enabled.
Grace Period: If you disarm the system via the SimpliSafe® App, Keypad or Keyfob within the brief false alarm window, no further action occurs.
Visual Verification: If enabled, Securitas reviews any captured recordings to check for signs of a real break-in.
Single Sensor Trigger
Automated Call Sequence Begins
Primary & Secondary keyholders will receive an automated call until a keyholder selects option 1.
You’ll hear options such as:
Press 1 – Confirm you’re aware and no dispatch is needed
Press 7 – Speak directly with an operator
If you are unable to handle this alarm, please hang up. We will try alternative contacts if available.
Press 9 – Repeat the options
Two or more Sensor Triggers
Primary and Secondary keyholders will receive a call from a Securitas Monitoring Agent.
Visual Verification: If enabled, Securitas reviews any captured recordings to check for signs of a real break-in.
If the Alarm Is Real or No Response Is Received:
If our team cannot reach any keyholders or footage shows a clear issue, a Guard Dispatch will be initiated.
If You Provide Your Safe Word:
You can cancel the alarm by giving your correct Safe Word.
If you cannot provide it, the operator will proceed with dispatch for your safety.
To reduce false dispatches, Guard Dispatch only occurs when two sensor triggers take place. For example, two different sensors trigger, or the same sensor triggers twice within a 30 minute period. You can request guard dispatch through selecting option 7 when you receive an automated call for a single sensor trigger.
Panic & Duress Alarms
When a Panic Button is triggered, or duress PIN is input on the Keypad:
Primary and Secondary keyholders will receive a call from a Securitas Monitoring Agent.
Visual Verification: If enabled, Securitas reviews any captured recordings to check for signs of a real break-in.
If the Alarm Is Confirmed Real or No Response Is Received:
If our team cannot reach any keyholders or footage shows clear movement, a Guard Dispatch will be initiated.
If You Provide Your Safe Word:
You can cancel the alarm by giving your correct Safe Word.
If you cannot provide it, the operator will proceed with dispatch for your safety.
Life Safety (Smoke)
When a Smoke Detector is triggered:
Primary Contacts will receive a call from a Securitas Monitoring Agent.
Visual Verification: If enabled, Securitas reviews any captured recordings to check for signs of smoke / fire.
If there are clear signs of smoke/fire, Fire dispatch is requested.
If there’s no answer,
After 2 attempts at reaching the Primary Contacts, a Guard will be dispatched to the premises to verify the alarm.
You must answer the call or call Securitas back to confirm a false alarm.
You can silence the siren by pressing the button on your smoke detector and entering your Master PIN at the keypad.
Smoke Alarms can only be handled in person, by entering your Master PIN into the Keypad. Disarming your system via the App will not cancel the alarm, therefore you must answer the call to advise Securitas of the false alarm.
If the cause was environmental (for example, dust or paint fumes), our Monitoring Centre can temporarily disregard your smoke alarms to avoid repeated false alarms.
During a Smoke alarm the smoke alarm device itself will produce a siren as well as the SimpliSafe® Base Station. You can silence your smoke alarm by pressing the button on the device. You can silence the SimpliSafe® Base Station alarm by entering your PIN to your keypad. If you silence your smoke alarm device and SimpliSafe® Base Station alarm in the previous steps but haven’t talked with our monitoring specialists to request cancellation your alarm will not be canceled, you must answer or call Securitas back to confirm the false alarm.
Environmental (Water and Temperature) Alarms
When a Water or Temperature sensor triggers:
Emergency contacts receive an automated call.
No emergency services or guards are dispatched.
If you cancel the alarm in the app or on your keypad within a minute, calls are stopped automatically.
Environmental alarms do not result in dispatch regardless of whether you answer the phone or not
Guard Dispatch
If an alarm is verified and a response is needed, Securitas will send a professional security guard to your proper
A guard will be dispatched if*:
Two separate sensors (This can be the same sensor twice, or two separate sensors) have been triggered and no calls are answered, or
Visual Verification shows clear signs of intrusion, or
You have requested a guard
What Happens Next:
The guard attends your property and inspects for signs of entry or damage.
If they find evidence of a break-in, they’ll contact the police.
Guards stay until your property is secure or handed over to you or emergency services.
Our Securitas partners are on call 24/7, ensuring a swift and professional response whenever you or your system needs assistance.
*Fair Usage Policy Applies:
If you subscribe to our Pro Premium Monitoring Plan, we shall provide you with Guard Dispatch Services, free of charge. However we reserve our right to withdraw, suspend or charge you for Guard Dispatch Services where we reasonably believe you are using it excessively. For example, this might include where SimpliSafe® is required to dispatch Third Party Responders to your Premises in excess of once per month, for a continuous period of 6 months.
Saving the Monitoring Centre Phone Numbers
It’s important that both the Primary and Secondary Contacts save the monitoring centre phone numbers to their phones. Save these numbers in your phone so you’ll recognise them if we call:
Securitas will contact you from: 0330 184 0444
You can contact Securitas on: 0303 330 0369
Test Mode Automated Call: 01908 644505
Once saved to your phone, you’ll also want to allow us access to bypass Do Not Disturb and Silent Profiles. This allows for Critical Alarm Notifications to get through to you, regardless of your phone’s volume or profile status.