What kind of risks do you need to worry about as a farm owner? The wide range of threats that you are likely to face include accidental fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, flooding, and other natural disasters. At the same time, you need to guard against criminal activity such as theft, break-ins, and arson.
Granted, it is impossible to predict or prevent some of these threats, especially natural disasters. However, there is a lot that you can do to protect your property and equipment against common threats including accidental fires, flooding, and criminals.
Farm Alarm Security Systems
An alarm system is designed to detect intrusions and other dangers on your farm and warn you accordingly. These systems are usually fitted with a wide variety of sensors, depending on the kind of threat that you need to guard against. Some of the common alarm systems include:
- Fire/smoke alarm systems – these use fire/smoke detectors and poisonous gas detectors.
- Intruder alarm systems – these use motion sensors, vibration sensors, Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors, laser sensors, and magnetic contact sensors among others to detect intrusions within your farm.
Traditional alarm systems consist of a “bells and whistle” alert system; if the alarm is triggered, it sets off a loud siren to scare away the intruder and alert anyone within the vicinity about the intrusion.
Modern farm security systems may sometimes come with an audible siren, but coupled with a remote notification mechanism. When an alarm is triggered, the system sends an immediate notification to the security company’s monitoring station who then notifies law enforcement. This “notification” is usually a digital signal sent over a phone line via a cellular connection. It is often referred to as “Cellular Monitoring.”
“Cellular Monitoring” is a wireless network that allows security systems to communicate with central monitoring stations, even when a traditional phone line is not available. In this case, “cellular monitoring” should not be confused with “cellular phones.”
Cellular is a more direct and effective communication system. Through this type of communication, signals are instantly transmitted to central station operators.
Access Control Systems for Your Farm House
Any sort of physical barrier that prevents intruders from trespassing into your farm house is necessary in keeping away criminals, and even slowing down an intended attack on your property. The variety of barriers that you can use on your farm include installing a fence around your property, reinforcing entrances such as gates/doors and windows, installing sturdy locks, and storing valuables in safes.
The secret with access control systems is that they use secure authentication mechanisms such as a keypad or custom lock to ensure only authorized access.
Video Surveillance Systems
Installing surveillance cameras in your farm enables you to keep a closer eye on what’s going on, even when you are not physically present. Apart from being a great deterrent to crime – since criminals tend to shy away when they suspect that their activities are being monitored, security cameras play an important role in solving crimes.
They also allow you to record events while you are out working, should something happen while you are not in your home.
Security footage from the cameras can be used by law enforcement to get a clear picture of what unfolded, and subsequently identify suspects or be used as evidence in a court of law.
Lighting Systems
Adequate lighting can also be an essential part in detecting suspicious activity within your farm. In addition, installing an automated lighting system is a good way of securing your farm house when you are away. Using a timer, these farm security systems play with household lighting by switching on/off particular lights within the house, at intervals, to make it look like someone’s home.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you have to ensure that the people that are on your farm are the people you want there. Make use of security systems, alarm panels, access controls, and lighting to protect your farm in the best way possible.
