KEN KIRSCHENBAUM, ESQ ALARM - SECURITY INDUSTRY LEGAL EMAIL NEWSLETTER / THE ALARM EXCHANGE You can read all of our articles on our website. Having trouble getting our emails? Change your spam controls and whitelist ken@kirschenbaumesq.com ****************************** more on Alarm contracts: Back to basics May 30, 2026 *************************** more on Alarm contracts: Back to basics from article on May 13, 2026 **************************** Ken, With the question about at what point do you suspend/curtail responsibilities to dispatch authorities under conditions like you pointed out in Paradise, CA, I would imagine your contracts already(or should)addressed this. Don't you have something in your contract if there is a natural disaster, acts of God, open hostilities(war, riots, terrorism),etc. --conditions beyond the control or the capabilities to reasonably handle contracted services that the security co. may cease or curtail those contracted for services? (sort of standard in nowadays insurance co. contracts) This reminds me of a discussion I had years ago with a holocaust survivor who survived 'Kristallnacht'(Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," was a state-sponsored pogrom on November 9–10, 1938, where Nazi leaders & civilians destroyed thousands of Jewish businesses, homes, & over 1,400 synagogues across Germany, Austria, & the Sudetenland). He told me he was a boy at the time but he remembers his father who owned a retail store in Vienna at the time and called his contracted security company to come and protect his business from the mayhem. Essentially he was told by the security company there was nothing they could do since it was out of their control and beyond the scope of their contract with him since it wasn't 'normal times'. I thought this was an incredible historical reference to address this question. I'd love to hear from you and others on this with your take. Thank you Ken, Be Security One ****************************** Response ****************************** Thanks and learned something; that there were security companies in Germany in the 1930s. The K&K Standard Form Agreements address situations where monitoring is not possible. I do see challenges to the provision because customers and their lawyers don't understand it. Basically the provision provides that where the central station is unable to provide its service, whether because of technical problems or mayhem, monitoring services can be suspended without notice. That same provision includes the subscriber's non-pay, default, and when challenged I typically do provide for a few days notice only for the non-payment suspension. Obviously no notice of the natural disaster can be provided in advance; same for technical difficulties, like the central station burning down and no redundancy available. It is important to provide for these contingencies and the K&K contracts cover it. **************************** STANDARD FORMS Alarm / Security / Fire and related Agreements. click here: www.alarmcontracts.com *************************** CONCIERGE LAWYER SERVICE PROGRAM FOR THE ALARM INDUSTRY - You can check out the program and sign up here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/concierge or contact our Program Coordinator Stacy Spector, Esq at 516 747 6700 x 304. *********************** ALARM ARTICLES: You can always read our Articles on our website at ww.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/alarm-articles updated daily ******************** THE ALARM EXCHANGE - the alarm industries leading classified and business exchange - updated daily ************************* Wondering how much your alarm company is worth? Click here: https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/what-is-my-alarm-company-worth ****************************** Getting on our Email List / Email Articles archived: Many of you are forwarding these emails to friends or asking that others be added to the list. Sign up for our daily newsletter here: Sign Up. You can read articles and order alarm contracts on our web site www.alarmcontracts.com ************************** Ken Kirschenbaum,Esq Kirschenbaum & Kirschenbaum PC Attorneys at Law 200 Garden City Plaza Garden City, NY 11530 516 747 6700 x 301 ken@kirschenbaumesq.com www.KirschenbaumEsq.com
