QUESTION:

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Dear Ken:

    What type of liability/exposure do we have if we install a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) and do not wire it to the phone line for line seizure?

    Most of these systems are meant to be "plug & play" and simply sit on a night stand or living room table and plug into an existing telephone jack. They are not typically wired ahead of the house phones with a RJ31X telephone interface jack & cord the way a traditional burglar alarm control panel is.  Some PERS units do not have provisions for wiring them for line seizure.  If they do have the optional line seizure capability, should we wire them accordingly?

    Chris H. Johnson, President

    Video-Tech-Tronics, Inc.

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ANSWER:

    Most PERS units are not installed by the alarm company.  Many alarm companies are now offering PERS - Personal Emergency Response Systems.  Rather than install the systems however the units are mailed to the subscriber with instruction on how to plug the unit into the phone jack.

    You should be using a written contract when offering PERS.  Get the contract at www.alarmcontracts.com.

    Not all states have legislation governing PERS.  Even states with alarm legislation may not cover PERS. PERS is not generally considered a security equipment device or service.   I don't know if there are industry standards, or UL standards, for PERS installations.  Absent legislation, industry standards, UL standards or manufacturer instructions and standards, your obligation will be defined by your contract, and perhaps to a lesser extent, your advertising and promotional literature which the subscriber may have justifiably relied upon [dispite your contract's disclaimer of such reliance].

    If you are installing the system then you need to follow all the guidelines mentioned above.  If the manufacturer has designed line seizure then your contract had better mention it, either explaining that it will be hooked up that way, or not.  It would be a mistake to simply not use that feature of the designed unit.  With your luck, that exactly what will be claimed to have caused the failure of the system to communicate as designed.

    For the mail units, plug and use, your instructions may want to mention the limitations of the system.  Wait until the check clears though.