What Members Have to Say

"We would have headed out the door, not knowing that there was anything wrong inside!"

Michelle Wilson of Hilton Head shares in her own words how one close call changed her mind about security systems.

I grew up in Greenwood, SC where we used to leave our doors unlocked, day in-day out. I don't even know if we had a set of keys to the house. Hence the reason I've always questioned why anyone needed a security system in their home. Did they not live in a safe neighborhood? Were normal fire alarms not good enough? Were the locks on your windows not strong enough?

When I bought a house in Hilton Head Plantation, it already had a security system installed. My husband and I thought we might as well have it activated since it was already there. Wondering whether my money was being well spent or not, I got my answer one sunny, Saturday morning. My children and I were headed out the door to the beach and all of a sudden the loudest alarm I had ever heard came on. On top of that, a voice from above kept saying over and over, "Get out of the house! You have a fire". I walked through the house wondering what was going on because I didn't see smoke anywhere. My phone cut off on me because of the alarm and I was really upset. My children were hysterical due to the obnoxious volume of the alarm. I kept walking through the house, looking in the kitchen, the oven, the bathroom, for this "supposed" fire. My LAST stop was my son's bedroom. As soon as I opened the door, smoke came rushing out. His lamp was on fire. He had hurriedly put on his swimsuit and had thrown his shirt behind him. It landed on his lamp and caught on fire.

Thanks to Palmetto Electric, we were able to consume the fire and the rest is history. If it hadn't been for the alarm, we would have headed out the door, not knowing anything was wrong inside. I now never wonder why we are spending money for the service and would never own a house again that did not have a system installed.

We were visiting relatives not too long ago and my five year old asked why they didn't have an alarm in their house. Unlike me, he's growing up thinking you're crazy if you DON"T have an alarm system!

For more information about home safety, see Palmetto Security Systems.