This Valentine’s Day, Set Hearts Ablaze, Not Your House!

By: Alarm.com Holdings, Inc. via Business Wire

February 14, 2024 at 06:15 AM EST

Alarm.com shares Valentine’s evening fire alarm data from connected smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed across millions of properties nationwide

Alarm.com has discovered an unusual safety anomaly that seems to happen every February 14. Homeowners across the U.S. are far more likely to report a fire alarm in the evening hours on Valentine’s Day compared to a typical night.

Analysis of aggregated and anonymized data from the millions of properties secured by Alarm.com technology reveals a 64% increase in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on Valentine’s Day. The engineers at Alarm.com are only able to speculate why this may be the case.

“It seems like perhaps less experienced cooks may be attempting ambitious, multi-course meals to impress their Valentine,” said Abe Kinney, Alarm.com’s Senior Director of Product Management. “Another contributing factor may be an overabundance of candles for elevated romantic ambience. Some may become lost in the moment and forget that they have lots of little house-torches burning. Whatever the reason, it’s great that so many homes are protected by connected smoke detectors that can be monitored by professionals – whether the owners and their pets are home or not.”

According to the Alarm.com analysis of data from the last two years, fire alarms increase significantly on Valentine’s Day between 5 to 9 p.m. A typical evening results in 1,226 weekday alarms during that time period. On Valentine’s Day, the smoke alarm frequency rose to 2,010 alarms.

Rest assured, even if things get a little too hot in the kitchen or elsewhere, Alarm.com-powered systems are professionally installed and monitored all year round. In the event of an alarm, a trained monitoring professional assesses the situation and can promptly alert local authorities if required. With an integrated Alarm.com smart thermostat, Alarm.com can also turn off the HVAC system to reduce the spread of smoke throughout a property.

For anyone dealing with a simple case of recipe-gone-wrong, the Alarm.com mobile app provides a quick solution. Users can easily and quickly cancel the alarm directly from their phones, preventing unnecessary fire department dispatches before they happen. As Valentine’s Day approaches, Alarm.com encourages homeowners to keep the stovetop clean, the fire extinguisher close, and the candles upright.

Keep the romance alive and the fire alarms off this Valentine’s Day by reaching out to your local security provider about Alarm.com connected smoke detectors. For more information on the broader Alarm.com ecosystem of products and services, visit https://alarm.com.

About Alarm.com

Alarm.com is the leading platform for the intelligently connected property. Millions of consumers and businesses depend on Alarm.com’s technology to manage and control their property from anywhere. Our platform integrates with a growing variety of Internet of Things (IoT) devices through our apps and interfaces. Our security, video, access control, intelligent automation, energy management, and wellness solutions are available through our network of thousands of professional security and smart home service providers in North America and around the globe. Alarm.com’s common stock is traded on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ALRM. For more information, please visit alarm.com.