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What do we celebrate in February? What is February famous for? It’s a leap year this year, so let’s celebrate all that this longer-than-usual February has to offer! Here’s the short list of holiday happenings.

The Month of February

February comes from the Latin word februa, which means “to cleanse.” The month was named after the Roman Februalia, which was a month-long festival of purification and atonement.

Did you know:

February is the only month to have a length of fewer than 30 days! Though it’s usually 28 days, February is 29 days long in leap years such as 2020.
January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar (c. 713 BC); ...

New Year's may be all about looking ahead, but there's something undeniably nostalgic about the holiday that falls at midnight on December 31. After all, the iconic New Year's Eve song "Auld Lang Syne" roughly translates to "old long since," or "times gone by." There are so many interesting and classic New Year's Eve traditions that your grandparents probably practiced each and every year, from New Year decorations to classy New Year's Eve dinner ideas and New Year's superstitions, that we wish would make a comeback.

If you agree, we've got the best New Year's Eve traditions right here to help ring in 2020. Love them or hate them, it's not a new year without making resolutions—bonus po...

Photo Credit: Becky from the OSCS Front Office! (Arlington, WA)

The Olympic Security & Communications Family wishes you and your Family the merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of Holidays - whatever you celebrate! We will be here, keeping you and yours safe throughout 2020 and beyond.

An Introduction to Monitoring:
Alarm systems are not that difficult to understand. Basically they consist of
sensors such as a door alarm or heat detector that is connected to what we
call an “alarm panel.” This is the part of your system that communicates with us.
When an alarm panel senses intrusion, fire, environmental or a PERS alarm—the
panel sends a signal to our monitoring centers. Thi...

It’s almost time to fall back!

Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 a.m. And yes, this is the one where you gain an hour of sleep.

Don’t forget to set any clocks that aren’t on a smart device behind one hour before heading to bed on Saturday night, and get ready to have your microwave or oven display the wrong time for the next eight months because you don’t want to break out the instruction manual.

The practice of Daylight Saving Time celebrates its 101st this year.

It was first enacted by the federal government as a way to save coal (by adjusting clocks to accommodate for more daytime, thus needing less energy for light) during World War I in the ...

Here's a spooky story. Oct. 31 lures more than just ghouls, goblins and the occasional caped crusader. Crime also makes the rounds on Halloween night as 175 million Americans hit the street to trick or treat -- in masks, in various states of inebriation or just up to no good.

Year-end holidays arrive with the advent of darkened evenings and are traditionally a time when crime rises. But the increase in thefts, snatch-and-grabs, and hit-and-runs usually occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, when people in a festive spirit leave their cars unlocked, wallets and credit cards on a counter and "porch pirates" go holiday shopping on your doorstep.

But now it appears that the second-bigg...

Spam Calls: How are they affecting the Security Industry?
by Jennifer Marshall
Marketing & Communications Manager, CMS
The most important role a monitoring center plays is that of a life saver. In the life safety business it's important that operators work quickly. It's also crucial that they reach subscribers when calling

Unfortunately, unanswered phone calls have become common place in our world, primarily due to the vast increase in Spam calls, robocalls, and call spoofing. Subscribers not picking up calls are a growing problem for central station operators. 68% of outbound calls placed by CMS' monitoring representatives go unanswered

Calls not being answered by subscribers can delay the notif...

AlarmNet® is integrated with I-View Now™ to support Video Alarm Verification (VAV) with the Honeywell Total Connect portfolio.I-View Now offers a patented, cloud-based central station video interface that lets monitoring personnel look in and see what caused an alarm when seconds count. VAV is a critical tool for helping central station operators make informed, rapid decisions in the event of an alarm—helping to ensure that emergency response personnel are prepared with the information they need to act quickly. Access to event-driven video clips lets them see the action recorded before the event—helping to arm emergency response personnel with the information they need ...

Understanding the Benefits:

• iOS App, Android App, HTML5 App
• Interactive security
• Geofencing arming reminders
• Growing ecosystem including support for the SkyBell Video Doorbell, August Smart Lock, and Lyric Total Connect Comfort Wi-Fi and RedLINK connected thermostats
• Z-Wave and Wi-Fi Support
• Smart Scenes
• Email, SMS, and push notifications
• Video viewing and awareness
• Next Generation Honeywell Total Connect HD and legacy IP video cameras
• Video Alarm Verification (VAV)
• Secure login/fingerprint login
• Android voice recognition
• Up to 250+ locations per account
• Works with Apple Watch

Make life easier by automating Lights, Locks and Thermostats. You are in control!

Camera View or Sensor Notification:

• Overhead Doo...

According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convened in New York City in September 1882. In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York. Secretary...