It's a Saturday afternoon. Dad is mowing the lawn and Mom is gardening. Michael is talking to his girlfriend on the phone, and his little sister is playing with matches in the den. A fire breaks out and the smoke detector buzzes, and Michael's call is interrupted as the dials the fire department.

Telephone Line Seizure is a significant addition to a security system. It allows the system to interrupt any telephone call, internet modem, answering machine, and send out an emergency call. No matter who is using the phone, the emergency system automatically takes priority. It may save your life and those of your loved ones.

It has happened before. It may happen to you. Your phone might be off the hook or the line might be busy, and an intruder or fire places you and your family and property in danger. A security system with a line grabber will seize the line and dial for help without you having to search for the phone and nervously dial for assistance.

Be careful. Just because your security system shares the same line as your phone, it does not mean that your system will seize the line in an emergency. Having a security system share a line is not the same as having a security system seize a line. If a security system is sharing a line with other phones or modems, the phone line is merely on a first come first served basis. For telephone line seizure, you need to install your security system at the beginning of the home telephone line and install a specialty jack that will close all other lines when an emergency call needs to go out. This applies not only to hardwired phones, but also to cordless.

Telephone line seizure eliminates various conditions that might prevent you from successfully contacting an emergency response team.

1) Nervous or frightened dialing. With an intruder or fire in the house, dialing a phone number – even as simple as 911 – can become extremely difficult as you race with time. A misdial may mean the difference between life and death. While we are subject to emotional strain and stress, which may cause a misdial, your security system is not and will call exactly whomever it is programmed to call.

2) Clearing the line. How often have you tried to call a friend or a business partner and found the line busy? In an emergency, there may not be time to find the phone and clear the line. You need to automatically override any existing busy line. If programmed, your home security system will do this for you regardless of who has tied up the line.

3) Unnoticed emergency. If you are sleeping or your back is turned, a fire or intruder may quickly place everything you hold dear in extreme danger before you can react. A security system, however, will know and be able to dial an emergency response team before you realize there is a problem.

4) Unable to reach the phone. One of the worst feelings in the world is to be in an emergency situation and not be able to respond or get help. A fire or intruder may be blocking your path to a phone. A security system will not let either block its way. Once your home security system is activated by the fire or intruder – if set to call with line seizure – it will call for help before you are even able to reach a phone.