jmcmahon's blog

They tipped over furniture, dumped paint, shattered glass and of course, discharged fire extinguishers. What a costly mess these vandals created and just before the doors open for school.

School vandalism is a huge problem that costs tens of thousands of dollars annually and catching the bad guys in the act happens infrequently at best.

Electronically monitored fire extinguishers immediately notify officials when one is removed. Faster notification means less damage, less cost and perhaps catching the vandals in the act.

This latest incident of extinguisher theft brings the total to 20 stolen/missing extinguishers in the Town of Dickinson, ND.

A couple have been found discharged and strewn about town, but those that need to be replaced -- will cost $100 each.

The vandals in this case have yet to be caught.

There is an option to help prevent further vandalism -- electronic monitoring of fire extinguishers deters vandalism because the instant notification of removal means that authorities can respond quickly -- perhaps catching the bad guys in the act.

en-Gauge sends its sincerest congratulations to all of the winners and nominees of the 2010 MITX Technology Awards. It's a great honor for en-Gauge to be a member of the MA and New England Technology Community. We wish everyone much continued success.

Security cameras caught several middle school students wreaking havoc inside the school with fire extinguishers.

The end result -- $10,000 in damage.

Extinguisher vandalism in schools happens all the time (just read the other blog posts here) -- costing thousands of dollars in damage, lost productivity and school-day interruption.

Electronic monitoring of extinguishers has proven to reduce vandalism and theft.

Despite the early morning hour, a resident assistant knew exactly what to do when a student found a trash can fire in a residence hall bathroom. First the alarm, then the extinguisher -- which worked great and put out the fire. No injuries, and just a little clean up needed. Kudos to both involved!

Fire codes require monthly inspections for a reason -- extinguishers frequently go missing, lose pressure or get obstructed. If any of those situations occur and it is not rectified -- a dangerous situation could be at hand.

Messing around with inspection records is bad enough, but the real crime is that the required monthly inspections are not being done. That puts lives and property at stake.

Electronic monitoring with en-Gauge eliminates the need for monthly inspections and creates records to show compliance with fire codes.

"I'm angry, I'm angry, I'm angry," said Quincy House Allston Burr Resident Dean Judith F. Chapman. "It's so destructive to the community. Maybe it was ignorance. Now everyone who reads The Crimson will know: Don't play with the fire extinguisher."

Readers of this blog know that vandalism of fire extinguishers on college and university campuses is very common - except in those places where they use en-Gauge electronically monitored fire extinguishers. There vandalism is scant, clean-up costs nil and working fire extinguishers are assured.

A man with a history of creating pipe bombs is suspected of leaving another bomb -- this time in a fire extinguisher -- in his car.

The car had been in the police impound lot before being picked up by family. There's a question whether the car had been searched by police before being released.

It's easy to overlook what appears to be a safety device but in reality has been transformed into a dangerous and life-threatening weapon. That's why many facilities have chosen to electronically monitor their fire extinguishers so they know where they are 24/7.