If an alarm goes off at my container, how quickly will someone actually respond?

At Sunshine Self Storage, the alarms are back-to-base, which means they are connected to a monitoring company that watches them 24/7. If an alarm goes off and isn't switched off within one minute, the monitoring company calls, and they send a security officer or the police.

That one-minute window is there so customers who trip the alarm by accident can switch it off with their code. After that, the response starts. We can't promise exactly how many minutes it takes for someone to arrive, because that depends on where the nearest patrol or police car is at the time. What we can tell you is that every alarm that isn't switched off gets acted on.

The alarm is one layer. The yard has high fences, two factories either side and an electronic card-access gate that locks overnight. Motion-activated cameras are monitored 24/7, and there is CCTV on site. Every container has an anti-theft lockbox that shields your own padlock, so even someone who gets into the yard faces a hard target.

If you set off the alarm yourself, switch it off with your code and call us on 03 9010 6147. A call-out fee applies if security or emergency services respond.

We have been storing for Melbourne's west for over 20 years. Sunshine Self Storage is located in Albion. Call us 03 9010 6147.