Pat and Dorothy Kuechle never imagined that their home in Sauk Rapids would be the target  of a burglar, but at 10:30 a.m. on December 3 the unimaginable became a reality.

While at work, Pat got a call from Heartland Security dispatch informing them that their alarm system was going off at their home. Knowing that the alarm had been set properly that morning, Pat informed dispatch to send the local authorities. Within minutes the Benton County Sheriff was on the scene and in contact over the phone with the Kuechle’s who were working at the time.

“When the sheriff arrived on the scene, they noticed that our front door had been kicked in and that the intruder appeared to be gone and nothing seemed to be missing,” said Dorothy. “We suspect that the system having gone off scared the intruder.”

When the Kuechle’s received the call from dispatch their imaginations ran wild thinking of the worst possible scenario at home: missing possessions, personal property being shuffled through by strangers and their home ruined.

“The system definitely did its job,” said Dorothy. “Knowing that the intruder did not enter our home, is the best feeling we could have asked for.”

When the Kuechle’s built their home in 2000 they incorporated a security system into their building plans. Local neighbors had suggested installing a system because of some incidents that had happened in the area in prior months and years.

The Kuechle’s pay less than $1 per day to have their home monitored through Heartland Security. All Stearns Electric Association members can receive a 10% discount of the purchase price of a basic monitored security system, plus 3 months of free monitoring, when signing up for service in January. Heartland Security can be reached at
1-888-264-6380 or at www.heartlandss.com.

Heartland Security is owned by 13 electric cooperatives in Minnesota and Iowa, including Stearns Electric Association.

“I would recommend the Videofied System to anyone.  The system is easy to use and I feel very comfortable and safe with my home security system.  It gives me peace of mind when I am away from home. I can’t say enough good about it!” -- Jim Keeline

Going south? Make sure a low-temp alarm with a security system is on the checklist before heading out.

Robert Smith from Richfield was glad they added a low-temp alarm to their acreage in rural Lakefield.

“The greatest part of the Heartland Security system is the low-temp alarm,” Robert stated. “It was midwinter and my son changed out the furnace filter. After changing it he forgot to put one panel back on the furnace so the fan blew out the pilot light. Then he headed back to the Cities. We received the phone call and he turned around and headed south to relight the pilot light.”

If the house had frozen up, it would have meant a broken water line, three broken toilets and thousands of dollars of damage, Mark said. Plus, it could have been a month before we came back down to the house. “Get a freeze alarm! The security system is easy to use.”

“Even a new furnace can have problems,” Robert said. “I have been quite please with Heartland Security. “We originally bought the system 10 years ago as we had some people going through the outbuildings and items were missing. We even ‘caught’ our renter. He had forgotten about turning the alarm off in the shed. He was at the workbench and heard a ‘crunch.’ He turned around and was staring down the barrel of the deputy’s 45. He had forgotten to turn off the security system.”

“I wouldn’t want to be without this alarm system,” Robert said. “I’m completely happy with this system.”

You too can enjoy this peace-of-mind when you head south. Just call Heartland Security at 1-888-264-6380. Heartland is a subsidiary of your local electric co-op and 12 other electric co-ops in northwestern Iowa, southern and west-central Minnesota. A low-temperature alarm helped Robert Smith (right) and his son Mark avoid frozen pipes due to a furnace going out.