Holiday Security Gaps

How Businesses Can Stay Protected During Closures

The Hidden Risks of Holiday Shutdowns

For many businesses, the holidays are a time to celebrate, recharge, and give employees much-needed time off. Offices go dark, warehouses close their doors, and retail shops lock up for extended breaks. While this downtime is essential for staff, it also creates one of the most vulnerable times of the year for businesses.

Empty buildings are easy targets for criminals and are especially susceptible to fires, water damage, and other emergencies that can go unnoticed for days. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), nearly 1 in 5 structure fires in U.S. commercial properties occur when facilities are unoccupied. Similarly, law enforcement data shows burglary rates rise during the holiday season when businesses are left unattended.

The good news? With the right security and fire detection systems in place, businesses can close their doors with confidence, knowing they’re still protected 24/7.

At Guardian Alarm, we specialize in helping businesses identify security gaps and seal them before criminals—or disasters—can take advantage. Here’s how to prepare your facility for holiday closures.

Why Holiday Closure Security for Businesses Matters

The holidays are a perfect storm of risk factors:

• Empty Facilities: Offices, warehouses, and retail stores sit unoccupied for days at a time.
• Reduced Staff: On-site personnel may be limited to skeleton crews, leaving blind spots in security coverage.
• Criminal Opportunity: Organized theft groups and opportunistic burglars know businesses are closed, giving them time to act.
• Fire & Environmental Hazards: Electrical systems, heating units, and seasonal décor can spark fires. Frozen pipes and leaks can cause catastrophic water damage.
• Delayed Response: With fewer people around, incidents may not be discovered until it’s too late.

This combination makes it critical to think ahead and prepare layered protection.

Common Security Gaps During Holiday Closures

Guardian Alarm has spent decades identifying the most frequent weak points businesses face during holiday shutdowns. Here are the top gaps we see:

1. Unmonitored Facilities – Relying on locks alone leaves businesses blind to what happens after hours.
2. Inactive Fire Systems – Failing to service fire alarms and detectors before closures puts buildings at greater risk.
3. Unsecured Access Points – Loading docks, side doors, and windows often become entry points for intruders.
4. Insufficient Video Coverage – Blind spots in camera networks make it easy for thieves to operate undetected.
5. Environmental Neglect – HVAC failures, water leaks, or frozen pipes can cause massive losses when no one is on-site to respond.

Each of these gaps can be devastating on its own. Combined, they create a wide-open invitation for loss.

Remote Monitoring Strengthens Holiday Closure Security

The foundation of holiday security is remote monitoring. Guardian Alarm’s UL-Certified Monitoring Center provides eyes on your facility 24/7—even when no one is there.

Here’s how it works:

• Real-Time Alerts: Motion sensors, cameras, and intrusion alarms instantly notify Guardian’s monitoring team of suspicious activity.
• Live Response: Monitoring specialists can verify incidents, trigger alarms, contact designated staff, and dispatch police or fire services immediately.
• Video Verification: Real-time video feeds allow responders to assess situations quickly, reducing false alarms and ensuring rapid action.
• Custom Schedules: Businesses can set specific hours for monitoring alerts to ensure coverage matches holiday closures.

Instead of discovering problems days later, remote monitoring ensures action is taken in minutes, keeping losses to a minimum.

The Overlooked Risk: Fire & Environmental Hazards

Theft isn’t the only threat. In fact, fires and environmental damage often cause greater financial losses than burglary. During the winter holidays, risks are especially high:

• Heating Systems: Malfunctioning furnaces or space heaters can spark fires.
• Seasonal Decorations: Holiday lights or overloaded outlets increase electrical fire risk.
• Frozen Pipes: Sub-zero Midwest temperatures can freeze pipes, leading to major flooding when they burst.
• Unattended Equipment: Machinery left on or improperly shut down can overheat.

Guardian Alarm’s fire and environmental monitoring solutions protect against these silent threats. Sensors for smoke, heat, carbon monoxide, water, and temperature shifts feed directly into our monitoring center—triggering immediate emergency response if conditions change.

Holiday Security Checklist for Businesses

Before locking up for the holidays, every business should run through this checklist:

Physical Security

• Double-check that all doors, windows, and loading docks are secured.
• Ensure access control systems are updated (revoke credentials for seasonal staff).
• Activate alarm systems and confirm they’re communicating with monitoring centers.

Video Surveillance

• Inspect camera placement for blind spots.
• Test remote viewing capabilities from mobile devices.
• Set up alerts for motion detection in sensitive areas.

Fire Safety

• Test smoke and heat detectors.
• Inspect holiday lights and electrical cords for damage.
• Confirm fire extinguishers are serviced and accessible.

Environmental Protection

• Install temperature sensors to detect freezing conditions.
• Check HVAC systems before closing.
• Inspect plumbing for leaks or weak spots.

Staff Protocols

• Share emergency contact lists with monitoring providers.
• Train staff on how to arm/disarm systems properly before departure.
• Establish return-to-work inspection protocols.

The Role of Mobile Security Towers

For businesses with outdoor lots, overflow storage, or multiple buildings, Guardian Alarm’s Mobile Security Towers provide added coverage.

• Deployable Anywhere: Perfect for parking lots, outdoor inventory, or temporary storage areas.
• Video + Lights + Deterrents: Towers are equipped with cameras, floodlights, and speakers to deter intruders.
• Remote Monitoring: Towers feed into Guardian’s monitoring center, providing the same real-time protection as indoor systems.

This is especially valuable when businesses rent additional space for end-of-year demand.

The Business Impact of Proactive Protection

Why invest in holiday monitoring and fire detection? Because the cost of prevention is always lower than the cost of recovery:

• Burglary Losses: Average $25,000 per incident—often higher during holidays when facilities are stocked.
• Fire Losses: Average $341,000 per commercial fire, with some reaching into the millions.
• Water Damage: Frozen pipe repairs and cleanup can run into six figures.

By implementing remote monitoring, businesses not only protect assets but also reduce insurance premiums, avoid downtime, and safeguard employee jobs tied to uninterrupted operations.

Guardian Alarm: Protecting Businesses Year-Round

For more than 90 years, Guardian Alarm has protected businesses across Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. Today, we safeguard more than 1 million people every day with state-of-the-art security solutions.

Whether your business is a small office, a warehouse, a retail store, or a multi-site enterprise, Guardian Alarm offers tailored systems to address your unique risks. With 24/7 monitoring, advanced fire detection, access control, and mobile security towers, we deliver peace of mind during the holidays—and all year long.

Schedule Your Free Perimeter Survey Today

Holiday closures should bring peace of mind, not anxiety. By addressing security gaps before your facility shuts down, you can rest easy knowing that Guardian Alarm is watching, protecting, and responding on your behalf.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Prepare your business now with layered security and monitoring solutions designed for holiday risks.

Call 1.800.STAYOUT or visit GuardianAlarm.com/business-security to book your Free Perimeter Security Survey.