Home Security Action Plan
Running a home is like running a business - you need a plan. We all seem to lead extremely busy lives - raising children, your job, school activities, and on and on. Having a home plan, and in this case a home security action plan just means you’ve laid out a way to keep your home and family safe and protected to the best of your ability. Having a plan ensures everyone knows what to do in specific situations. You can review the plan from time to time with family members so everyone is still up-to-date and knows what to do.
Here are 10 things to consider as you go about setting up your Home Security Action Plan. Good luck!
pic-of-action-plan-8-19-08-11. Invest in a home security system. Let’s face it - in today’s economy more and more people are out of work (9.4% unemployment). Many of these people are becoming desperate and turning to burglarizing homes. In my 20+ years as a security consultant I have never seen as many violent home invasions that are happening across the country. The initial investment of a home security system with 24-hour protection is minimal compared to any loss you might experience from a home invasion/home burglary crime. When you select an alarm company, be sure to put the alarm yard signs and decals up right away to start the protection. The signs and stickers are a great deterrent because they are the first things the intruder sees as he approaches your property. If you have a reputable alarm company like ADT protecting your home, that’s even more of a major deterrent.
2. Establish a Safe Room in your home. This is a room where everyone can meet if there is a burglary or home invasion robbery, and it should be centrally located near the bedrooms. More than likely it will be the master bedroom area - but each homeowner will determine the precise Safe Room location taking into consideration small children and others in the home. This room should have reinforced doors and deadbolt locks. Keep a fully charged cell phone and a flashlight in the Safe Room in case the phone lines and/or power is cut. If you have an alarm system, keep a remote panic put inside your Safe Room to alert the alarm company of an extreme emergency situation and to send the police immediately. Keep your doors locked until the police arrive or help has arrived.
3. Make a habit of keeping doors and windows locked whether you are home or away. When you become complacent and let your guard down, you become more vulnerable to attack. Locking up is a simple habit that everyone should get into. When you leave the house or go to bed - do a quick walk-through and check doors and windows. Most break-ins happen through an unlocked door. If you have contact sensors on doors and windows, when either is opened and the alarm is OFF your keypad will beep at you so you know someone just came in or went out. If the alarm is ON and a door/window is opened, the alarm is activated and the police notified.
4. Reinforce wimpy hollow doors with solid core wood or steel doors. Be sure to include a one-way peephole if you don’t have sidelights next to your door. Make sure the frame around the door is also reinforced with heavy duty screws. You want to make sure your doors and deadbolt locks can withstand a forceful kick.
5. Update old locks with newer, stronger deadbolt locks. Reinforce strike plates. Use at least four three inch screws to reinforce the plate. Make sure the bolt is at least a 1-1/2 inch long. Since the front door is usually the first point of entry burglars know exactly where to kick the door for it to bust right open. Make these punks work very hard to get into your home. If it’s going to be difficult with a lot of work involved, most intruders will give up and go to an easier home.
6. Add simple common-sense Dowel Rods to your windows and slider doors. Check the number of windows on the main and basement level that either lift up or slide side-to-side to open as well as your slider doors. Then go to your local hardware store and get some dowel rods - about an inch or so in diameter for windows, a more heavy duty diameter dowel rod for slider doors. These rods fit right into the track of the slider door or windows preventing them from opening. The dowel rods are also difficult to see inside the track. You may want to paint or stain the dowel rods to match the door/window trim color.
7. Don’t open your front door unless you know who is there. Make it a habit for everyone in the family-especially children-to follow a simple rule that unless you are expecting someone or can see who is at the front door - DON’T OPEN THE DOOR. When you open the door to strangers or solicitors, you make yourself vulnerable to home invasion intruders and scam artists. Is someone claims they are from a company there to do work, verify identification by calling the place of business. Make sure you have a way to see out either through a sidelight, a window near the door, or through a peephole. Too many home invasion scams are happening right at the front door. You don’t have to open your door to anyone. If you feel unsafe after asking them to go away, call 911.
8. Get a dog. A good barking dog - small or large - is a big deterrent. The intruder may not know the dog’s size and won’t want to deal with a vicious barking dog. A dog can also alert you if someone is messing around your home or is inside your home. I always said there wasn’t any better security than your alarm system and a good barking dog. (Don’t rely solely on your dog as your security system. We’ve seen dirtbag intruders shoot and kill dogs).
9. Keep some type of personal protection near your main entry areas. This could be pepper or Mace spray, a TASER C2, or a Stun Gun. If you have one of these personal protection devices in your home make sure you are properly trained in how to use it. This type of protection may help defend against an intruder. Be sure to keep your non-lethal protection away from children but where you easily reach it in an emergency.
10. Consider taking a self-defense or personal security awareness class. Knowing what to do if faced with a potential attacker can give you a certain amount of confidence and empowerment. The security awareness class reiterates and heightens your awareness and gut instincts to things around you. When you combine this training with your personal protection, the above listed habits, and your security alarm system, you become a formidable homeowner that an intruder will definitely not want to deal with!
Start on your Home Security Action Plan today! Make sure you are positioned to be the home an intruder avoids, or at least his worst nightmare should he enter.
Make it a safe and secure day!
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