Make Your Family Safe

Family Safety is one of the priorities of every household – especially in our home.   Here are some of residential home safety and security tips that can help protect against threats like burglary, intrusion, fire and other household accidents.  They are as follows:

• Ensure all exterior doors have good proper locks like 1-inch deadbolt locks.  Use inside keyed locks where there is glass near the locks that could be broken and have access to lock.  Burglar-proof your glass patio doors by setting up a pipe or metal bar in the middle bottom rack of the door slide.  Use same length pipe like the track.

• Install door jammers as a simple yet effective security solution from unwanted entry.  There are varieties of designs ranging from bars to small portable devices that functions as powerful doorstops.

• Keep your garage doors closed at all times.  Ensure no one can gain entry using the door leading directly into your house.

• Use caution in leaving spare keys outside your home.  Avoid leaving extra keys under doormats, potted plants or any other obvious places where burglars can generally find them.  Store extra keys with family members or trusted neighbor.

• No alarm system yet, no worries.  Use a decal or other visual deterrent signs like “Beware of Dog” or “Security Cameras in Use” or “Warning: Protected by an Electronic Security System” placed on your front door.

• Have your car keys next to your bed while you sleep.  If you heard suspicious noise or suspected burglary, press the panic button to raise alarm.

• Rosebuds and bougainvillea beneath ground-floor windows not only add beauty to your home but can be a deterrent to break-ins.

• Avoid leaving notes on the door for service people or family members when you’re not at home.  If you’re on extended trips or you will be out of town, have a neighbor pick up leaflets or flyers stuck on your door on a daily basis.  Unpicked leaflets or flyers for days are sure indication that no one is at home.

• Mail slot on a wooden door weakens the horizontal integrity of the door and makes it easier to kick in.  Install the mail slot near the bottom of the front door, not higher than a quarter of the way up.  If possible, install a locked mailbox at your home.

• Never placed outgoing mails containing personal information in an unsecured mailbox.

• Adjust volume of the telephone and answering machines to its lowest volume setting so that burglars can’t hear unanswered calls that can indicate no one is at home.

• Quickly load up your car in the morning before you leave for a weekend getaway, rather than having a fully packed car left overnight in front of the house which is a tell-tale sign for burglars.

• Post pictures of your vacation in your social media accounts like Instagram or Facebook after you return home.

• Install carbon monoxide detectors (testers) on every level of your home.

• Inspect smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for dust and lint build up that can hinder sensors.  Have them check monthly to ensure they are still working.  Change the batteries twice each year.  Replace alarms older than 10 years.

• Make sure your street address is clear and visibly posted for emergency rescue or fire fighters on the event of an emergency.

These simple and practical residential home safety and security tips are easy to follow.  It gives you a sense of security and peace of mind.

Tags: home safety, home safety tips, home security tips, safety and security, safety at home