Tag Archives: windows

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

LIVING ALONE: STEPS WOMEN SHOULD TAKE TO STAY SAFE (GUEST POST)

 With increased financial independence, more and more women prefer to stay alone. The idea of living alone has its own perks that most women find very appealing. You can live on your own terms, feel emancipated and enjoy absolute freedom. However, such a life also comes with its own share of disadvantages in the form of security issues. Increasing crime against women has made it imperative for women to adopt means to ensure their safety. If you are a woman living alone, here are the things that will make sure that you stay safe and enjoy your life.

Choose a neighborhood with care

The safety measures you undertake should start from looking for a safe neighborhood. Check out the crime rate in the neighborhood and talk to the people and local businesses. These people will give you a fair idea about the area and also whether it is safe or not.

Once you move in, establish a rapport with your neighbors. Keep in touch always so that you are aware of the happenings in the area and can take steps accordingly.

You should know the layout of the neighborhood also. Familiarize yourself with the places so that you know the areas that tend to remain dark or deserted at night. If you have an erratic work schedule you will know which areas to avoid and when.

Secure your home           

Burglars look for homes that they can break in easily. Homes with wooden doors and windows are their easy targets. To ensure your security, you should replace old wooden doors with reinforced steel. If possible, install security grilles. Invest in deadbolt locks for the exterior doors. The windows also require special attention. Hire a specialized locksmith service and get your entire house inspected and adopt their suggestions to bolster the security system. But also remain aware of ghost locksmiths as Nashville lock maker 456lock points out. Simple things like door chains and spy holes go a long way in making you feel safe and secured.

Beware of strangers

You can install an intercom at the door to identify people who visit your home. Never open the door if you are not sure about who is on the other side. Use the door chain to slightly open the door while attending to strangers. The incidents where the innocuous pizza delivery boy or a courier guy has tried to break in or molest women staying alone necessitate you to be alert always.

Get canine company

A dog is not only a man’s great friend but can be a protector also. Apart from giving you company and much needed love, your pet dog can keep a watch on your house and also alert you about any suspicious movements. Even when you are away, presence of the dog will deter burglars from trying to encroach in your house. 

Leave your home secured all the time

Always keep the doors and windows shut. When you leave your house, take extra care to check all the entry points. No one should be able to gain entry when you are absent. While going for vacations, inform your neighbors about your plan so that they can keep an eye on your house. Keeping spare key under the doormat is a very bad idea. Keep it with a neighbor or a friend instead.

Sensor floodlights installed on the exteriors like the balconies, porches and doorway will keep away burglars.

Take help of technology to ensure your safety

Technology has made it extremely easy to keep your house under constant surveillance and also make you safe always. Your mobile phone can play a great role in ensuring your security. You should include 911 in the speed dial list. Always keep the mobile near you even when you are inside the house. While traveling alone, inform your friends or your relatives about your whereabouts.

Wireless security systems can be installed at home to keep a constant watch on your home. You can even get CCTV cameras installed at certain locations. Geo-locations software, energy savings security systems are great options to make your house burglar-proof. These systems are not only easy to operate but also make your home safe when you are away. With advancement in technology, they have become affordable also.

Keep your personal life to yourself

Social networking sites often become traps for women. Avoid sharing your personal information in social networking sites. Your working hours, travel plans and whereabouts should be kept to yourself only. Share this information only with friends whom you trust and know personally.

To prevent stalking and strangers knowing your whereabouts, you should alter your daily schedule from time to time. Change the route you usually take to reach home or office and also alter the timing also.

Being alert and responsible will keep you safe. Carrying pepper sprays, being fit and knowing self-defense techniques will instill confidence in you to handle any situation and protect yourself. 

About the Author

Anna is a home security expert in Nashville, Tennessee, who helps home owners and business owners stay safe. She loves writing articles related to home security and women safety. 

General Safety Issues

SECURING YOUR PROPERTY – THE TWO PERIMETERS (GUEST POST)

Vandalism; first defined by the Romans, this ever-present threat continues to give property owners something else to think about when maintaining their asset. In the absence of a single solution to eradicate this problem, those with something to protect must a construct a physical force field, covering both the outer and inner perimeters of their owned area.

The idea behind implementing a watertight security strategy is that almost immediately, the power is handed back to its rightful owner. Vandals like to think that they can stroll into a property, inflict hundreds, sometimes thousands of pounds worth of damage and exit without trace. This sense of control can be denied by introducing two lines of defence, policing key outer and inner zones of a property.    

These are two of the most important areas to protect and, along with natural access control, almost define physical security. With both inner and outer lines covered, here’s what a typical security plan will involve.  

The outer perimeter

Covering – The best way of halting a stream of attacks is to cut off the source – its entry point if you will. Vandals cannot inflict damage on your property without physically getting into it, so you must provide a strong line of security at the cut-off point. This is the outer perimeter, a line that can be crossed on foot or by car that defines where your property starts. This area, technically, is where you have made your initial investment and any damage inflicted from within will have to be repaired by yourself.  

Solutions – Possible solutions for policing an outer perimeter can be anything from a large hedge to more extreme measures, like a barbed wire fence. Some will decide to point their security cameras to this area, or hire a guard to stand by it. These solutions aim to draw a clearly visible line around the property, alerting criminals of where they’re not welcome. In deciding which type of what type of outer solution would suit your own business, you need to weigh up the risk of vandals and assess exactly what might be targeted.   

The inner perimeter

Covering – In the event of your outer perimeter being breached, you must have a second line of security to shield off attacks on your building. The inner perimeter is less of a line and is more or less attached to the asset, so think security measures for halting access via doors, windows and any other entry points.     

Solutions – Although a sturdy lock and key remains at the forefront of this strategy, technology plays an integral role in covering other areas of the inner perimeter. Protecting this line can usually be accomplished through the use of alarm systems and security cameras, which can stop vandals in their tracks without even being activated. A CCTV camera almost acts as a warning sign, informing vandals that if any break-in is attempted, their actions will be captured and relayed back to the police. The same goes for an alarm system, the use of which will be well sign posted to tempt vandals out of committing their act.       

Regardless of how big the requirement is, taking care of these two lines really will give you the protection you need. All you’re required to do is assess the risk at hand and contact a professional security company to discuss possible solutions. Never underestimate the threat and opt for the best you can afford. After all, your investment could save you a significant amount on damages.  

Author Byline:

Finley Talbot is a keen blogger with a deep interest in security systems and the upcoming technology in homeland defence. He is also a season ticket holder for Arsenal Football Club, as well as being an armchair critic of everything happening in football.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

SENIOR SECURITY: SAFE AT HOME (GUEST POST)

2 Comments

By Maddy Olsen.

Whether you are enjoying your golden years or a family member of a senior, there are things to look out for to increase their safety. Even if you live in a retirement community, some of these will still apply. Seniors tend to be the target of scam artists and hoodlums. They will case a home before they strike and sometimes it doesn’t end well. Being well protected will ease everyone’s mind.

  • Windows

Having double paned windows are great for energy efficiency, but they also have very secure locks on them. However, in the event that one is left unlocked, another safety measure should be taken just to ensure complete home security. It is as simple as having wooden dowels cut to fit in the tracks of all the windows in the house, even the bathroom. Home improvement stores generally carry these and will cut them for you if you ask.

  • Doors

Traditionally, we just lock our front door and rely on us not losing the keys to get us back in. Now, there is a way to unlock the door using the cell phone. The app is easy to navigate and requires an electronic device be put on the deadbolt area of the door. It can be easily installed with a screwdriver and is accessible from anywhere in the world, on most accounts. They can also be programmed to work with multiple phones, so family can unlock it in case of emergency or if the parents ever get locked out.

  • Garage Doors

Any outside entrance to the home is a concern. Garage doors are one of those safety issues that should be addressed. But it is only a garage door, you say? Well, that is true, but it is one of the biggest threats to home security. Having a newer model of garage door opener will reduce the risk of anyone being able to copy the code used to open the door. However, carry the opener in your purse or invest in a keychain opener. If anyone were to get into the car, they would take the opener to be able to get inside the home. When going on a trip, use padlocks to secure the door by the handles near the ground. But even more importantly, always lock the door that leads from your garage into the house. If possible, install a deadbolt to reinforce the door and make it that much harder to get in.

  • Smoke Alarms

This doesn’t deter thieves, but it is a very important part of safety and feeling secure in your home. Fires kill more than 4,000 people every year. That is not including those that die from complications due to the fire. That’s a lot of casualties that might have been prevented. Change the batteries in all smoke detectors each month. Just testing the alarms may not ensure that the batteries will work when there is a need for them to. New fresh batteries will keep them in tip top shape all the time. Practice an escape plan so if there were a fire in the home, the residents will know what to do based on the circumstances. 

Security of the home is so very important and so many of us pay little attention to it. If there are any concerns, address them sooner than later. Ask for help if you need it, but don’t be the victim of a terrible event because your locks and codes are subpar. Your personal safety should be a priority.

Maddy Olsen  blogs on a variety of subjects that are deep topics and can change lives. Writing for Brookdale http://www.brookdaleliving.com/ assisted living is a very rewarding passion she enjoys. Several losses in her family to Alzheimer’s Disease has prompted her write about the topics she has researched or practiced.

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

NATIONAL WINDOW SAFETY WEEK, APRIL 4 – 10

The Window Safety Task Force, under the National Safety Council’s Community Safety Division, works with the American Architectural Manufacturing Association, Window and Door Manufacturing Association, Screen Manufacturers Association, National Association of Home Builders and other organizations to educate North Americans on the importance of window safety.  This group has been presenting materials on this subject since 1997.  They know that the leading causes of injury and death in young children are fires and falls. 

Besides doors, windows are a secondary escape route in a fire or other emergency. They are designed as points of escape.  It is critical that the windows are placed in locations in both homes and businesses where they can provide a safe exit.  Families should have a fire escape plan.  Children should be taught to get out of a house that is on fire.  Hold a family fire drill often, and plan landscaping that can possibly prevent injury if anyone does have to jump or fall from a window. 

If you have bars, grills, or other types of security on your windows, they are useless in an emergency, unless they have a functioning release mechanism.  You might think you are keeping someone out, but you may be causing yourself to become trapped, and you can’t escape!  Never paint or nail windows shut. 

When there are young children living or visiting in your home, be sure the windows they may be playing around are locked.  If you need ventilation, open taller windows, and never have furniture close to an open window, where they might climb up and fall out.  Be sure to watch when they are playing on a patio or around sliding glass doors.  A fall through glass could cause serious injuries. 

Don’t count on insect screens to catch anything except the bugs!  Shortly after we moved into the home where we currently live, we left our sliding glass door open one evening, when our birddog, Lucy, heard something outside and ran through the screen!  That was the end of leaving that door open. 

We all must understand the importance of safety in the home, and be prepared to escape in the event of fire.  Years ago, a home on our block was totally destroyed by fire, resulting in the deaths of three persons.  A mother of a four-year old, broke a window in her bedroom to run for help – she couldn’t find her child.  Later, the body of the little girl was found under a bed, where she had crawled.  If we take the time to be prepared, hopefully, tragedies such as this, can be prevented. 

There is more excellent information on this subject at the National Safety Council website.  We are all asked to share this information with friends, family, co-workers, and communities, not only through the first week of April, and all of April, but all year long.

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

HOME SAFETY FOR TODDLERS – WINDOW BLINDS

One of the many things we do when we buy a new home or move into an apartment is choose window treatments.  Whether we have children, grandchildren, or an occasional toddler visit our home, we must be aware of certain hazards that are present.  If you select blinds to cover your windows, be sure they are the new type of cordless ones.

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that on the average, once every two weeks, a toddler or infant dies from strangulation from window blind cords.  Blinds made prior to 2001 do not meet child safety regulations.

Toddlers love to climb up to look out of the window, and if they slip and fall, they could become entangled in the cords.  Infants in cribs that are placed too near a window may grab a cord, place it in their mouth, and get it wrapped around their neck.

Here are some actions you may take to ensure safety regarding this hazard:

  • Never have furniture near dangling cords in windows.
  • Buy new cordless window blinds.
  • Consider other window treatments, such as shutters or curtains.
  • If you have older blinds, get retrofit kits to make them safe.
  • Never place cribs near windows.
  • Keep the child away from blind cords.

If you want to adjust the existing blind cords that you now own, the USCPSC recommends eliminating loops on 2-corded horizontal blinds by cutting the cord above the end tassel (looks like a small wood or plastic thimble).

Remove equalizer buckle and add new tassels for each cord, or replace it with a safety break-away tassel.  Do not retie the cords in a knot, as that only recreates a new loop.  Or, you can lower blind all the way, cut cords as close to top of blind as possible and then re-install tassels.  Parents can reach, but the tots cannot!  Otherwise, use old-fashioned cord cleats, which are available at most window covering stores.

The Window Covering Safety Council provides free retrofit kits: cord stops, tassels, and tie-down devices.  Their toll-free number is 800-506-4636.  You can contact them at their website or give them a call for more information.

We just learned of a tragic accident involving some type of cord hanging from a treadmill. It’s unknown at this time just exactly how it happened, but a 4 year-old girl is in critical condition from getting strangled by this cord.  So, parents, look out for anything in your home that could be harmful!