User manual | Home Safety and Security Tips Preventing a Burglary

Home Safety and Security Tips
Here, we present you with some basic, yet,
invaluable tips for maintaining safety and security
around the home. Not just your Aunt May’s variety of “common sense” quotables either. We bet
there are some tips here that even she wouldn’t
have thought of!
Although we have many items to assists you with
these tips (steering wheel locks, door locks, personal vaults, pepper spray & more) please note
that these tips are taken from outside, relevant
sources. Please visit our product areas for the
right solutions for you.
Preventing a Burglary
A burglary occurs every 14 seconds in the United
States, and two-thirds of those break-ins are
residential. The longer a break-in takes, the better
the chances that the burglar will be caught. Here
are ideas to use that add more security to your
home.
Lock your doors at night and every time you
leave the house- even if it is just for a few minutes.
Install a security-rated door (preferably solid
wood or metal-clad) with a peephole, e.g. a flush
wood lumber core door, 1-3/4 inches thick or a
hollow metal 18-gauge door.
Upgrade hardware on perimeter doors and
windows, as well as inside privacy fences that will
survive a 60 second burglar attack.
Use a deadbolt lock with a one-inch bolt
throw on doors. The lock should be furnished
with at least two one-quarter-inch case hardened bolts. It should be equipped with a cylinder
guard to prevent a wrenching attack with pliers
or vise grip type tools, and should be placed at
least 12 inches above the doorknob and at least
40 inches away from windows, glass panels and
other openings such as mail slots.
Keep your windows closed, and lock them,
even in the open position. Make sure the lock
cannot be defeated from the outside.
Secure sliding glass doors with a specially designed steel or wood bar, which prevents prying or jimmying. It is also a good idea to install a
series of roundhead screws and angle irons to
secure the stationary panel.
Prepare your master bedroom for use as an
emergency refuge in the event that an intruder
comes into your home while you are inside. Install
a solid wood door with a quality lock and equip
the room with a phone, fire extinguisher, first aid
kit, and noisemaker.
Install a secondary lock on the garage door.
Do not count on the automatic garage door
opener for security.
Make sure that there is no camouflage around
the back door, basement windows, ground level
windows and the front door. Trim shrubs below
sill height and install bright lights in entrance
areas to illuminate visitors.
Make an agreement with your neighbors to
watch each other's homes for suspicious activity.
Make your home look lived in. If you are away
for an extended period of time, stop mail delivery,
have interior lights on timers, leave a radio playing, etc…
Keep your home well lit and visible through the
night.
Install motion-sensored lighting in landscaping.
Do not hide your key in obvious places, such
as under the doormat or flowerpot, or above the
doorframe.
Do not leave ladders outside. Keep any tools
that could be used to break in your home safely
locked away in a garage or shed.
Do not put valuables where they can be seen
from the window, especially small, portable
items.
Do not keep large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry around the house. Consider having a
safe deposit box.
Videotape the contents of your home. Keep
the video, along with a list of all your valuable
possessions in a safe deposit box.
If a stranger comes to the door, asking to
use the phone, do not let him in. Make the call
yourself.
Secure all outdoor and personal property
such as bikes, grills, lawn mowers, patio furniture,
pool gates, etc. with quality cable locks, u-locks
and padlocks to prevent theft.
Make sure your house number is clearly visible
so police and EMS vehicles can find your home
easily.
Contact your local police department and ask
to speak with the crime prevention officer. They
are trained to assess the needs of homeowners by doing a simple security survey. They can
then recommend hardware and certain security
procedures to eliminate or reduce the risk of
burglary.
If you arrive home, only to find that the door is
open, DO NOT go inside. Instead go to a neighbor's house and immediately call the police.
There is a chance that the intruder is still inside
the house, and you do not want to put yourself in
danger
Safe Firearm Storage
Children are at increasing risk of fatal injury
from guns every day in this country. Although the
best safety measure that you can take is to avoid
having a gun in your home, educating your child
about gun safety and providing adult supervision
are two effective ways to discourage accidents
and acts of violence.
If you own a gun:
Always keep your gun unloaded and locked.
Ask police for advice on safe storage and gun
locks.
Lock and store bullets in a separate location.
Make sure children never have access to the
keys.
The best way to reduce gun risks is to remove
the gun from your home.
If you do not own a gun:
Talk with your children about the risk of gun
injury outside the home in places where they may
visit and play.
Tell your children about the risk of gun injury
when they are in the homes of their friends.
Speak with the parents of your children's
friends to find out if they keep a gun at home.
If they do, urge them to empty it out and lock
it up.
Childproofing
Your child is naturally curious about his surroundings, and does not always realize the
danger associated with touching an electrical
outlet, or playing near a hot oven. Childproofing
your home is one of the best ways to avoid accidental injuries, but it is important to remember
that nothing is as effective as your own supervision. Install hardware-mounted secure safety
gates at the top and bottom of any stairways in
your home. Consider using doorknob protectors
on any doors that open into a stairway to prevent
fall-related injuries.
Make sure that the gaps between the upright
posts on railings are not more than 4 inches
apart. If they are, cover the railing with a fine,
heavyweight netting so a child cannot become
caught between the rails.
Install a childproof lock on your medicine
cabinet.
Set your water heater no higher than 120 degrees to prevent burns, and install grab bars and
non-slip surfaces in tubs and showers to prevent
falls.
Never leave your child unattended in the bathtub.
Make certain that the doors to walk-in closets
and pantries can be opened from the inside as
well as the outside.
Eliminate the loop in two-corded blinds and
shades, and install a cord tie-down device to prevent strangulation.
Secure rugs with nonskid pads or heavy
pieces of furniture. Children could easily slip and
bruise themselves on unsecured rugs.
Make sure that crib bars are no more than
2-3/8 inches apart, and that decorative cutouts
are small enough to keep baby's head from becoming trapped.
Avoid thick pile carpeting, if at all possible.
Small objects, such as buttons and sewing needles, can hide within the pile, easily finding their
way to your child's mouth. Opt for tightly woven,
flat-weave, or low-pile carpeting.
Find a mattress that fits well enough to leave
no more than the width of two fingers between it
and the sides of the crib.
Always keep a fire extinguisher in an easy-toreach location, and know how to properly use it.
Bicycle Theft
Install outlet covers, outlet plugs, and plug
locks on all outlets and cords that are not currently in use.
Always unplug appliances when they are not
in use. If it is an appliance that you are unable to
unplug, such as a garbage disposal, consider
using a switch lock. You are still able to use the
appliance, but your child is protected from accidentally turning it on.
Use cord shorteners to minimize the length of
your appliance cords.
Always turn handles to the center of the stove
so children are unable to pull pots and pans on
top of themselves. Use stove knob covers and
oven locks to prevent burns.
Put safety locks and latches on all cupboards
and drawers.
Most bicycles are easily stolen because they
have little or no protection. The best way to
protect your bicycle is with a strong, reliable Ulock, or an adjustable bike lock. The more time
and trouble it takes a thief to steal your bike, the
less likely the chances are of your bicycle being
stolen. Lock your bike, even at home, to a fixed
immovable object. Do not lock your bike to items
that can easily be cut, broken, or removed.
Lock your bike in visible, well-lit areas.
Select a location where there are other bikes.
If there is a bike nearby with a less secure lock, or
no lock at all, the thief will target that bicycle first.
Position your bike frame and wheels so that
there is little to no space available for a thief to
insert a pry bar.
If the U-lock has a keyway, position the key-
way downward, making it harder for the thief to
access your lock.
Secure your accessories and components.
If you have a multi-speed bike, leave it in the
highest gear, making it harder for the thief to shift
quickly and escape with your bike.
Register your bike with the local police station
or the National Bike Registry.
Never lock your bike to itself. You are allowing
a thief to carry your whole bike away effortlessly.
Never lock your bike to anything posted as
illegal. Check with your local police department
for local bicycle parking regulations.
When you ride:
Always wear a helmet.
Learn to use and obey traffic signals. They
were created for your protection.
Ride with the traffic, not against it.
If you ride at night, use reflectors or lighting
systems. Make sure that you are visible at all
times!
Watch for cars and opening doors in your
path.
Slow down at intersections and look out for
oncoming and turning traffic.
Do not weave in and out of slow moving or
stopped
Sources:
JM Associates, Security and Crime Prevention
Training/Consulting
The National Consumer Product Safety
Commission
The American Academy of Pediatrics
The Insurance Bureau of Canada

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