In all of the articles we have shared over the years, we have often talked about how to secure your home, your personal information, and your family. Individually, these articles have good information and will help you in certain situations. However, if you take this information and apply it to other aspects of your life, you will see that security is like an onion, it has many layers that build on each other. Let’s look at the broad scope of securing you family and property.
OUTSIDE: With securing any property you must start outside. Your perimeter needs to be as secure as possible. This can be achieved by using fencing, shrubs and lighting. The idea is to give any would be intruders a moment to think, “Do I really want to go to this much trouble?”
NEIGHBORS: Get to know your neighbors. Your neighbors can help you keep your family and home safe. If you are out of town or at work, they often help keep watch while you are gone. Work together and form a neighborhood watch. Because you and your neighbors will know each other more, you will know if there is something wrong more quickly. A good example of this is if a strange repair vehicle is in the driveway, your neighbor would most likely come over to investigate and then give you a call to confirm the person is legitimate.
INSIDE: You want to make sure that you have adequate doors and windows. Don’t take the cheap way out. Spend the extra money to get high quality doors and windows. When purchasing, make sure you check the security rating; you should get at least a 4 star rated door or window. Not only will you improve your security, you will improve the energy efficiency of you home. You may also consider adding a monitored security system to your house for fire and security reasons. Also make sure your fire extinguisher is properly charged.
OPPORTUNITY: Take time to look around for opportunities to improve your home security. This can be adding equipment to your existing home security system, or simply looking for gaps in your plan. Do you have a plan? If not, make one. Plan what you will do during severe weather, fire and home invasion situations. Have a safe place for your kids. Take the time to come up with different scenarios and plan for those. Obviously, you can’t plan for all scenarios, but the key is to have a core set of responses. When this is accomplished, most scenarios will be covered.
NEGLECT: Don’t neglect your responsibility. Ultimately, your family’s security and safety is up to you. The Police and Fire Department may be miles away. You may be the one to have to deal with the situation, so be prepared. Take the time and initiative to really learn how to use a fire extinguisher, learn about your neighbors, and don’t be afraid to take action.
Hopefully, you have seen that security for your family is not a simple one-size-fits-all thing. Security is built on layers like an ONION, but if not done correctly it could stink.
By: Brian Black, Operations Manager of Madison Security Group
203 US Highway 31 South, Athens, Alabama 35611
