Safety and security should be some of your main priorities at home, as and your family need to be able to maintain peace of mind that you’re not in harm’s way when you’re inside your property. There are so many different risks and dangers that you need to work to reduce or eliminate, but thankfully it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might imagine to get started today.
Learning how to create a safe and secure home has never been so easy thanks to the handy hacks and innovative ideas that have been carefully detailed below! This guide is filled to the brim with some of the best steps that you can follow to keep your family out of harm’s way, so what are you waiting for?
Read on to discover more!
Secure Your Windows & Doors
One of the most important steps that you must take if you want to keep your family home as safe as possible is to secure your windows and doors. Your windows and doors are the weakest points of your home’s exterior, as it’s going to be far easier for all manner of things to break through some glass or wood than it would be to come through a solid brick wall. Using old single glazed windows and a flimsy door will put you and your loved ones at risk for all kinds of dangers, from criminal break ins to an increased risk of flooding and more.
You need to take the time to secure your windows and doors, as upgrading to more solid and reliable alternatives will allow you to sleep each night with the greatest peace of mind. Double or even triple glazing will markedly increase the security of your property, as they are more durable and hardwearing. A thick door that features a variety of complex locking systems that secure in several places will also be of real benefit, as your front door could either keep or safe or leave you out in the open. It’s also a good idea to install a chain lock on your front door for extra security, as this way you’ll be able to open the door to check who is there or what is happening without having the risk of someone or something gaining entry.
Get Some CCTV Or A Doorbell Camera
Another brilliant step that you can take to increase the safety and security of your family home is to get some CCTV, doorbell camera or other similar video surveillance security system. The benefits that can come with such an investment are endless, but the main reason why you need to seriously consider video surveillance is its ability to prevent crime. If someone with bad intentions were to spot your security cameras watching them like a hawk, then they’re unlikely to follow through with whatever likely illegal act they were going to commit. The risk of being identified and recorded while committing a crime is something they won’t want to deal with, as this is a further benefit that video surveillance offers. You’ll be able to hand over your video surveillance to the police if something were to happen, which drastically increases the likelihood of the perpetrator(s) being caught and prosecuted.
In many cases you can actually tune into the video stream from your surveillance from any location, meaning you can check in on your property and its surroundings no matter where you may be. Whether you want to confirm your kids arrived home from school through your doorbell camera, or check your CCTV when you’re away on vacation! You’d be surprised at just how many unbelievable things have been caught on home video surveillance, from delivery drivers throwing packages in the air to phony ‘salesmen’ distracting homeowners at the front door while thieves enter at the back. So, it’s certainly worth your while to consider such an investment for the safety and security of your family home.
Don’t Forget About Fire Safety
The risk of a blaze inside your home is always going to be present, and it’s absolutely vital that you know exactly what to do if a fire were to break out. A fire could be a fatal experience that causes irreparable damage to your home and family, so you need to have total confidence that you will be able to identify, manage and put out a blaze in the event of an emergency.
Being alerted to a blaze is vital, as it’s not always obvious that there is a fire until the flames are right there in front of you – by which point, it may be too late to escape. You need to invest in a variety of devices and systems that will alert you if a fire were to break out in your home, including smoke and fire alarms and heat detecting sprinklers. This way, whenever carbon monoxide or a vast increase in heat is spotted by your devices, an alarm and flashing light will sound to alert you (with some added water to put out small flames if you choose a sprinkler system). Always take the time to test your fire alarms to ensure they are in good working order, as you risk sleeping through a blaze without being woken up by your alert system.
Having a variety of fire safety equipment will allow you to jump into action as soon as possible, as you need to be able to access things like fire retardant blankets that you can cover yourself with to get outside. It’s also vital that you have a number of fire extinguishers for different types of blazes, including a co2 fire extinguisher for electrical fires and a wet chemical fire extinguisher for chip pan fires. Even if you never have to use them, just keep them there in case the worst were to happen. You’ll no doubt be thanking yourself when you can think quickly and tackle a fire in a few seconds before it can spread, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.