What is going on with these people who feel they can walk onto your property or in front of your home and abduct your child? If those parents had installed a hidden camera in their home, the police could use the recordings from the camera and have a quick lead to find the child and return them safely. Being prepared for the unthinkable act of your child being abducted by installing hidden cameras is much better than wishing later you had installed cameras!

You can order a hidden camera and you can easily install it within the week!! Hidden cameras will make our children safer.

An Outdoor Motion light system with cameras can be placed on the outside of your house. If someone comes around, the motion lights come on and the camera begins to record the action on your VCR inside.

I’m sure you have assets such as a swimming pool, garage, and yard furniture that you want to protect. Install a camera nearby and if something disappears or is damaged, you have a picture of the person who did the unlawful thing.

If you have cash missing from the register at your business, you should install a hidden camera near the cash register. In your business warehouse where you are missing merchandise, install a hidden camera. You would know immediately who the thief was if you would install the Down View Smoke Detector Camera over a cash register or desk. This smoke detector camera can be wall or ceiling mounted for the best viewing angle.

Introduction

At some time in our lives, many of us will face an emergency. Most will involve personal illness or injury, but severe weather, including hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and heat waves, is a very common threat.

Severe weather and its after effects, such as flooding, results in numerous deaths and injuries every year, together with major property damage and loss.

But we are not entirely powerless in the face of these disasters - a little time and effort now will significantly reduce the risks of death, injury and property damage. It will also help you recover much faster.

Planning for emergencies is complex subject, too big for a single article.

Part 1 covers identification of the threats to you and your family, how to make sure your safety is protected, and making sure everyone knows what to do, even if you are separated.

The second part considers those precious few hours before the the weather becomes really threatening. Preparation is crucial to make sure your family is safe, and your home and belongings are as secure as possible.

Advance Planning - It’s A Drag But It Pays Off

One of the hardest things about preparing for emergencies is finding the time.

But if you live in North America, your weather is arguably the wildest on the planet. Your chances of being threatened by severe weather are very real.

So at some stage (soon!) why not set aside an hour or so to do a little groundwork and prepare for when things get nasty.

Involve your family - the more heads the better, and it is possible that one of you may be incapacitated in a serious emergency.

Four big questions need to be answered before you can regard yourself as reasonably well prepared.

1. What are the threats, and how can you minimize them?  
2. If you have to leave in a hurry, where will you go and how will you get there?  
3. How will the family get together or keep in contact if they are scattered between hone, work and school?  
4. What can you do now to help you handle the emergency competently, and then return to normal life quickly?

What Are The Biggest Risks?

This sounds pretty easy, because you know where you live, and what sort of weather to expect as the seasons change.

But when you get down to it, severe weather is often just normal weather become stronger, or bigger, or longer lasting.

When considering your home, a great shortcut is to contact your local emergency management office or the Red Cross to see what information they have on your area. You should be able to find FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) hazard maps and other relevant material to help with your planning.

It’s also worth thinking about other places you regularly visit - the beach, the lake, relatives - and even where you go on vacation.

Shelter and Evacuation

Most severe weather emergencies arrive without much warning. You may need to leave your home and move to a safer area.

Early warning and sound planning will reduce the stress of any emergency, and the first step is to be well informed.

And there is no better way than to use the Weather Radio Service provided by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the EAS (Emergency Alert Service).

Advisories of threats and hazards are broadcast over dedicated radio frequencies (to avoid interference from commercial broadcasts) and can be received on specially modified weather radios.

More information on the Weather Radio Service and equipment can be found at http://www.home-weather-stations-guide.com/weather-radio.html

Evacuations can be a matter of choice or they may be mandatory. Becoming familiar with exit routes will reduce much of the stress of having to move out fast.

In some cases, such as tornadoes, you may need to use a nearby shelter. Again prior knowledge of its location and easiest access will be invaluable.

Communication Between Family Members

Emergencies often happen at the most inconvenient times. Your family may be scattered between home, work and school when the weather becomes threatening, and you may remain separated for some time until things return to normal.

Work out in advance what procedures are likely to be followed - does the school have an emergency plan and shelter? How about the work place? It will help if each family member knows what to do, and what others will be doing and where they are likely to be during an emergency.

Prepare wallet sized summaries of locations and phone numbers for each family member, while cell phones should help you to keep in touch.

Long Term Plans

So far everything I’ve suggested assumes that you will, some day, need to act fast to protect yourself against a developing emergency.

This section covers preparations which should benefit you regardless of whether an emergency arises.

These include

  

 

• Checking your house and property insurance. Get the best you can afford, and remember that even if you live on a floodplain you can still get flood insurance. At the same time, make an inventory of your possessions.  
• Arrange secure storage of small valuable items and documents, preferably away from your house. Include copies of credit and ID cards.  
• Learn first aid and how to administer CPR.  
• Make sure you know how to operate a fire extinguisher  
• And consider joining one of the volunteer emergency organizations - the better you understand what may happen, the easier it will be to handle it if and when it does  
• Make advance arrangements for your pets - possibly a pet carrier for small animals, and safe accommodation for larger animals.

OK. Now you’re prepared for the worst, and you have significantly reduced the effects a major emergency will have on you. Part 2 of this article reviews what to do as the weather becomes threatening.

Why do I need a “safe room? I really don’t need one; I’m not that high profile”. This is typical V.I.P. client frame of reference or attitude concerning security systems and safe rooms.

What most clients don’t realize is “being high profile” has a definite impact on vulnerabilities, however, not being high profile does not mitigate the vulnerabilities and overall exposure caused by their “lifestyles” and “net worth”.

Firstly, security systems are usually designed and installed by security system companies. The salesperson of the vending company is primarily interested in selling the highest dollar components and system. The viability of the system is usually important but not usually paramount to their operational concerns. The clients usually are persuaded to purchase the “high end” version of systems and usually get very good systems.

Secondly, what they do not realize is they would have benefited immensely from the use of the services of a quality security consultant, who would have been savvy of security system requirements and the needs specific needs of the client.

The experienced security consultant can save the client thousands of dollars in unnecessary expense on hardware and re-direct hardware expenses in the direction of need and viability. This having been said, there are other issues that are unknown to the clients. In addition, these other issues are also not first and foremost in the minds and focus of many security system vendors.

One of these issues is the concept of security system redundant layering. The most effective systems are layered with detection device systems after detection device systems, all integrated into one intrusion detection system. Not to get into too much technical detail, the idea or concept is to set up mantraps and detection device systems that will back each other up and eventually detect and catch the intruder.

The typical estate or residence burglary scenario: an intruder gains access to your residence or estate, the police typically do not respond quick enough to prevent an intruder from coming face to face with an occupant. The result is an unwanted tragic event will usually occur.

Another issue is the concept of the “safe room”. Most clients do not realize and most vendors do not stress the value of the “safe room” We are not talking about the Jodie Foster movie, the “Panic Room” We are not alluding that all estates and mega-yachts need internal, concrete and steel fortified sanctuaries. Far from that. Safe rooms do not have to be these ultra, internal fortresses. ‘Safe Rooms’ can be designed and constructed at various levels of security. They can be minimally reinforced and impregnated with ballistic materials. They can also be designed to achieve the highest levels of security, where the room is totally protected from exterior access and is constructed with steel reinforcements, ballistic materials and a door constructed by a “vault” manufacturer. This highest level of protection is routinely equipped with a separate AC system, security CCTV monitors, survival supplies, oxygen and a back up communications systems.

Essentially, the primary focus of a viable and efficient Security Intrusion Detection System (alarm system) should be to warn and provide occupants of your estate, mega-yacht or home with sufficient time to access a ‘safe room’ and avoid confrontation with an intruder. True, although many people simply regard an alarm system as a deterrent, it should be also, at the same time, a warning system, allowing you and your loved ones ample time to access your ‘safe room’. In order to facilitate a safe outcome, it is vital to ensure quick and easy access to a safe location (‘safe room’) and to remain secure until the police or security detail respond.

The bottom line - police response time and access to your ‘safe room’ play critical roles in determining a positive outcome during a break-in or intrusion.

Proper planning and the use of a highly qualified security consultant will provide clients with the optimum result and more than likely, save hem unwarranted expense. The consultant can work closely with the client’s architect or builder to review preliminary designs in order to pro-actively implement design changes and modifications before construction or renovations are initiated. This involvement routinely ensures the implementation of the appropriate technical and physical security countermeasures.

In conclusion, the client should wind up enjoying the safety and security of a viable intrusion detection system incorporated with the added feature of the safe room.

With all of the emphasis in the past few years on Homeland Security, many people have overlooked the importance of home security. While it might not make the first story on the news, when your house is burgled, safeguarding your home soon becomes the most important issue in your world.

The Facts

There’s no reason to wait until it happens to you. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 75% of all crime in the United States is property crime. In 2003, there were 14 million thefts of property. In 83% of these crimes, the burglars actually entered the home or some other building to steal property.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, residential burglaries in 2003 averaged $1600 in property or cash loss per incident. This does not include repair of locks, doors, windows, and other destruction. Are you willing to give $1600 (not to mention the security of your home and safety of your family) to a burglar?

It can happen to anyone. Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you are a target of burglars. What are you going to do about it?

The Options

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of an intruder. Simply locking your doors and windows isn’t enough. If you can think of a way to get into your home, surely someone who makes crime his living will be able to as well.

You also shouldn’t overestimate the resourcefulness of neighbors. Neighborhood watches are fine, but how many of your neighbors spend every hour you aren’t home watching your house? How would they distinguish between a furniture delivery and a robbery? Can you tell just by looking if someone is simply walking for exercise or casing houses for possible burglary attempts? Even houses less than a mile from police stations are easily robbed.

There are more effective options that will prevent break-ins and make your home secure.

Home Alarms

A simple loud noise will not deter a criminal. Your neighbors are likely to turn up their televisions to drown out the sound. Battery and even electrically operated sound alarms are easily thwarted by criminals.

If you are going to use a home alarm, you should use a monitored system. When you decide between monitored home alarm systems, you generally have three choices – a do-it-yourself system, a national monitoring system, and a local home security company system.

The do-it-yourself installation systems are by far the cheapest. You need a bit of technical know-how, and you need to know how an intruder enters. When you buy your own equipment, you have your choice of companies to monitor your system. Some systems let you program additional numbers to be called when the alarm is triggered, which isn’t as helpful as you’d think. By the time you or a neighbor is able to react and call the police, your burglar is usually long gone. It’s best to stick with the pros.

National alarm system monitoring services (such as ADT or Brinks) are the most popular. Common customer complaints include being taken advantage of on installation. The national companies contract installation with independent dealers. Many ADT and Brinks customers have reported outrageous quotes, having to negotiate with the installer, and advertised specials being worthless. Other problems include monitoring errors and slow reaction time. When an alarm is triggered, the company calls you to determine if the alarm went off by accident (the large majority of home alarm triggers are accidents by the home owners). If they cannot get you on the phone, they will then call the proper authorities. Unhappy customers have reported no calls at all or very delayed calls. These companies also require you to contract with them for a specified amount of time, usually 2-3 years, even if you are unhappy with their service.

Local alarm monitoring systems are usually less expensive with higher levels of customer satisfaction. A local company will have fewer customers, so you are more important to them. You will get a less expensive, yet completely effective installation by an actual company representative. Because these companies rarely require long-term contracts, you have more freedom to change monitoring companies. Knowing this, they will usually charge less per month and put forth more effort to keep your business.

Any home alarm system comes with a useful lawn sign indicating that your home is protected by an alarm system. This, alone, is a form of prevention as a thief is more likely to hit a house without an alarm system. Alarm systems are also great for fires and other emergencies. Usually as an added feature, you can hook smoke alarms up to your monitoring system. If a smoke alarm goes off, the fire department is notified. This is especially beneficial during the night or if you leave pets at home during the day. Panic buttons are good if you happen to be home during a break-in or you have a medical emergency. You should also get a break on your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance when you have a system installed. Monitored home alarm systems are definitely worth the investment, but you shouldn’t stop there.

House Sitters

Even if you have an alarm system, house sitters are invaluable. If you leave your home to go on vacation, your best defense is having actual people in your home. The majority of burglaries in the United States happen during the day while people are at work. Criminals will take the easiest route. If people are in their targeted home, they will move on to a house that appears empty. The problem with traditional house sitting services is that they simply make one or two trips to your home a day to collect mail, open curtains, water plants, and throw off criminals. That still leaves about 23 hours in the day that your home is vulnerable to intrusion or fires.

The best house sitting option is to have people living in your home. If you have a friend or family member stay at your home full-time throughout the length of your vacation, you will worry less about burglaries, fires, and other problems such as coming back to a flooded home because of a broken hot water heater.

Having a house sitter also cuts down on preparation time and expenses before your vacation. You won’t have to have your mail stopped (all a criminal has to do is watch your postal carrier skip your house to assume you’re on vacation), buy and set light-timers, or even board the dog.

Don’t have a friend or family member who can stay at your home? There are services available that match up people and live-in house sitters. It’s as though someone is renting your house while you’re on vacation, only they generally don’t pay you rent. They will pay utilities, mow the lawn, take care of your mail, pets, and home while you’re away. They will notify you of any problems. The services help you screen candidates and find the perfect person, couple, or family willing to take care of your home.

The Solution

The very best prevention you can implement is a combination of 24-hour home alarm monitoring and a house sitter if you are going to be away for any length of time. Don’t become a statistic. Start protecting your home today!

Report after report comes in about how many people couldn’t or didn’t escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. More reports come in about the disorganized relief effort, the communications problems they’re having and the difficulty in getting survivors to safety even when they are reachable by rescue personnel.

Hopefully, few of us will ever be caught in such a widespread and devastating disaster as Hurricane Katrina. But should a natural or man-made disaster threaten your family or force an evacuation, having a fully-stocked and easily-reached emergency “bug-out” bag could help save your life during the first stages, and help make rescue, recovery and a return to normalcy easier and more successful.

A bug-out bag is basically a duffle bag or other easy to carry luggage piece stocked with the following items:

• Photocopies of important documents such as birth certificates, drivers’ licenses and so on for the entire family. Note: keep the originals in a safe deposit box or other safe place – non-notarized photocopies cannot generally be used for official actions like getting a drivers license, but are more than fine for temporary ID in emergency situations. And don’t forget insurance papers and other items you might need to begin rebuilding.  
• A small sum of cash ($20-50) for immediate emergency use.  
• A temporary supply of prescription drugs in their originally-labeled containers, regularly rotated for freshness. This is easily done by buying one refill ahead. As you finish your current package or bottle, take the next one out of the bag and replace with a newly purchased refill.  
• A supply of meal replacement and energy bars. Look for items that are designed more for calorie and nutrient density, such as protein bars and hikers’ meal bars, rather than those sold as snack products or candy bar substitutes. You can also include dried foods or hiking meals and other lightweight, easy to prepare and eat items such as nuts, small candies and oatmeal packs.  
• A water purification kit or hiker’s filter system. Bottled water is bulky, heavy and goes stale quickly. Dirty water, while distasteful, can often be easily found, roughly filtered through cloth to remove large particulate matter and then sterilized for safe drinking. In a worst-case scenario, boiling dirty water for 15 minutes will serve until alternatives can be found.  
• A pre-paid phone card and a list of relatives, friends and emergency numbers. Check for expiration date and rotate out or renew as needed.  
• A non-battery-dependent, rechargeable flashlight, radio and cell phone charger, if you have a phone (alternatives include solar, squeeze-charge or kinetically charged options). Even when phone service was available, many Katrina survivors could not call out to get help or update relatives because their phones were dead and there was no power. Keep in mind also that even when phone service is spotty, small text messages can sometime get through.  
• A multi-tool (the kind with blades, pliers, screwdrivers and so on) for taking care of small but sometimes life-or-death repairs and jury-rigs.  
• A small first aid kit containing at least bandages of various sizes, antiseptic ointment, sunscreen, a bottle of contact lens saline solution (good for cleaning injuries and flushing eyes) and OTC pain relievers.  
• A safety lighter and a few small candles. Never light these unless you are sure that there is no chance of an explosion from natural gas, propane or other leaking fuels. For safety, use your flashlight for your primary light source. Save the lighter and candles for starting cooking or heating fires.  
• An indelible, waterproof black permanent marker (buy new and keep in package until needed, to maintain freshness). Useful for many things including leaving notes for rescuers or others on whatever is at hand, marking your gear at a shelter, and writing ID and medical info on the arms of kids, the elderly, the ill or anyone who may become separated or are unable to speak for themselves. (There are also white markers that can be used for darker-skinned individuals, or simply write on a lighter area of their body). Sturdy hospital or nightclub-style ID bracelets are also handy for this purpose. Note: there is always danger in having children’s ID plainly visible to strangers. Use your best judgment in each situation to weigh the various benefits and concerns.  
• Don’t forget the pets! Keep their carriers handy, clean and ready to go. Your kit should have any food, medications, leashes and important papers necessary for them, as well. Not all evacuation shelters will take animals. If you have pets, it is important that you know ahead of time where they can go and how you will take care of them in an emergency.

The bag should be checked and the edibles or expirables rotated at least every 6 months or as needed (schedule a regular check during daylight savings changeovers, when you also check your smoke alarm batteries and do other seasonal activities). Although this will cover most survival situations, you should customize it to fit your needs (toiletries, special gear, food additives, small paperback books, etc). Just keep in mind the weight and size of the final kit and that in an emergency situation you may have to carry it for a long time over rough terrain while tired, hungry or even injured.

Your bug-out kit should be placed near the main entrance and exit, or in an easy-to-reach central location. Every member of the family should know where it is and to make sure it is part of any emergency evacuation. (It is important to stress, however, that no one ever go after any item, even the emergency bag, in the case of a house fire. In that case, focus only on getting out as soon as you can.) Smaller versions of this bag can also be kept in offices and vehicles.

Although having a bug-out kit cannot guarantee your safety, it goes a long way toward ensuring that you and your family have the best chance possible of making it through any unforeseen emergency as healthy and safe as possible.

Millions of people everyday rely on fire extinguishers to put out minor fires which start in the home. Fire extinguishers contain a powder which is known to instantly put out a fire and prevent it from spreading any further. In 2004, fire extinguishers saved over 25 lives in the United States and prevented over 1,500 injuries. Fire departments all over the world encourage home owners to have at least one fire extinguisher in the home at all times. That said, studies show that approximately 80% of homeowners do have at least one in their home, but the question is do they know how to use it?

Sure it’s great to know there’s a fire extinguisher close by if you ever need one, but what most people don’t understand is if you don’t know how to use these devices, they are practically useless. Everyone should know how to use a fire extinguisher and if you are one of the many who don’t, the follow steps will provide you with everything you need to know.

The easiest way to learn how to use a fire extinguisher is to memorize the acronym P.A.S.S. and memorize the meaning of each letter. The following list will provide you with the meanings of each letter:

P – The first letter to remember is “P”. This indicates to the user to pull the pin. Pulling the pin is the first step in the process and is crucial to the successful execution of fire extinguishers.

A – The “A” stands for Aim. This tells the user to aim the fire extinguisher nozzle towards the base of the flames.

S – The first “S” stands for Squeeze. This advises the user to squeeze the trigger while maintaining the extinguisher in an upright position.

S – The last “S” stands for Sweep. The user will then sweep the extinguisher from side to side making sure to cover the area of the fire completely.

Remembering the word PASS can save the life of you or someone you love.

Having a fire extinguisher in your home is a great idea however the location of your extinguisher is a determining factor in whether or not it will be useful. You will want to keep your fire extinguisher in areas which are most likely to produce fires such as kitchens, near fireplaces, garages or areas with a number of candles (perhaps a bedroom).

Do not keep your fire extinguisher near your stove. Stoves are a prime target for fires and should a fire break out near your stove, you will want to be able to access your extinguisher. You may also want to keep your extinguisher near an exit so you can leave it the fire becomes too large.

Are you aware of the need for security?

Your awareness of the need for security, is the best place to begin a discussion on physical property security. What is security awareness? Our definition is multi-faceted, and includes the ability to identify known and unknown threats, being aware of the technologies, products and services that can defuse those threats, knowing how to operate the products and systems you have, and most importantly the awareness that these systems must be used, and must be used all of the time. This security awareness may be more important to the security of your home and business than any of the security hardware or systems you install. Why is this? Any lock or security system, will not do you any good unless, You use it!

An old adage states that “locks only keep honest people honest”, and is possibly very true. If the “bad guys” really want to get in, all we can really hope for is to slow them down. If you, with our help, choose and have installed the correct hardware and/or systems, we CAN slow them down - or at least discourage them from threatening your loved ones and your property.

We’ve all heard the stories, usually from older relatives, about never having to lock our doors or cars, because the town was so safe, and they knew everyone. Well it is sad to say, but those days are gone. When people choose not to secure their property, they are not doing only themselves a disservice, they are also hurting their community. If any one of us makes it easier for the “bad guys” to prosper, they will multiply, our communities become less safe, our property values decline, and our quality of life suffers.

Yes that’s right, if a lock is not locked, it’s only a decoration. You need to be aware of using your locks every time you leave as the “bad guys” don’t advertise what day they are coming!

In medieval times security was easy; the property owner built a castle, dug a moat, and erected a drawbridge. Today these measures are not practical, or even desired. In today’s society, if you lived in a castle, and made all of your decisions based on safety and security, you would at the very least be labeled as paranoid. It is important that you balance the level of security you install, and how it operates, with your unique situation. You and any other persons need to fully understand how your systems operate - does it require you to lock it manually or will it fortify your property automatically. If you have too much security, you will not use it; too little security, and it will not do the job.

Back to our medieval castle. The property owner recognizing that he might have to increase the level of security at a moments notice, made provisions to place his archers along the walls. We don’t have any archers, but we can be sure that systems and plans are in place. Thus, we can increase the level of security and protection if the threat level increases.

You can combine this security awareness with properly chosen and installed hardware and/or security systems. And with the general security tips provided at this site. Then you can take this information and apply it to your particular situation. With a little initiative and the use of this new security awareness you will be on the way to creating “Peace of Mind” for your family, business and community.