• Burglary is defined as an unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or theft. A person can be arrested for coming inside even if nothing is stolen.
• A burglary is commited every 14-15 seconds in the United States
• The average loss from a burglary is about $1,600
• In about 30 percent of burglaries the criminal gets in without using force. Often they come through an unlocked door or window.
• Most burglaries occure in the daytime between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. when no one is home.
• Only 13 percent of reported burglaries are solved by police.
• Even worse, only 15 percent of stolen property in burglaries is ever recovered by police.
• Almost half of the nations reported burglaries occur in the South (45%).
• 70 percent of of all burglary arrestees are white.
• Homes without security systems are two to three times more likely to broken into than ones that do.

          These facts are based on FBI statistics found in, Crime in the United States 2003. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_03/pdf/toc03.pdf

I’ve often been asked why we are so insistent on installing motion detectors on every new system we install. If all the windows and doors are protected with sensors, then why do we include a motion detector in the design of the security system?

The quick answer is, even with all your openings secured with sensors, if someone gets into your home or business without opening a window or door the system will not sound. For instance, a secured window has to be opened for the alarm to sound and a signal to be sent to the Central Monitoring Station. If someone were to break the window and crawl through the broken glass, they could get in without the system knowing.

We install a motion detector to protect against a scenario like the one above. No matter how a person gets into a home or business, if they walk through an area protected by a motion detector, the security system will sense them. When it does, the alarm will sound and the Central Monitoring Station will be notified.

A motion detector works like an invisible trap. When I was a child, every winter the mice would try to come into the garage and storage shed of our home. My father would set mice traps to catch them. He taught me to put the traps along the baseboards because that was where the mice would run. They avoided running across the floor in the open.

In the same way, we put the motion detector in the path that a burglar would logically walk through. That is usually in front of the master bedroom, down a hall or near large glass openings. In that way we have a good chance of catching the rat…or criminal.

According to a booklet put out by the Attorney General's Office of Florida, there are simple things every home owner can do to make his or her home less vulnerable to burglars. Burglars look for homes that are the easiest to get into without being seen or heard. Given two identical houses, the burglar looks for the one that is easier to get into, find some valuables that are easy to carry and get out without being seen or caught. Here are some simple tips.   

• Keep shrubs trimmed away from the windows and doors so there is nowhere for a burglar or assailant to hide.

• Make sure there is plenty of lighting. This is especially important near doors or low windows. Remember the bad guy doesn't want to be seen.

• Don't leave ladders around the exterior of the house that can be used to get in an upstairs’ window or balcony.

• Don't leave tools in the yard that can be used to pry open a window or door (Crowbars are jokingly called a universal door key).

• Keep the garage door closed and locked at all times. This is a favorite way for bad guys to enter your home. NEVER leave the garage door open. This has also been used by Home Invaders to gain access to homes and family members.

• Display house numbers so they are easy to see. Make sure they can be seen at night. This will help Police and Emergency responders to find your home. Also, if you have a security system in your home, get an outside strobe light that is lit any time your alarm goes off.

• Get to know the neighbors who live on each side and across from you. Exchange phone numbers if possible so you can call one another if there is something suspicious going on. You can also keep a disposable camera handy to take a picture of any vehicle in question.

• If you hear an alarm sound or other suspicious noises, look out the window to get a look at any vehicles or strange people at your neighbors’ home. Do not go out or try to confront anyone. Call the police if you think there is a problem.

• Always keep all your doors locked. There really is no such thing as a safe neighborhood when it comes to burglaries.

From time to time we are able to have McGruff the Crime Dog to come out to our Life Safety Events. The National Crime Prevention Center is a wonderful help in teaching your children all aspects of keeping safe. For a fun way to teach them about Fire Safety, click on the link below. There are fun games that teach them to be safe.

http://www.mcgruff.org/Advice/fire_safe.php

As we talked about in our last entry, a house fire is always difficult to escape from. The smoke is dark and the fire is hot. It's like trying to escape a dragon's pursuit in the darkness of a full lunar eclipse. The best way to ensure that you and your loved ones make it out safely, is to establish an Emergency Escape Plan ahead of time. Then, practice it together until everyone knows what to do without thinking. A fun and practical way to practice is to turn off all the lights when you have your fire drill. Once everyone is sure what to do, practice the drill about once a month to stay in practice. Following, I will give you nine things to include in your drill. 

1. Don't Jump Up Out of Bed - If you wake up and sense a fire, don't jump up. Remember the heat gets hotter the farther you are from the floor. Instead, roll out of bed onto the floor onto your hands and knees.  

2. Crawl to the Door - After you roll out of bed onto the floor, crawl over to the door. Remember you should always keep your bedroom doors shut while sleeping. The closed door acts as an insulator from a fire. Touch the door, both low and higher up to see if it is hot. If it is, DO NOT OPEN IT! Instead plan to use another escape route.  

3. Try the Door - If it is not hot to the touch, open the door about one to two inches only. Brace it firmly in case there is pressure from gases built up on the other side. Brace your foot against the door so the pressure doesn't force it open to quickly. If the air behind the door is warm, don't use the hallways. Pull the door shut and use an alternate route.  

4. Instruct Your Children - Shout to small children to stay in their rooms with the doors closed. Remind them to open a window no more than three inches from the bottom to avoid drafts. This should be part of your pre-rehearsal instructions. They should crouch at this window and breathe the fresh air that comes in until you or a firefighter comes and gets them.  

5. Use a Bedroom Window to Escape - On a one story home it is easy to escape out your bedroom window. Go around the outside of the house to get to children or those who may need assistance. Going through a house that is on fire is never the best option.  

6. Crawl to Safety - If there is no way to exit from a window safely, crawl down the hallways to gather those who need assistance and get out as soon as possible. Keep your head about one to tow feet off the floor. This is vital! The intense heat rises to a point about this height and the noxious gases produced by burning materials tend to amass below this level. Cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth. Take short, shallow breaths.  

7. Ladders Help in Escaping & Rescue - If you live in a two story home, have a sturdy ladder that can reach all second story windows. This will aid you in rescuing other members of your family. Also an escape ladder secured at the window of each bedroom on the second floor, can help family members get to safety on their own. 

8. Never Jump Out of a Window in a Panic - A hasty jump may cause an injury that keeps you from being able to get to safety or help others. If you must escape from a second story window, hand over the ledge to make yourself closer to the ground.  

9. Gather At Your Meeting Place - Always meet at the same place so everyone knows if everyone is safe or someone is missing. This has to be a part of every fire escape plan and drill you practice.   

10. Practice Creates Habits - It isn't enough to write a plan or even talk about it. You must practice with everyone who lives in the house so it becomes a habit. Habitual behavior will take you through an otherwise chaotic situation. Practice your fire escape plan.  

1. Smoke is Thick and Dark - You have to learn how to escape your home in the dark. Smoke is so thick and dark it blocks out all the light.

2. The Heat is Intense - At knee height, the temperature in a fire may be about 90 degrees. At shoulder height, a burning fire can be as hot as 690 degrees. When escaping, always stay as close to the floor as possible in a crawling position.

3. Prearrange a Meeting Place - It should be a spot that is easy to reach like a lamppost, neighbor's driveway or fire hydrant. The spot should be a safe distance away. Everyone has to know to meet up there.

4. Gather those who need help getting out - Gather children and any disabled persons that are in your home and get out. Don't waste time calling the fire department. You can do that from a neighbors house. Just get out quickly!

5. Material Objects Can Be Replaced - Never go back into a burning home to get a materal object. The only thing worth risking your life for is another life. When leaving a room, if possible shut the door to slow the spread of the fire. 

6. Do Not Try to Fight the Fire - Let the firefighters do their job. Just get of the way of danger.

*Information taken from First Alert Professional's Fire Safety Booklet

Image above borrowed from the Washington Township Fire Department

No one ever wants to experience a fire in their home, but unfortunately they do happen on occasion. One way to help prepare yourself for this unlikely event is to provide protection for your home and family through a fire escape plan that everyone understands and is familiar with. This plan will ensure that everyone in your family knows what to do if a fire strikes; giving you much greater odds that everyone will get out of the burning home quickly and safely. Consider the following tips to keep your home and your family safe during this type of emergency. 

Have a Plan

The first step in home fire safety is to establish a plan that will enable your entire family to get out of the home quickly and safely should a fire strike. This is essential.  This plan entails identifying all of the exits in your home and formulating an evacuation plan that everyone in the home is familiar with. This includes people who are frequent visitors in your home like babysitters who care for your kids on a regular basis. Teach your children how to get down on their hands and knees and crawl to an exit if they smell smoke, since the lower air will be cleaner and easier to breathe. Once everyone is out of the home, determine a meeting spot outside where all family members are to congregate together. Once your plan is laid out, practice by instituting fire drills in your home twice a year. 

Have the Right Stuff

The first piece of equipment you should have in your home for protection is the smoke alarm, which should be installed in every room and tested monthly. You may also want to consider installing a sprinkler system inside your home for additional security. A certified fire extinguisher in the garage and/or kitchen is another essential piece of fire safety equipment, and every family member who is old enough should know how to operate it. If your home is a two-story, keep a portable ladder near the windows upstairs to allow for quick and safe access. You can find many of these at online home stores, especially designed for this purpose.  They are generally easy to store and easy to use. It is also a good idea to keep emergency phone numbers near the phone for easy access, although you should always phone for help from a neighbor's home if you see or smell smoke. No one likes to think about the possibility of a fire in the home, but the best line of defense is to be prepared in the unlikely event that a fire should strike. When your entire family knows how to use all of the safety equipment and are familiar with the evacuation plan, you can rest assured that if a fire ever did occur, you would be prepared to handle the crisis safely. These tips on preparing for a fire will give you the first step in the protection of your family and the safety of your home.  

For more information about protecting your family from a potential fire, visit http://www.CertifiedSecuritySystems.com

Certified will be participating at the SHADCO Safety Fair this Saturday, August 2. We will be at the Avenues Mall along with other participants from 10am to 2:pm. The Sherrif's Office will be there with Police Cars, Helicopters and Motorcycles. The Fire Department will be there with Fire Trucks! Plus there will be losts of great free stuff to keep you and your family safe. You can get your child electronically fingerprinted & photographed free. There will be free VIN etching for your vehicles, free blood preassure screenings and free gun locks.  Come out, have fun and learn to protect the ones you love.