A properly equipped safe room provides your family a secure space to gather in the event of a home invasion or other threat.Police say home invasions are far too common and put innocent people’s lives at risk. Any crook desperate enough to break into a house while someone is home likely has few objections to behaving violently once inside. That’s why it is so important to make at least one room in your house a safe room.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Essentials
The kind of safe room we’re talking about is not a bunker. It is not designed for you to hole up in for days. Instead, it provides a secure, but temporary, hideout location until help arrives and your house is secure. Make sure the room is large enough to accommodate the whole family, and everyone can access and secure your room quickly. Consider running timed drills to practice various routes to your room.
Solid-Core vs. Hollow-Core Door
A criminal can easily break through a hollow-core door. So, when equipping your safe room, use a solid-core, exterior steel slab door instead. Paint the door to match the others in the house to avoid drawing the intruder’s attention to the fact the room is special.
Reinforced Door Frame and Hinges
Even if you install a solid-core exterior steel slab door, the door is only as useful as the door frame encasing it. Replace your standard door frame with a reinforced steel frame. Use screws at least three-inches long in the hinges and strike plate. This provides additional security to your door and reduces the likelihood an intruder can kick in the door.
Interior-Locking Deadbolt
Your safe room should use more than a doorknob lock. Equip your room with a heavy-duty reinforced deadbolt you can lock from the inside. Make sure the deadbolt goes at least one-inch into the door frame. The lock should not include a keyed chamber on the exterior side, as that could potentially allow an intruder to pick the lock to gain entry.
Phone Access and Security Cameras
If an intruder enters your home, you need a way to contact the authorities for help. Keep a cell phone and charger in the room at all times. Don’t assume you will have your cell phone on your person in the instant you have to make a dash for your safe room. Adding security cameras outside your room and a monitor inside gives you a view of what is happening so you can relay details to the police and know when help arrives.
While a safe room is your last line of defense against home invasion, having a monitored home security system is your first. The presence of an alarm system is shown to be the best deterrent against break-ins. If the crook decides to take his chances and break in anyway, the alarm siren will notify your family to take shelter while dispatchers at our 24/7 professionally staffed monitoring center contact police.
For a free home security consultation, contact Crime Prevention Security Systems today.
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