When it comes to home safety, theft and fire are two of the biggest risks to the possessions that fill your home, and your heart – from the practical items we need and use everyday and the important documents we have to keep safe, to precious possessions like jewellery and those priceless items like a child’s first drawing, photos and home movies.
While nothing can totally eliminate the chance of a burglary or fire, there are some steps you can take to reduce the chances of it happening to you by making your home less of a target.
Here are 10 top home safety products to help reduce the risk of theft and fire to keep your possessions – and your loved ones – safe.
1 Alarm systems
Two things a burglar fears are being seen and having to take too much time to complete the crime. An alarm is an effective way to help get a burglar noticed before they can get in and get away with your things.
An alarm should have motion sensors, sensors on windows and doors, internal and external sirens and external strobe. It can be a monitored alarm with back to base response, or simply make enough noise when set off to deter would-be thieves.
Displaying security stickers advertising your alarm on windows can help deter thieves who might choose another home with a lower level of security.
Make sure you check and replace the batteries and get your alarm serviced regularly (including cleaning movement detection lenses).
2 Window and door locks
Most burglars try to force their way in through doors or windows. Deadlocks not only help prevent burglars getting in, it also slows them down by making it harder for anyone who has got in to get out, especially with big items like TVs.
While keys have been the traditional way to operate deadlocks, new locking devices can be operated using digital keys, a personal identification number (PIN) or by radio remote.
Replace the locks when you move in to a new place and keep a second set of keys off-site with family or trusted friends. Don’t hide them outside in garden pots or under mats!
Fit key-operated two-cylinder or double-keyed deadlocks to all external hinged doors, key-operated lock or patio bolts to all external sliding doors and key-operated single cylinder window locks fitted to all accessible windows (even second storey ones – would-be thieves will climb if they see an open invitation upstairs). Don't forget to lock your garage or garden shed too.
A metal rod or a broomstick in a sliding door track is an inexpensive way to make sliding doors harder for unwanted guests to open.
Make sure keys for all locked doors and windows are handy in case you and your family need to escape a fire.
3 Window grilles and security screens
Windows grilles and security screens give you the benefit of being able to leave windows open while still maintaining security against break-ins, but can make it harder to escape a fire. Some newer model grilles, screens and shutters can be pushed open from the inside to make it easier to get out in a hurry if there is a fire.
Window grilles, including fixed and hinged grilles, key-locked removable bars and grilles with in-built escape hatches, are best fitted inside your home to minimise the change of tampering from the outside.
4 Exterior Doors
The best locks are useless if your door or door jamb will easily fail.
Make sure your doors are solid hardwood or steel reinforced, not hollow, with double barrel locks and hinges on the inside to make it harder for unwanted guests to get in.
Door jambs should be made of strong material – cheap pine jambs make it easy to kick a door in, even with deadlocks.
Door hinges should be on the inside of the door - not the outside. Thieves can easily remove hinge pins.
Add timber or metal rods to the tracks of sliding windows or doors. A peephole lets you see who’s calling before you open the door.
If you have automatic door openers for your garage door, change the security code from the preinstalled settings (or the previous owner’s settings).
5 Motion sensor detectors and timer lights
Infra-red or motion detectors sense movement or body heat, so anyone approaching too close will trigger lights to turn on or set off a sound to help scare off intruders.
Make sure motion sensitive external detectors are installed high enough so that they can't be easily turned off, covered or broken.
Set timers to turn on internal or external lights in the evening if you are not home, but don’t leave them on all night – that’s a giveaway you are not there.
6 Fire extinguisher and blankets
More than half of all household fires start in the kitchen.
Keep a fire blanket and fire extinguisher in the kitchen, but not near any likely source of fire.
Make sure you know how to use them if a fire breaks out – that’s not the time to be reading instructions!
7 Smoke alarms
A working smoke alarm reduces the fire risk to yourself and your family by giving you early warning to take action and get out.
NSW Fire Brigades statistics show there was no smoke alarm installed in 71% of fatal house fires in 2005.
Keep smoke alarms free of dust and debris by vacuuming over and around them.
Test your alarm and check or change the batteries regularly.
Replace your smoke alarm with a new unit every 10 years – the sensitivity in all smoke alarms will reduce over time.
Most adults with normal hearing will be woken by a smoke alarm, but children under 16, the elderly and people with hearing impairments may not. There are smoke alarms available specifically for the hearing impaired. Others have emergency lights.
8 First aid & emergency Kits
Keep a first aid kit in your home. Check expiry dates and replace items as you use them or as they pass their best before date.
Keep a torch and spare batteries where you can easily find it in an emergency or power outage.
Make a list of emergency numbers and keep it where you can easily see it, such as near the phone or in your mobile phone address book.
Prepare an emergency kit to use or take with you in case of any possible disasters or when you may need to evacuate, such as due to severe weather. Include a battery operated radio (with spare batteries), a torch, candles and waterproof matches, your first aid kit and manual. If you need to evacuate, make sure you can quickly add car and house keys, important documents, basic medications and toiletries, a mobile phone, spare battery and charger, food and water supplies to your kit.
9 Gas leak detectors
Like smoke alarms, gas leak detectors for the home provide an early warning system for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, LPG and natural gas.
They detect if these gases are present in a room, especially in a kitchen where a gas valve can be accidentally left open after cooking with gas appliances.
Car engines and domestic heaters produce carbon monoxide, which is odourless and tasteless.
Gas leak detectors can be installed near sleeping areas, in rooms next to garages or rooms with domestic gas burning heaters.
Make sure you gas appliances are well maintained and serviced regularly.
10 Safety switch
An electrical safety switch that automatically cuts off the power when there is a problem with electrical appliances or wiring lets you know about a potential issue before it can escalate to a fire.
Use it or lose it!
There’s no point investing in locks, alarms and other security measures if you don’t use them. Make sure you lock up every time you leave home and make sure all your safety products are in good working order.
The content, thoughts and opinions stated in this article are of the relevant contributors. The Buzz Insurance do not necessarily share or endorse those opinions. Neither The Buzz Insurance nor any of its employees makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed.
