Advice for Secure Life

The Lifestyle of the Safe and Secure

We all make choices every day. Some of these choices can dramatically affect the safety and security of ourselves and the people around us. For example, choosing not to lock the windows or doors, or not buying a fire extinguisher are choices that can end up having a major impact. While you can fail to do these things many times without any repercussions, it only takes one time something serious happens to make you regret your actions—one small kitchen fire that could have been put out before the firefighters came, taking the ten extra seconds to run back to the house and lock the door instead of returning to a vandalized home.

A safe and secure lifestyle doesn’t require huge changes and lots of time, rather it is getting into the safe habits that become second nature. It is also simply being aware of surroundings and using common sense. Better to be safe than sorry.

Teach your kids how to be safe

Children are often home alone for a few hours after school. Ensure they are taught these preventative methods.

*Make sure your children know their full names, addresses, phone number as well as parents’ work numbers.

*Be sure they know to dial 911 in emergencies. Practice using a toy phone.

*Explain how to give directions to your home in an emergency. It also might be good to draw a map with street names so a child can practice this as well.

*Teach them to never accept rides or gifts from someone they don’t know well. Children should stay at least 8 feet away from strangers’ cars. This prevents the person from being able to reach out and grab the child.

*Teach older children how to use the locks on the windows and doors as well as the alarm system.

*If no one is at home when the children get home from school, have them get in the practice of checking in with a neighbor as soon as they are home. Post the numbers by each telephone.

*Give each child a house key that they can keep in a safe place.

*Insist that they never let anyone in when you are not home—including other children.

*Make children know to never let anyone know they are alone—on the phone or at the door. Teach them to say “Mom can’t come to the door (phone) right now.”

*Set a good example by locking up and using the peephole.

*Teach that they should not enter the home when things don’t look right, but instead find a safe place to call the police.

*Listen carefully to your children’s fears and feelings about people and places. Tell them to trust their instincts.