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April 11, 2024 comehomeamerica

Building An Emergency Kit

Living in the South means that every year I have to deal with the threat of hurricanes and tornados. Not always am I personally affected by these natural disasters – but it is always a possibility.

Since the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina I have made sure that not only am I prepared for what might happen – but that everyone else is as well. It is important for everyone to be made aware of how to create an emergency and survival kit.

Many people think that if you put together a survival kit you are overreacting and a little nuts. It?s time to stop caring about what people think and do something that will keep you and your family safe. When it comes to being safe you should not think about other people. Instead of wearing the rose colored glasses and hoping that nothing bad will ever happen get real and be prepared.

This doesn?t mean that you should be afraid that there is something bad around every corner. It just means that you understand how fickle the world is and that things can happen spur of the moment. Just think of it like keeping band aids in the house at all times. You don?t keep them there because you are afraid – but just so that you are prepared.

When it comes to survival kits you need to make sure that you have one in every practical place. Not only should you have one in the home – but also inside of your car. I remember that my parents would keep a first aid kit in the car. I thought it was kind of odd – but one night there was an accident and the first aid kit was something that came in handy. The kit you have for your car should contain bandages, gauze, and band aids to name a few.

Your survival and emergency kit at home should have more to it and should be larger so that it can help the whole family. Make sure that you keep this emergency kit in a safe area so that it won?t get destroyed and so that you can grab it easily. The kit should contain water, food, sanitation, first aid, short wave radio, supplies to communicate with others, lighting, and a shelter.

The supplies you purchase need to be able to be stored and to work without any electricity or running water. This means that any communication supplies and radios should use batteries instead of plugs so you will have to stock up on those as well. The food you get should be canned or dry and should have a late expiration date so they don?t spoil fast. Make sure that you store plenty to last the whole family for a few days and anyone else you might take in.

It is more than likely that you will have to live in the shelter for a few days or even a week. Because of this you will need to store thermal blankets that help to retain body heat and keep people warm, emergency sleeping bags, candles, toilet bags, duct tape, waterproof matches, and work gloves.

You can find emergency blankets online or at most outdoor stores. They have many different types and usually they will be able to keep you and your family warm when necessary.

March 3, 2024 comehomeamerica

Home Security Devices

With an increased emphasis on home security, devices have been designed to help prevent break-ins and protect lives and property by keeping the bad guys out. When home alarms first hit the market, home security devices were limited to door and window contacts and under the carpet pads but since then many innovations have been added to the homeowners? arsenal for home protection. For many people, it is not so much that some of their possessions will be stolen as it is the potential violation of their personal property and space. Physical protection is the main driver behind a family?s use of home security devices to deny a burglar entry into their home. Infrared motion detectors and glass breakage detectors can all be connected to a home alarm system to sound an alarm if illegal entry is attempted.

Automatic dialer systems are another of home security devices being used to notify the proper authorities in the event of a break-in or other emergency. Most can be activated either by the home security devices connected to the alarm?s loop or by pressing an emergency activation switch on a remote or on the alarm panel. Most of the dialers place a call to an emergency call center that in turn contacts the police, fire or ambulance depending on the types of alarm being sounded.

One of the most common and most often overlooked home security devices are a homeowner?s car keys. In today?s automotive market, the majority of vehicles are equipped with remote window and door locks as well as a panic mode button that sounds the car?s horn or alarm. By keeping the car keys on the bedside table when sleeping, if a person hears someone attempting to break into their home they simply hit the panic button and car horn begins to sound, scaring off the would-be burglar.

Many home security devices recently developed are the result of alarm manufacturers talking with burglars concerning their ability to gain entry into a locked, secured home. There should be no misunderstandings that a professional thief who wants to get into a home will be able to do so. It is the amateur and the ones who decide to burgle a house in a spur of the moment decision that home security devices will stop in their tracks.

Simple installing several home security devices in and around the home will offer a lot of comfort, but common sense will save a lot of problems. The number one reason that thieves are successful in breaking into homes that are loaded with home security devices, is that the homeowners forget to activate the alarm.

February 7, 2024 comehomeamerica

Video Intercoms For Your Home Security

One of the most common mistake committed, is opening the door to a stranger without prior verification. Before answering the door, it is necessary to authenticate the identity of the person at the door. Generally housewives and children have this tendency to open the door to any unknown visitor, especially salesmen. They do not have the slightest idea, that these people might be burglars in the disguise of salesmen. In a way the home owners invite danger for themselves unknowingly. However to avoid such possibilities, you can install video intercom systems to communicate with any person before opening the door. It is an access control system that is increasingly used as a home security measure. Intercoms are one way video components that allows the home owner to view the concerned person at the door before opening it. Many of these intercom systems provide you with the option of speaking to the person at the door. So you can not only view the person but also talk to him via intercom, without having to open the door. This gives you a fair idea whether or not to open the door.

Installing an intercom system is quite easy. All you need to do is install the camera outside your house near the doorbell, and the display unit or rather the monitor anywhere within your house. When someone rings the doorbell, you are required to press the intercom button, the camera will get activated and you will be able to view the person at the door. Intercoms are one of the effective tools of security systems for preventing thefts and intrusions. Even in your absence, these intercom systems can automatically view and record the arrival of any visitor along with date and time. They have integrated memory chips and sensory devices that allow them to perform such activities when you are not at home.

Even if nobody is at the door, still you go ahead and press the intercom button to view the outside of your house for safety reasons. If you feel something suspicious about a particular person outside the vicinity of your house, you can also take pictures through the intercom system by simply pressing the monitor button and holding it for few moments while it takes the photograph of the concerned person.

Intercom systems are highly recommended for people living in apartments, because majority of the intrusions take place in such places, especially when children are alone. Since intercoms are user-friendly devices, hence you can instruct your children to view through the intercom first before opening the door to a stranger. In this way you can not only safeguard your family but also inform police if you feel apprehensive about the person outside your doorstep. Before letting the person in, you can ask irrelevant questions to authenticate his identity. This will give the legal authorities the required amount of time to reach your place to get hold of the culprit. Intercom is yet another device to help you to fight against crime.

Let us summarize the benefits that an intercom system can provide for your home security:
Before answering the door, you can view the person outside through the intercom.

Since intercoms have integrated recording devices, you can view the recording to find who had come to visit your house in your absence.

You can restrict your children from opening the door to the strangers.

Through an intercom system you can take snapshots of the stranger outside your outside if necessary.

Intercoms increase the overall security of your house and your family members in your absence.

January 18, 2024 comehomeamerica

Alarm Systems Under The Burglary Radar Because Being ‘troy’ is Going Too Far

During the Trojan War, the Greeks failed to force their way through the mighty gates of Troy; so they built the horse as part of their unorthodox plan. When the horse was brought inside the city, Greek soldiers came out of the horse and opened the city gates, letting in more of their allies in the once “impregnable” city. It would’ve been different had the Trojans invented security alarms.A silent break-in is one of the worst kinds of burglary you never want to happen to your home. When you’re asleep or away at work, your home becomes vulnerable to thieves wanting a piece of your property for their own. The Federal Bureau of Investigation says most of burglary crimes happen in broad daylight – when most houses are totally empty. You have to have some sort of “eyes and ears” to leave behind while you’re away.American survivalist Joel Skousen said the best way to be secure is to be a less likely target. In an interview, he said that changing the look of a house to a fortress just increases the likelihood of a break-in. In fact, the fact that Troy boasts its tall walls succeeds in inviting Greek armies to attack it.However, even if you reduce your home’s signature on the burglar radar, you’re still at risk to crime. In fact, burglars are just as likely to come to an unguarded house as in a guarded one, so either of the two bears a single fruit. To make your home secure, you have to make them think that it’s simple – but it’s really not.

Alarm systems Long Island residents install are small enough to be totally stealthy to the eyes of a careless burglar. Security cameras are disguised as innocent domes shaped like ceiling lights and alarms are small enough to be hidden from view. By the time the burglars realize the error of breaking into your home, you would’ve called the police. You can lower the chances of being a target, but never let your guard down.

In the past, like in the case of Troy, getting big may have been the only way to deter threats. Yet today, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, as small Alarm systems Long Island residents install can provide as much security.Read the article on home security basics at and discover how being a fortress in the neighborhood increases your risk of getting noticed and being robbed. Inquire with alarm companies Long Island has about security systems you can use to fortify your home.

December 15, 2023 comehomeamerica

Employee Recognition Awards You Can?t Live Without

Corporate America and small businesses alike are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to improve morale, reduce injuries & worker compensation costs, reduce absenteeism, boost sales, or motivate employees to turn in more money saving suggestions. Employees today are Starbuck?s carded out, wondering where to put all their lapel pins, exhausted from another dinner out, and in dire need of valuable recognition from employers. While any recognition is valuable from a business sense, the best recognition is items that employees need to help manage the stress in their life.

Making sure your employees are prepared ahead of time is one of the keys to reducing the negative effects of an emergency situation upon your business. A prepared employee will know what to do in an emergency. You should also consider ways to help employees adequately prepare their families for emergencies with survival gear and disaster supplies. This will increase their personal safety and help your business get back up and running, as those who are prepared at home will be better able to focus and carry out their responsibilities at work. One way to help your employees prepare is to provide survival gear as part of a company reward or recognition program.

While many argue ?Nothing will ever happen here,? the fact is that virtually every corner of America is subject to its own unique potential disasters, hazards and concerns. The Pacific Coast has its earthquakes and tsunamis; the Midwest has its thunderstorms, floods and blizzards; the Southeast has its hurricanes and wildfires, the Great Plains has its tornadoes and wildfires, and the Northeast has its hurricanes, blizzards and floods. So the reality is, wherever you do business, or wherever you travel, you and your employees face significant potential disasters and hazards.

In July 2006, the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs at Johns Hopkins University conducted a survey and focus groups to find out how well people are prepared to face an emergency. ?While more than two-thirds of the respondents from five Baltimore area counties and Baltimore City said they have some emergency supplies on hand, the other third do not. Only about a quarter of residents feel ready to deal with disasters.?

A recent poll, sponsored by the Insurance Information Network of California and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, found that ?Only 22 percent of Californians consider themselves to be prepared or very prepared for a disaster in their area. Nearly half singled out ?common sense? as the reason to prepare for disaster, but noted few incentives that would motivate them to be ready for future earthquakes, floods or fires. The largest segment of respondents — only 10 percent — cited a local disaster as the reason to prepare for future risk.?

And a 2005 Disaster Preparedness Poll conducted by Marshall Marketing & Communications, Inc. in Partnership with KIRO-TV in King County, Washington, ?a full 53% of respondents aged 18 – 34 and 39% of those aged 35 ? 54 do not have an established disaster preparedness plan and a disaster preparedness kit in place. These two groups represent a significant portion of the workforce today.

It is this significant lack of preparedness by the citizenry that has professional emergency responders and local, state and the federal government concerned the most. While most cities, counties and states have some form of emergency response plans in place today, the vast majority of citizens do not. Should a significant event occur, many citizens may be on their own for up to 3 days without support from professional responders or volunteer agencies that may be focused on more critically injured persons or more dangerous situations.

You can help your employees prepare by providing survival gear as part of a company reward or recognition program. You can provide such supplies or survival kits directly to employees, or make an online emergency preparedness store available through your intranet for employee purchases. Either way, you will truly be helping your employees and their families as well as improving your employee’s ability to recover from a disaster and more readily support your business following a disaster.

One such company, Consolidated Diesel Company in North Carolina decided to provide survival kits for their employees as part of their hurricane preparedness safety program. Deborah Wilkins said, ?We were very pleased with the 2 person survival kits provided we selected for our workforce. Recipients were amazed at the amount of supplies included in each kit and it was like watching kids at Christmas looking through all the components in the kits.?

Typical rewards programs are structured in one of 3 ways depending on the purpose of the program.

1) The first method involves the company pre-purchasing the desired survival supplies (e.g., solar radios, food rations, shelter, first aid supplies or survival kits) for distribution at company functions or gatherings. This provides maximum impact and the most timely reward process.
2) With the second method, the company can purchase or issue unique gift certificates to award winning employees for purchases at the online store. The award winning employees would be given an appropriate coupon code (representing either a percentage discount or dollar value) to deduct from their order when checking out of the online store.
3) The third method is designed to not recognize any one individual as ?special? but rather provide all employees with access to an online emergency preparedness store to receive a company group discount. With this third method, a company would merely provide a link from their employee intranet to an online emergency preparedness supply store along with a discount code.

November 9, 2023 comehomeamerica

Understanding Your Home Security System Choices

If you have considered having a home security system installed to help protect your home and family, you are not alone. The increasing national crime rate has many homeowners considering additional protection. Additionally, the home security industry has boomed, offering tremendous choices for your needs. However, making sense of the various systems can be difficult. Should you choose a DIY system? Does a professionally monitored system truly offer more benefits? What type of system should you choose to protect your home and your family? Here, you will find a guide to help you understand your options.

DIY Systems ? Many homeowners choose to install their own security systems. These are simple affairs, usually made up of wireless peripherals that communicate with a central hub, much like professional security systems. However, they do have a few drawbacks. For instance, because the entire system is wireless (unlike hybrid professional systems), they are not as reliable as other options on the market are. Additionally, they can be difficult to setup, if you do not know the proper angle for each sensor.

Failure to place motion sensors in the right areas, or at the proper angle for protection, will result in less protection than you might like. Finally, DIY systems are not monitored. This means that in the case of an emergency, you will have to contact the authorities or rescue personnel on your own.
Professionally Monitored Systems ? Professionally monitored systems, such as those available through ADT, offer tremendous advantages for homeowners. For instance, these are hybrid systems, consisting of a hardwired control panel and wireless peripherals. Because the control center is hardwired into your home, it provides reliable operation at all times.

Because the peripherals are wireless, your setup can change as your needs change, allowing your system to grow with your family. Another advantage of professional systems over DIY solutions is that they are setup by an experienced security expert. This means that your family will have the protection needed, from the start. Finally, these systems are monitored 24-hours per day, which means that when an emergency occurs, the monitoring station will contact the appropriate authorities, even if you are unable to do so.

Of course, even having a DIY system is better than having no protection whatsoever. Even if you live in a rural area, increasing the protection within your home is of vital importance. In fact, according to the FBI, suburban and rural areas are where the incidence of home invasion and home burglary are growing the fastest. This means that even those in outlying areas are at risk for burglary and must take steps to protect their families and homes.

Regardless of the system that you choose, it is vital that you install a security system to help protect your family. Failing to do so can result in an increased threat to your safety. Choosing the right system is vital; however, choosing a security system at all is an important step in the right direction.

October 10, 2023 comehomeamerica

Florida Home Security ? Which System Suits You Best?

It is very common for people to feel very safe in their homes. Be that as it may, when you wake up in the middle of the night, because you?ve heard strange noises in the other rooms, your secure feelings start to fade away. How can you avoid these uncertainties?

Well, insecurity has deep roots into your thoughts, because everyone knows that ever since locks were invented, some people developed a skill to pick them. Not too long ago, these thieves that broke into people?s homes were stupid and unprepared, but with the passing of time, their brains evolved. This led to the appearance of smart thieves, something you need to be prepared for.

Florida home security is ready to meet any requirements you may have. Nowadays, sensors, detectors, sirens and many other gadgets have flooded the market with the purpose of making your home a safer place. But with such various offers, how do you know which to choose?

If you want a reliable Florida home security alarm system, you should keep in mind all the factors involved. First of all, the size of your home needs to be considered, because the larger your home is, the more complex the whole system will be.

A Florida home security alarm system has a few basic components. First of all, it needs back up batteries, in case the power goes out, control panel and telephone line seizure, so you have the option of calling the police, touchpad and digital dialers to input different data. These are the components used to control the overall performance of the system.

The other part of the Florida home security system involves the alarm. For this purpose, sensors can be placed on all doors and windows, heat and motion detectors can be placed inside your home, and, when one of them is triggered, a siren goes off and warns everyone in the surrounding area.

The needed components should also be chosen wisely. This is because putting sensors on every window in a room that has ten windows might not be cost effective. Another option provided by Florida home security companies for this situation is the glass breaker sensor that goes off if one of your windows breaks. However, if your windows are not locked the burglar can enter you home without breaking the window.

The progress in technology has allowed the Florida home security alarm systems to go one step further. Some of them can dial the emergency number automatically when the alarm goes off, so the police will arrive in a shorter period of time.

Another important aspect in choosing the right Florida home security alarm system is the budget. You should choose a reliable company to provide security for your home, even though it may cost a little more, because the cheaper systems may end up giving more false alarms than good ones.

If you are interested in acquiring a reliable Florida home security system at affordable prices, be sure to visit . Here you will find a variety of products to choose from so you can rest assured that you will make a good choice.