Thoughts on Home Defense
As far back as we can go in history man has had one consistent fear. The invasion of his home by a thief or an aggressor. We have put locks on our doors, bars on our windows, paid for the latest in alarm technology and yet the threat remains. A Google news search for the term "Home Invasion" returned 9,032 results. Just off of the first page we see: "State police seek trio in home invasion, burglary," "Homeowner Kills Burglar During Home Invasion," North Fort Myers man reports home invasion," "Police seek ID in home invasion," "Youth Arrested In East Nashville Home Invasion," "Four arrested after Hartford City home invasion" and so on.
What can you do to prevent a home invasion? For starters you can enhance the security of your home. Install motion activated lights, keep plants from blocking the view of doors and windows from the street, put in a 160° peephole or a camera intercom so you can see and talk to people without opening your door, and having an alarm system installed are all steps you can take to make your home a less inviting target. In case you are targeted, take extra precautions. Make sure you have solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and that your windows are reinforced with a product like shattergard or 3M Security film. Have your exterior lock strike plates and door hinges anchored to the building with screws at least 3 inches long. Keep all doors and windows readily accessible from outside the home locked, if you like to open your windows use a blocking device to keep them from being forced open far enough for a person to gain entry.
Having done all that, what do you do if the Goblins decide to target you anyway? The time to start thinking about such an eventuality is now, you will not have time or the mental capacity to wing it should the balloon go up. First step; establish a plan, multiple plans actually. What do you do if you are in this room, an intruder comes through that window and the rest of the family is in another room? We are supposed to plan and practice how we react in our homes in the event of a fire. We should do the same for a home invasion.
The house fire analogy is actually a good one for dealing with home invasion. No, I'm not recommending you leave your home during a home invasion unless you absolutely have to. Such as your house is on fire. However, when planning for a house fire one of the items on our check lists is a safe place to meet. In the case of a home invasion, you should also have a safe place (room) to meet if at all possible. This room should be reinforced to make it safer should you need it.
Now before you go building or modifying your safe room, check your local building codes first! Get any and all necessary permits and inspections. This will do two things. 1. It will make sure your room is safe as a structure and 2. it will avoid problems when the home is sold. In my case an upstairs bedroom was chosen for this modification. It wasn't easily accessible except from a very small (about 6 feet in width) point in the house, it has two ways out besides the door and sine we spend most of our time upstairs anyway in the computer room it just made the most sense. I also have a "tornado room" in my basement that could be used if necessary, but it is not as ideal.
When the house was being built I had the door frame reinforced to handle a exterior grade steel door. The door is anchored using 4 inch long screws and has three commercial grade deadbolts with 1" throws as well as an exterior grade locking door knob. The walls to the room that are accessible from the other side have been reinforced with 3/4" Plywood and Steel Sheeting, those that aren't received a layer of chicken wire between the studs and the drywall. Inside the room I keep a cell phone that is on a charger 24/7, a large class A,B,C fire extinguisher, a comprehensive first aid kit, several flashlights with spare batteries, and a small rapid access gun safe that holds the weaponry I have chosen to be used should the need arise. I also keep a roll up fire escape ladder, and a house key. The house key is on a ring by itself with two other objects; a bright orange 2" wide by 18" long ribbon and a Cayalume light stick. This arrangement allows me to get a key to the Police if they need it to gain entry.
Having a plan and practicing it is the most essential part of preparing for an emergency. One thing that either has me rolling on the floor laughing or screaming at the TV set is the Brinks T.V. Commercials. In one of them Dad's in another room on the computer, probably looking up porn or where to get the best deal on viagra, and mom is getting the kidlets ready for bed. Suddenly there is a guy outside breaking in. The alarm starts blaring, mom gathers the kiddies in a clump in the hall, the phone rings and it's the alarm company checking to see if everything is OK. What happens next is the part that really frosts me. Here comes dad asking "what's going on?"
What's going on? You muddled moron, your burglar alarm is going off what the hell do you think is going on, that your pizza has arrived?! Where's the immediate action drill? Why are the mom and kids sitting there all huddled up and scared? Don't they know what to do? Where the hell is your plan to repel boarders?! People like that don't need alarm companies, they need baby sitters.
In closing I'd like to point out that, alarm company hype aside, you have a greater chance of having a house fire than suffering a home invasion. However, both are traumatic events that can either leave you dead or scarred for life. Prior preparation, planning and practice for both events increase your chances of not only surviving such an unfortunate event, it also may decrease the emotional trauma you will suffer as well.
What can you do to prevent a home invasion? For starters you can enhance the security of your home. Install motion activated lights, keep plants from blocking the view of doors and windows from the street, put in a 160° peephole or a camera intercom so you can see and talk to people without opening your door, and having an alarm system installed are all steps you can take to make your home a less inviting target. In case you are targeted, take extra precautions. Make sure you have solid core doors, heavy duty locks, and that your windows are reinforced with a product like shattergard or 3M Security film. Have your exterior lock strike plates and door hinges anchored to the building with screws at least 3 inches long. Keep all doors and windows readily accessible from outside the home locked, if you like to open your windows use a blocking device to keep them from being forced open far enough for a person to gain entry.
Having done all that, what do you do if the Goblins decide to target you anyway? The time to start thinking about such an eventuality is now, you will not have time or the mental capacity to wing it should the balloon go up. First step; establish a plan, multiple plans actually. What do you do if you are in this room, an intruder comes through that window and the rest of the family is in another room? We are supposed to plan and practice how we react in our homes in the event of a fire. We should do the same for a home invasion.
The house fire analogy is actually a good one for dealing with home invasion. No, I'm not recommending you leave your home during a home invasion unless you absolutely have to. Such as your house is on fire. However, when planning for a house fire one of the items on our check lists is a safe place to meet. In the case of a home invasion, you should also have a safe place (room) to meet if at all possible. This room should be reinforced to make it safer should you need it.
Now before you go building or modifying your safe room, check your local building codes first! Get any and all necessary permits and inspections. This will do two things. 1. It will make sure your room is safe as a structure and 2. it will avoid problems when the home is sold. In my case an upstairs bedroom was chosen for this modification. It wasn't easily accessible except from a very small (about 6 feet in width) point in the house, it has two ways out besides the door and sine we spend most of our time upstairs anyway in the computer room it just made the most sense. I also have a "tornado room" in my basement that could be used if necessary, but it is not as ideal.
When the house was being built I had the door frame reinforced to handle a exterior grade steel door. The door is anchored using 4 inch long screws and has three commercial grade deadbolts with 1" throws as well as an exterior grade locking door knob. The walls to the room that are accessible from the other side have been reinforced with 3/4" Plywood and Steel Sheeting, those that aren't received a layer of chicken wire between the studs and the drywall. Inside the room I keep a cell phone that is on a charger 24/7, a large class A,B,C fire extinguisher, a comprehensive first aid kit, several flashlights with spare batteries, and a small rapid access gun safe that holds the weaponry I have chosen to be used should the need arise. I also keep a roll up fire escape ladder, and a house key. The house key is on a ring by itself with two other objects; a bright orange 2" wide by 18" long ribbon and a Cayalume light stick. This arrangement allows me to get a key to the Police if they need it to gain entry.
Having a plan and practicing it is the most essential part of preparing for an emergency. One thing that either has me rolling on the floor laughing or screaming at the TV set is the Brinks T.V. Commercials. In one of them Dad's in another room on the computer, probably looking up porn or where to get the best deal on viagra, and mom is getting the kidlets ready for bed. Suddenly there is a guy outside breaking in. The alarm starts blaring, mom gathers the kiddies in a clump in the hall, the phone rings and it's the alarm company checking to see if everything is OK. What happens next is the part that really frosts me. Here comes dad asking "what's going on?"
What's going on? You muddled moron, your burglar alarm is going off what the hell do you think is going on, that your pizza has arrived?! Where's the immediate action drill? Why are the mom and kids sitting there all huddled up and scared? Don't they know what to do? Where the hell is your plan to repel boarders?! People like that don't need alarm companies, they need baby sitters.
In closing I'd like to point out that, alarm company hype aside, you have a greater chance of having a house fire than suffering a home invasion. However, both are traumatic events that can either leave you dead or scarred for life. Prior preparation, planning and practice for both events increase your chances of not only surviving such an unfortunate event, it also may decrease the emotional trauma you will suffer as well.
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