Home invasions are one of the most prominent threats that homeowners face in South Africa today. Regardless of how safe the area is in which you stay, you can unfortunately never rule out the chances of a home invasion happening to you.
Here are five tips to help keep you and your family safe during a home invasion.
#1: Have a Home Invasion Plan
It’s never a nice thing having to make plans and provisions for unfortunate events, but in the case of a home invasion, the best time to think about what to do in said situation is before it occurs.
Create an emergency plan for you and your family that details the best steps to follow during a home invasion and practice it often.
#2: Be Alert for Home Invasion Signs
Prevention is always better than cure. As such, being alert is of utmost importance – when you’re locking up, do a once-over check of everything. Be sure to not leave a door or gate unlocked.
If you notice any suspicious activity that could hint towards a possible home invasion, be over-cautious and alert your security company.
#3: Move to a Designated Safe Room
Attempting to leave your home or escaping through a back window can be risky; you don’t know how many intruders are around and where they’re situated.
To steer clear of any safety risks, move you and your family to a designated safe room.
When you’re preparing your safe room, it’s a good idea to stock it with some essentials and ensure that the room is fortified to the best of your ability. Once you and your family have safely moved inside your designated safe room, you should move on to the next step.
#4: Call For Help
If an intruder manages to make their way into your home, calling for help needs to be a priority.
As great as alarm panic buttons are, most of them are fixed to walls in bedrooms, while remote panic buttons are easily misplaced and left in areas that you might not find quickly. More often than not, finding your cellphone is much quicker than finding your home alarm panic button. As such, it is a wise decision to sign up for a crisis response service that comes with a feature like Home Alert that turns your cellphone into a convenient panic button for your home alarm security company.
#5: Remain Calm and Think Swiftly
It’s all very easy to become overwhelmed during a home invasion. But, thinking clearly and acting swiftly can mean the difference between life and death in these circumstances.
Think rationally and don’t seek out or initiate a confrontation with an intruder. Rather channel your focus to getting you and your family to safety.
The biggest home invasion mistake you can make is to think that it can never happen to you. This will leave you unprepared for this kind of emergency. Even if you live in a secure neighbourhood, you need to make sure that you are prepared.
Know what to do in case of a home invasion, prepare accordingly and make sure you and your family are always aware of the steps to follow should you find yourself in this situation.
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