We talk about survival and prepardness what about the home?

[Great-Kazoo]

S&P mean many things. To me it also means S&P on a daily basis. The what if's, where to etc.
So here are a few questions i put out during the lecture part of class.

Do you have outside lights and are they on at night? Specifically Front and where applicable rear or side entry points? Town homes & condos also apply. Some do live there.

Sensors that turn on off with dark or light, motion sensors etc.
If a TH or Condo have you notified landlord or maintenance when there are lights out in parking lot, stairwell, anywhere on the property?

Ground floor windows?

Bushes that are deterrents for access, rose bushes, small evergreens etc

2nd story emergency exit

Fire ladder just in case



Perimeter.

Fenced, trees, bushes, well lit if nothing keep anything out

DO YOU HAVE A SAFE WORD, SAFE areas are the kids secure??

Cell Phone and flash light at bedside.
Those pita toys you're always after the kids to pick up, are one of the best natural land mines for an intruder, PITA @ 3 when you have to pee, is the downside. Where are the kids rooms in relation to your bedroom. Are they safe? Are you upstairs and the kids down? If someone were to kick the door in, do they have straight access or is there are couch, table, chairs etc impeding the way?

DO YOU Have a way to look out the back or front door w/out exposing yourself?

Do your kids answer the door or phone and say. their not home now.
Why are they answering the door or phone w/out a basic answer?

I have many more questions i ask, however lets hear your Q&A
A lot of people never consider their home a weak spot.

FWIW: Do the neighborhood weak link test.

Who knows you may be a weak link
Garage and or front doors open 24/7. We all see it, fence gates open the car windows never closed, partial when hot is ok.

Knowing your neighbors by name having a phone tree and the best.

[Omicron]

Good questions, and living in "condition yellow" is a very good idea.

You teach a class?

[Great-Kazoo]

Good questions, and living in "condition yellow" is a very good idea.

You teach a class?

Yes.

[Great-Kazoo]

Judging on the lack or replies i posted this in the wrong forum, or everyone has complete security at home.

[jreifsch80]

you bring up many good points and good things to think about. i personally have security at home, granted my wife doesn't mind me having one of my akm's by the bed also at the end of the hall i can view both the front and back door (ranch style house) so the day a perp tries to threaten my family at the house is both the worst day of their life and the last

[hollohas]

Many good questions. Many I have already considered and some that I have not. In addition to some of the things you mentioned, here are a few I can add..

As mentioned, Rose bushes outside the windows are a great deterant. If you don't have those, think about putting in a deep bed of river rock around the perimeter of the house. You would be surprised how noisy it is when someone is walking through river rock outside your window.

For those who don't want to pay to have a monitored sercurity system installed, think about installing your own door alarms at each exterior door as well as your basement door if you have one. These are cheap and typically have two different alerts or off. Turn them to chime during the day and a constant alarm at night. As soon as the door is opened a LOUD alarm sounds. They are very small and installed with double stick tape at the top door jam. The inside basement door is often overlooked. How likely are you to hear someone gain access to your basement while sleeping at night? And if you don't hear them gain access, you certainly won't hear them open the door at the top or bottom of the stairs. In addition to the door alarm, put a deadbolt on the upstairs side of this door.

Locking storm doors are a good deterant too. Most swing out making them inherently hard to kick in. Think of them as two layers of safety. BGs would have to get through it and the regular door. They like to take the easy route...make your house harder than your neighbor's.

Install better hardware in your door hinges and frame. Most screws in door hinges and latch plates don't secure into anything other than the flimsy trim. Put some long screws in that reach the 2x4 wall framing. If they get past the storm door, they will have one hell of a time trying to kick in a door with better hardware. A house on my street was vandalized recently. It only took two kicks for the BG to gain access. They had a deadbolt but cheap hardware.

Old cell phones that no longer have a paid plan can still call 911. Keep your old unused cell phones plugged in around your house so you always have one within close reach.

Tell your kids to NEVER tell a "salesman" at the door "my parents aren't home". If you aren't home, instruct them to keep the door closed and tell anyone at the door that you are in the other room or the shower.

Fire drills maybe old school...but do them with your kids anyway. They work.

Do you and all the drivers in the house watch the rearview and pay attention to make sure no one is following them home?

That's all I can think of now...

How do you guys secure your sliding glass door? The old dowel or something better? I have a fold down bar about halfway up but was wondering if there is anything better...

How do you secure your window well covers from above access but allow easy emergency exit from below?

[funkymonkey1111]

How do you secure your window well covers from above access but allow easy emergency exit from below?

mine are chained to a latch that's down in the well that only accessible from the window reaching into the well.

[Wulf202]

opsec. I should just have you over.

[Omicron]

opsec. I should just have you over.

Not a bad idea.

[Teufelhund]

It honestly makes me nervous as a long-tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs to look around at my suburbia dwelling and think about whether or not it is a defensible position - it's about the last place I'd want to have to defend, except that it's mine and all my stuff is here.

The wife and I are starting to look at new places a little further out of the city and my priorities have changed some. We found a place last night on the interwebs we like out in Bailey, and my first thought was, "now that's defensible! There's only one plausible avenue of approach!" The wife rolled her eyes and left the room.