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   Home   Plan   For   Disaster 
 
When's the last time you thought about how you and your family would respond to a disaster?  What if a severe storm knocked out the electricity for an extended period?  What if you were snowed in for three or four or five days?  What if we all had to evacuate the Washington metropolitan area?  Would you know what to do?  Does your spouse and do your kids know what to do?  Do you know what they would do if you couldn't contact them?  Does your office have "Shelter in Place" and would you stay or go?  Do you have all the essentials in your home? in your car? 
 
We're near the fourth anniversary of that tragic day known as 9/11.  In the weeks and months following that day, you probably made some very good plans.  In addition to water and food supplies you may have bought masking tape and plastic.  You might have defined a family evacuation plan.  Well, it's been four years and things have changed.  Your kids are older and maybe in school now or driving or out of the house.  Does everyone still know what to do?  Do you have what you need?  Do some items need replacement?  Have you updated your plan? 
 
Many families don't even have a simple home fire escape plan.  A few years ago people were locked in a night-club and died during a fire because the exit door was dead bolted.  Could that happen in your home?  What if the house filed with smoke?  Would everyone know to crawl on the floor and would they know where to go?  What if a closed bedroom door knob is hot to the touch?  Do your kids know what that likely means and what to do?  It's a parents job to be sure they do. 
 
Following is a link to the National Disaster Education Coalition Guide (http://www.disastereducation.org/guide.html).  Below is the Table of Contents from that guide.  There's lots of good information contained in these chapters relevant to us.  Take a look.  But, most importantly review and update you plans. 

 

Security and Crime Prevention

 

Personal Safety

The holidays are a fun and festive time of year to spend with friends and family. Unfortunately, crime does occur wherever you might be spending the season. So please take note of the helpful hints below and have a joyous New Year!

If you are traveling:

bulletGet an automatic timer for your lights. This will give the appearance that you are home.
bulletAsk a neighbor to watch your home and occasionally park out front or in your driveway.
bulletHave your mail and newspaper delivery temporarily suspended. Or, ask a neighbor to collect them on a daily basis.

If you are shopping:

bulletAlways be aware of your surroundings.
bulletPark your vehicle only in well-lit spaces and remember where you parked.
bulletDouble check that you have locked all doors and closed all windows. Make sure that no valuables or parcels are in plain sight.
bulletWhile shopping don't store packages in your vehicle, even if you put the items in your trunk. Thieves will watch for this activity and it takes just seconds to break in and steal your gifts as soon as you return inside to continue shopping.
bulletBe extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry purses close to your body, keep wallets in an inside coat or front pants pocket.
bulletAvoid carrying large amounts of cash. Payment with checks and credit cards is recommended. This is an opportune time to clean out your wallet - if you should become the victim of a pickpocket, the less in your wallet, the better.
bulletIf you will be shopping with children, teach them to go to a store clerk or uniformed security guard if they become separated from you.

 

A friendly warning: One of our neighbors saw some trash collectors opening up trash bags, pulling pieces of paper from them, and then handing them over to a man in a car. She notified our County Delegate, Carol Petzold, who informed our County Executive, Doug Duncan. 

Identity theft is one of the number one crimes in the United States today. Criminals steal credit card numbers from the trash and use them. If they can get our social security numbers, it's even worse. They can invade every aspect of our lives. 

Many people are purchasing shredding machines as a security measure. They represent a small expense but can provide a good measure of safety if people take the time to shred their receipts and other documents that contain important numbers. Of course, it's much less expensive to just rip up these items to ensure that no legible numbers appear. 

A word to the wise . . . .

Home Security

 
Here are some facts we should all know about crime today.
bulletThe crimes we all fear the most are crimes of violence, but those are the ones that happen the least.
bulletMost murders and assaults are committed by relatives, friends or acquaintances as the result of a dispute, not by strangers.
bulletOlder people are not victimized to a greater extent than the rest of the population, with a few exceptions, such as purse snatching.
bulletThe most frequent crimes are property crimes, and they are most likely to happen when you are away. You can help reduce the risk by following the steps outlined on this page.

Typical criminals are probably are not accomplished professionals.  Rather, they are amateurs or, perhaps, what we might term skilled amateurs, probably young. These amateurs are going to be looking around for an easy opportunity to get something of value in the easiest possible way.  Thus, the greater opportunity we present and the easier we make it, the more we increase the chance that it will happen to us. Crime prevention is the practice of spotting criminal opportunities and then doing something to reduce or eliminate those opportunities in a common-sense way.  The more we can do to make it harder for the thief by increasing the time, visibility or noise factors, the more we are going to discourage him/her from selecting our residence as a target in the first place.  Thus, we can discourage the thief by being smart enough to reduce opportunity... by being prepared.

Below is a list of tips to safeguard your home. Take a moment to read through them to see if you have done everything to help reduce the chances of being burglarized. If you have any questions, please call the County Police's Community Outreach Section at 301-840-2585.

There are automated victim information and notification systems in Montgomery and Carroll counties. Public access to information concerning Criminal Injuries Compensation, the Division of Corrections, the Division of Parole Commission and Common victim's questions is available through these links, which Montgomery County provides as a public service.

How Secure Is Your Home?

 

Doors

All exterior doors should be either metal or solid core, 1 3/4" wood. Glass or thin wood panels, in or near the door, can be protected by installing polycarbonate glazing and secured with one way screws.

Locks
bulletUse a dead-bolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt or a heavy duty drop-bolt lock.
bulletInstall a highly pick resistant cylinder.
bulletProtect the cylinder with a guard plate.
bulletUse a licensed locksmith.
bulletDo not use a dual cylinder lock that has a key in both sides to secure a residence. Although they offer protection, dual cylinder locks can also trap the occupants in the house in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Windows

Security devices for windows vary, depending on the type of window and its location. All accessible basement, first, and second story windows, in a private residence need securing. Second story windows can be accessed by a ladder, trash can, nearby tree, garage rooftop or shrubbery. Because of its construction, the crescent latch found on a double hung window is not an adequate security device and will not withstand a simple attack. Its only function is to keep the upper and lower windows together.

Double Hung Wooden Windows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 To pin these types of windows, drill a hole through each top of the inside sash and three quarters of the way through the outside sash at a slight downward angle. Insert two 5/16" diameter eyebolts, one on each side of the window. The bolts should fit loosely enough in their holes so that they are easy to insert and remove.


CAUTION: Some pinning techniques may damage thermal pane seals. A separate set of holes can be drilled into the outside sash approximately three to four inches above the inside sash so that the window can be left open for ventilation. This prevents the window being opened further than the three or four inches allowed.

Casement Windows:

Casement Windows cannot be secured in an open position, but can be secured by commercial locking devices when closed. This type of window should never be left open and unattended.

Louvered (Jalousie) Openings:

This type of opening offers no resistance to force. The glass panels should be replaced with impact-resistant polycarbonate and pinned to the groove with one-way screws.

Basement Windows:

Small basement windows are one of the most popular means of entry. These windows should be secured with grilles or bars that contain an inside opening safety latch.

Sliding Patio Doors/Sliding Windows are Special Security Problems:

Sliding glass doors offer the burglar several means of entry. These include prying the doors open with a screwbar or prybar, lifting the door out of its track, or breaking the glass. To secure the sliding glass door, each of these means of entry must be dealt with individually.

Little can be done to prevent the intruder from breaking the glass. (Many will not use this means of entry since it is both noisy and dangerous.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To prevent the door from being lifted out of the track, a wood or metal bar of the proper thickness can be screwed inside the upper track. This will permit the door to slide properly but will not allow the door to be lifted out of the track. See left.

As an added safeguard, all sliding doors should be equipped with a "Charlie Bar" or other similar device. A "Charlie Bar" is simply a metal or wood rod that attaches to the midsection of the door frame and drops down into a retaining bracket that is attached to the back of the door that slides. See below.

 

This page is presented with thanks to the, Montgomery County Police.