Keeping Your Home Secure While On Vacation

Imagine returning from your holiday to find your windows broken, your cars and possessions stolen and your pets gone. Your space has been violated.

Relax it shouldn't be necessary to answer that because with the proper preparation you can discourage intruders and have a carefree vacation.

Worry shouldn't be on the agenda when you are vacationing. Your holiday is a treat that should be enjoyed without stressing about the safety of your home. By planning ahead you minimize your risk of something going wrong while you are gone.

Depending on how long you will be gone there are a few common sense things you can do for your home, pets and possessions.

Discourage thieves by getting a house sitter. This is the best way to ward off trouble. If you know someone who will regularly stop by your house - water your plants and turn on the lights you are lucky. If you have animals you might want to think about hiring a house sitter for while you are away. This way your pets are properly cared for and your home is safer. Peace of mind is worth some extra money. If you are going to hire a house sitter - make sure you use reliable and trustworthy service! Ask around.

If you can't get a house sitter the goal is to make your house look lived in. It's a good idea to have a trusted neighbor to look after your home. Someone who can keep an eye on your property and who has a contact number for you should anything go wrong.

There are all kinds of timers you can buy that make it seem like there are people in your house. Light timers and radio timers can be very effective in deterring criminals.

Think about the state of your lawn before you leave. Overgrown grass is a loud signal that there is nobody home.

If you are going to be gone long enough for your post to pile up make an arrangement with a neighbor to pick it up - a pile of unopened mail is an obvious signal to criminals that nobody is home.

Even if you aren't going away for a long time there are some things that you need to do every time you leave the house.
- Always lock your door and leave a key with someone to check on your home while you are gone.

- Turn on the radio/TV and leave some lights on

- Do not leave your spare key under the doormat or in any of the equally obvious hiding places. Rather give a copy to someone else and don't have a spare key anywhere in your garden while you are home. If you MUST hide your key on the property be creative! That blue rock in the backyard under the tree behind the shed is a better/safer bet.

-Develop a reciprocal relationship with your neighbors. Watch their houses when they are away; keep your eyes and ears open for strange happenings and ask them to do the same for you. Group0 together and form a neighborhood watch of some sort
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If you follow these tips you can be sure your chances are good that you will return to a secure house. If something has happened while you were out; here are some signs to look for

- Broken windows or door should be a major alert that something is wrong. Don't go inside! Call the police and have them check the property.

- If you think you have been broken into don't touch anything; you want to keep the scene preserved for investigation.

The Combination Lock

A combination lock is a type of lock in which a sequence of numbers or symbols is used to open the lock. The sequence is usually a specific permutation rather than a true combination. The sequence may be entered using a single rotating dial which interacts with several discs or cams, or by using a set of several rotating discs with inscribed numerals which directly interact with the locking mechanism.

Multiple-dial locks
One of the simplest types of combination lock, often used in low-security situations is the bicycle lock, which uses several rotating discs with notches cut into them. The lock is secured by a pin with several teeth on it which hook into the rotating discs. When the notches in the discs align with the teeth on the pin, the lock can be opened. This lock is considered to be one of the least secure types of combination lock.

Opening a multiple-dial lock without the combination depends on the slight irregularities in the machining of the parts. Unless the lock is machined precisely, when the pin is pulled outward, one of the teeth will pull more strongly than the others on its corresponding disc. This disc is then rotated until a slight click is heard, indicating that the tooth has settled into the notch. The procedure is repeated for the remaining discs, resulting in an open lock, and a correct combination, in very little time.

Single-dial locks
Combination locks found on padlocks or safes may use a single dial which interacts with several parallel discs or cams. Customarily, a lock of this type is opened by rotating the dial clockwise to the first numeral, counterclockwise to the second, and so on in an alternating fashion until the last numeral is reached. The cams typically have an indentation or notch, and when the correct combination is entered, the notches align, allowing the latch to fit into them and open the lock.

Combination locks of this type are generally more secure than the multiple-dial lock, but some of them do have weaknesses. For example, early combination padlocks made by Master lock could be cracked by pulling on the shackle of the lock and turning the dial until it stopped; each numeral in the combination could be revealed in this manner.

More recent models of Master padlock with a 40-position dial have a mechanical weakness that can give away the last numeral in the combination, and the first two numerals have a mathematical relationship with the last number. This weakness reduces the number of possible combinations from 64,000 to a mere 100, which can be tried in a relatively short amount of time.

Inexpensive padlocks are often susceptible to the use of a padlock shim, which can be used to release the shackle without entering a combination.

Other designs
Many doors use combination locks which require the user to enter a numeric sequence on a keypad to facilitate entry. These special locks usually require the additional use of electronic circuitry.

The main advantage of this system is that if used for the door of a large office, each employee can be told the code number without having to supply a key to each person.

The disadvantage however, is if the code number is discovered by someone out site the desired group or is not changed regularly, it could allow easy access to a potential intruder.

LED Lanterns: Include One in Your Emergency Planning

There are so many situations that can turn into an emergency it is impossible to describe each in detail but, the tools and supplies needed to be able to react appropriately to most emergencies can be collected in preparation for an emergency. It is critical to have access to an emergency lantern during an emergency as this can make the difference between life and death.

Many times an emergency creates a life and death situation making the situation a medical emergency.  If there is not the availability of an emergency lantern or emergency light source, the medical situation will be significantly compromised.  Having all the medical supplies in the world won’t make any difference if it is impossible to see what is going on to assess the situation.  When darkness compromises the assessment of injuries the ability to apply emergency medical procedures is also compromised. 

The same is true for search and rescue operations. It is almost impossible to conduct emergency rescue procedures in the dark.  Many times dealing with the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster means looking for survivors at night or in the darkness caused by searching underground or through rubble piles.  Being able to see what you are dealing with increases the degree of safety for the rescuers and victims.

Emergency action plans are an excellent way to plan for the unknown and to be prepared to respond efficiently as soon as possible. An emergency plan includes putting together lists of supplies and tools that will help in the event of a disaster.  When the list is final, the items should be collected or purchased and stored in an accessible place. Appropriate emergency lighting should be on everyone’s emergency planning list. To be able to determine the suitability of emergency lanterns, decisions need to be made after learning about and comprehending the pros and cons of the variety of emergency lanterns on the market as there are many emergency lantern options to consider.

Emergency lanterns come in a variety of models and types including: 12 LED light battery, 20 LED lantern battery, Windup LED, lantern and radio combinations, lantern, radio and television combinations, kerosene lanterns, and solar powered lantern etc.  Each of these types of emergency lanterns has individual strengths, benefits and limitations such as:

LED emergency lanterns are super bright and provide intense light for close-up work as well as useful for distributing light into the distance. 

Battery powered emergency lanterns can be bought with rechargeable batteries.
Windup or crank emergency lanterns can be used when any source of power is unavailable.

Solar emergency lanterns can be powered up by the sun without the use of batteries.  Most come with an adaptor for a car or home.

An emergency lantern can be used at times other than emergencies making them a more flexible resource to have around.  If using an emergency light for something other than and emergency, ensure when you put it back after use that you have recharged batters, solar panels and/or replaced low batteries. 

~Ben Anton, 2007