Home security requires emergency preparation, too. Being prepared for any situation, no matter how unlikely, can help you sleep better at night. A vital item for every home is a home safety kit, or “go bag”. This is a compilation of survival items that are useful in different emergency scenarios. As there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the best course of action is to prepare several kits for multiple types of emergency situations that may arise.
Each person in your household should have the following items ready in a backpack, within easy reach. It’s entirely probable that some members of your family might not be able to get their emergency pack, but having just one person with a safety backpack can mean everyone’s survival and safety for a few more days until rescue.
Here’s what the Department of Homeland Security suggests every emergency backpack should have:
Your first aid kit must include medicines for handling common ailments like fever, diarrhea, general infections, rashes, burns, wounds and broken bones. Pain killers and vitamins should be included as well. For more reading, check out how to be Red Cross ready.
If you have a baby in your family, you need these too:
Preparing your family for the worst should always be your first priority. Once you have all of that done, you can move on to less-pressing but still-important must-haves for home safety.
When someone is trying to get in your house, you need to secure your family and property. Make sure you have everything in this list to avoid being one of the approximately 2,000,000 victims of home invasion reported every year:
Your home security system should be something burglars cannot see. Conventional, store-bought systems are easy to disable and trick. Noise from your dog or your air horn can make invaders run away. Setting a time that turns on your lights and television when you’re out of the house can make it look like you’re at home, and discourage burglars.
You may not have to evacuate your home, but some emergencies may need you to stay inside for long periods of time without power or running water. Here are some things to have around the house:
Make sure you have tools and replacements for your electrical and plumbing systems. Include sealant, bulbs, pipes and other replacement parts in your kit. Keep your documents in a safe, or in a safety deposit box at your bank, so that you have one less thing to worry about. Always remember to replace any fire extinguisher that’s expired.
This may seem like a large order to fill, since you need to create emergency packs for every member of the family. But the rewards far outweigh the inconvenience if the need arises.
How prepared is your home? Have something to add to the list? Share how you keep your family safe in the comments.
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