Holiday Safety Tips for Homes and Businesses
With the holiday season right around the corner, burglars are on the lookout for unguarded homes or businesses to prey on. Unlike the Grinch, holiday robbers don’t often have a heart that grows three sizes, making it more important than ever to protect your valuables and your loved ones.
Our security experts have come up with seven useful and easy tips to help keep you safe this holiday season.
1. Don’t leave valuables or gifts on display
Close any window coverings or move any expensive items away from the windows. Anyone looking in from the outside who can easily see big-ticket items could be tempted to find their way inside.
2. Decorate safely
Consider the fire and safety risks that may be associated with your decorations. Faulty wires or damaged light strands can be a fire hazard, and keeping your outdoor decorations plugged in through a window can create a safety concern. Unplug holiday lights when you are not around to help avoid any concerns for electrical fires.
3. Curb burglars
Avoid leaving boxes or packaging for well-known or identifiable items outside your home or business. Put them in a bag or drop them off at a recycling center nearby. Leaving packaging outside is a signal to burglars that a big payoff could be waiting inside.
4. Be mindful online
In addition to the previous tip, be mindful of the things you share online. Flaunting expensive gifts on social media can entice people with bad intentions. You should never advertise your exact home address or share it with anyone you don’t know, so avoid posting images that make your address too obvious.
If you are leaving your house for vacation over the holiday season, remember these vacation tips and avoid sharing about your trip until after you’re home. Posting from another country or town shows that your home is sitting empty.
If you own a business that will be closed over the holidays, especially for an extended period of time, ensure that all of the proper safety protocols are met. It is also a good idea to test any alarms or sensors prior to an extended absence.
5. Be neighborly
Having neighbors who watch out for each other and keep an eye on things can be a great way to deter any criminal activity in the area. Consider reaching out to neighbors or other local business owners to strengthen your sense of community.
6. Put lights on a timer
Most criminals prefer to work in the cover of darkness. If you are not around in the evening, consider adding smart lightbulbs or managing some lights via an app such as Alarm.com. This can give you the flexibility to control your lights when you are not physically present.
7. Have a security system in place
Installing a security system with cameras, motion detectors, and smart monitoring can be the easiest way to truly secure your home or business. While it works all year long to keep you safe, the holidays serve as an added reminder to do so.
If you have any questions about getting started with a security system or have any questions about these holiday safety tips, give our friendly team a call or fill out the form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Explore Our Other Blogs
How Security Cameras Work at Night
Security Camera Night Vision Light is crucial for a camera to work. Without light, the camera can’t see anything, so how do security cameras work at night? Infrared radiation (IR), or infrared light, is a type of electromagnetic radiation that is invisible to human eyes. It is essentially energy, a heat, that all objects emanate….
Will CCTV Work Without Internet?
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is a TV system where the signal isn’t publicly broadcast but is watched and monitored, usually for surveillance and security purposes. From city streets and highways to retail stores and banks, CCTV cameras are placed in most places to protect property and deter crime. Learn whether a commercial CCTV system can work…
Fire Systems for Commercial Properties
Commercial property management companies have portfolios varying in scale and specialty. Still, they all share the standard responsibility of understanding and implementing fire safety measures for their operations. Fires pose a significant but avoidable threat to your properties, occupants, and sources of revenue. While not all fires can be prevented, some can cause catastrophic damage…
What Is CCTV Footage?
CCTV stands for closed-circuit television, in which video cameras transmit a signal to a specific, limited set of monitors. Wired and wireless cameras in a CCTV system are usually used for surveillance and security purposes. The footage can help prevent crime, aid in the capture of a suspect if an offense occurs, or serve as…
Why Night Staff Should Have Fire Alarm Training
In the years that I traveled as a Sales Representative, I experienced many times when a fire alarm would go off throughout the night. As the hotel guests evacuated, I often found that the night staff didn’t know what to do. In almost every case, it was an accidental alarm, and in many cases, night…
Types of Fire Suppression Systems
Fire suppression is one of the most important layers in a commercial building’s life safety plan because it is designed to control a hazard early, often before conditions spread beyond the point where occupants or staff can safely intervene. That matters for more than just damage control—it affects potential interruptions, compliance issues, and emergency performance….
Avigilon Alta: Leading Commercial Access Control
With the rise in popularity of hybrid workspaces and flexible scheduling, more business owners are turning to access control systems to secure their investments. Not only are access control systems the latest standard for commercial security, but FSS Technologies is a proud partner with Avigilon Alta, the leading access control system manufacturer. Why Avigilon Alta?…
POTS Phase-Out: Impact on Life Safety Systems
When businesses hear about the POTS line phase-out, they often think only of desk phones. In reality, traditional copper phone lines have supported a much wider range of building systems, including fire alarms, security systems, elevator phones, and more. As carriers continue moving away from copper infrastructure, those connections may become more expensive, less reliable,…
The Risky Business of Ring’s Vulnerable Security
If you are like the rest of Americans, you have noticed that the Ring Security company has been in the news lately— and not for anything useful. Between security hacks and lawsuits, the company has landed itself in hot water. Surveillance Camera Hacks Homeowners have security cameras installed in their homes to give them peace…
Are All Home Security Systems the Same?
Home security used to be synonymous with burglar alarms, but this is no longer the case. Home security today is not only about protection, but also comfort, convenience, communication, and information. All home security systems never were the same—there were different manufacturers, different types of equipment, and various providers. Today, there are entirely new categories…