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
5 Common Causes of Commercial Fires
Many business owners and employees think their chances of dealing with a fire in the workplace are improbable, but the numbers tell a different story. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), an estimated 116,500 commercial fires were reported nationally in 2021. These fires contributed to 115 deaths, 1,025 injuries, and over $3.6 billion in…
How Burglars Break In and Where to Secure Your Home
When a burglar considers your home as a potential target, here are some of the things he or she is looking for. Easy Access An intruder doesn’t want to get caught and needs to have an easy escape. There’s not a more easily accessible entry point at your home than an unlocked door, and most…
Why Cheaper Isn’t Better When It Comes to Security
What is DIY Security? The development of home security technology using wireless transmission connections and battery power has made it possible for DIY options to enter the home security market. One of the biggest misconceptions about DIY home security is that it is so easy that a person with absolutely zero background on audiovisual equipment…
Theft Prevention Tips for Businesses
Theft, unfortunately, can take a wide variety of forms. Theft in a retail business might include the loss of physical property from shoplifting or can come in the form of embezzlement. In the retail sector, a 2019 National Retail Security Survey reported the average cost per shoplifting incident is $546.67. According to the 2018 Hiscox…
What to Know About Smart Locks
Smart locks have been on the market for several years and continually gain features as technology advances. Learn how useful they can be and how to find the best option for your home or business. What’s a smart lock? Smart locks are door locks controlled digitally. These locks can be monitored and controlled by an…
How Fast Can Fire Spread?
What Is Fire? Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called oxidation. Oxidation is the combination of oxygen with another substance. In the case of a fire, the oxidation happens so quickly that light, heat, and sound are released. A fire needs oxygen, heat and fuel to burn. These factors are frequently referred to…
What Is a Central Station Alarm?
A central station alarm system is one that feeds directly into a central monitoring station. If a sensor on the central station alarm system is triggered, such as fire, smoke, C02, or burglar, the system does much more than just set off a loud siren or send an email alert telling you to log into…
5 Common Fire Safety Violations
For business owners, maintaining a commercial fire safety system is crucial for day-to-day protection. Ensuring your system and its components are in order is especially important when your business’ fire inspection occurs each year. Even if you do everything you can to prepare for your next fire inspection, you may only realize you missed something…
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…
Where Should Fire Alarm Pull Stations Be Located?
While they generally go unnoticed until a moment of need, fire alarm pull stations are an integral part of a business or large residential building’s commercial fire system. What is a fire alarm pull station? As opposed to a smoke detector or sensor, human intervention activates a manual pull station and is the catalyst for setting…