As summer comes to a close and kids go back to school, it is a good time for your family to create and review a family safety plan. Many families have children who stay at home alone after school until their parents come home from work. If this is true for your family, does your child know the rules when they are home alone? At Alarm Relay, we want to be sure you can keep your kids safe and looked after 24/7. The following tips should be considered for home safety:
Peace of Mind
Alarm Relay’s home security monitoring will give you peace of mind when your child is home alone. In the event of an emergency, the police or fire department will respond much faster with alarm monitoring service. Children should be taught to operate your home alarm system. Children should at least know how to arm/disarm the system and how to use emergency and panic buttons. Alarm Relay offers a variety of mobile security apps that allow users to control their home security system from the convenience of a smart phone. Newer security technology now offers enhanced features and services to be connected with your home. Let’s take a look at some of the features:
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Notification alerts when the alarm system is armed or disarmed. This feature helps keep track of when children arrive at the home and will also keep track of people coming and going.
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Set your system to alert you when monitored doors or windows are being opened and closed, even if the system is not armed. You can monitor when your child is opening the door to strangers, allowing friends to come over, or entering an area of the home they should not be in (pool door, gun room, liquor cabinet, etc.)
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Remotely unlock or lock doors if your child forgets their keys or somehow gets locked out of the home.
In addition to burglary alarm monitoring, Alarm Relay also offers the following services, even if the alarm is not armed:
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24/7 smoke alarm monitoring
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24/7 carbon monoxide alarm monitoring
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24/7 flood detection monitoring
Develop an Emergency Plan
Being preemptive and planning how to react in emergency situations can greatly help you and your family react calmly and appropriately during an actual crisis. Once you have an emergency plan, write it down and post it somewhere in your home. Be sure to review and practice your plan. Running through scenarios like “What happens if there is a fire?” or “What do we do if someone is sick and needs help?” can mean the difference between life and death if your child needs to react to a dangerous situation.
In a situation where your family must leave the house (fire/earthquake/etc.), having a pre established meeting place outside can eliminate needless searching for missing family members.
As a part of the emergency plan you should make sure everyone in the home is familiar with how to use and the locations of the following devices.
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Flashlights for storms and power outages
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Fire extinguishers
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Smoke alarms
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Carbon monoxide detectors
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Home alarm system
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A list of emergency phone numbers
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911
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Poison Control
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Family Doctor
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Trusted neighbor that your child should call if you are not available
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It can be frightening to think about emergency situations. But with a solid plan and Alarm Relay’s help, you can be sure your family will be able to handle any emergency situation that comes your way.
