Why learn lessons the hard way when you can keep ahead with the latest information to help prevent the unexpected.
With that in mind, we have created a Home Safety Tips resource for you and your family. We encourage you to bookmark this page, as we will be updating it on a continuous basis with the latest in home security and personal safety tips. Here are some:-

• Security in Your Home
• Home Fire Prevention
• Burglary Prevention
• Child Home Safety
• Pet Safety
• Poison-Proofing Your Home

Your safety-we keep it personal. Call us today for peace of mind.

Security in Your Home

• Have lights at all entrances.
• Have good locks (deadbolts) on all doors and windows.
• Use timers to turn lights and radios on when you are not home (noise is a great security enhancement). Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you are out of town.
• Don’t use a message on your answering machine that says you’re away from home or on vacation, etc. Saying you cannot answer the phone right now is a safer option.   
• Know which of your neighbors you can trust in an emergency.
• Check who is at the door before opening it, and do not open the door to an unexpected visitor.
• Do not let strangers into your home to use the phone. Offer to make the call for them.
• Don't hide extra keys in easily accessible places. Criminals will find them.
• Never give personal information to telephone solicitors.

Home Fire Prevention

• When buying, building or renovating your home, make sure all roofing materials are fire resistant.
• Clean your gutters regularly. Dry leaves and evergreen needles in rain gutters can easily catch fire.
• Trim back any tree limbs that are within 10 feet of your chimney and dead limbs overhanging your home to prevent them from catching fire.
• To prevent sparks or embers from wildfires from entering and igniting your home and triggering a residential fire alarm, place screens with openings of ½" or smaller over all attic and foundation vents.
• To prevent sparks from escaping and igniting vegetation near your house, cap your chimney with a ½" mesh spark arrested.
• Store firewood and other combustibles away from your home, and keep the lid on your trash can.
• To make sure firefighters can find your house if a residential fire alarm is triggered, make sure your house number is prominently displayed.
• Maintain your landscape to eliminate dead vegetation that could catch fire, and try to grow fire-resistant plants.

Burglary Prevention

• If exterior doors are hollow-core, replace them with solid wood, fiberglass or steel.
• Make sure exterior door hinges are on the inside rather than the outside - where an intruder can remove the pins and pull the door out of the frame.
• If you have double-hung windows, bolt the upper and lower sashes together or insert a metal bar in the track to prevent opening.
• To secure sliding glass doors, add a bolt lock or use a "charley bar" to block the door closed.
• Use bars to secure basement or garage doors and add bars to basement windows.
• Invest in high-quality, deadbolt locks for all exterior doors.
• If you have a double-cylinder deadbolt that is operated by a key both inside and out, keep the key near the door so every family member can find it and exit quickly in case of fire.
• Burglar alarm systems are an effective deterrent. Nine out of ten convicted burglars agree they'd avoid a house protected by a burglar alarm system.
• Security system decals and signs are also an effective deterrent.
• Make sure your burglar alarm system includes a loud inside alarm, detectors at all exterior doors, and motion sensors in the master bedroom and main living areas.
• Never leave an answering machine message indicating you're not at home. Instead, just say you "can't come to the phone."
• Use timers to turn lights, televisions and sound systems on and off at different times to give your home a "lived-in look" when you are away.
• Install motion-detecting outdoor floodlights around your home. Remember to mount them high enough to prevent intruders from disabling them.
• If there's a Neighborhood Watch Program in your community, join it. If there isn’t, think about starting one.
• Report any suspicious persons or vehicles to your local police.
• Get to know your neighbors.
• If you have elderly or incapacitated friends or relatives, check to make sure their security devices are all in good working order.
• Some burglars scan newspapers for wedding and funeral announcements and special community and holiday events that might take you out of your home, so be especially careful on these occasions.
• Don't let mail, newspapers or flyers accumulate while you're away, tipping off criminals. Have the post office hold mail, have newspapers suspended, and have a neighbor or friend clear away flyers.
• To a burglar, an empty trash can could mean you're away. Keep some trash on hand, and consider asking a neighbor to set out trash for pick-up at your house.
• Don't leave valuables in sight through windows, where they will tempt burglars.
• Use an etching pen to mark an ID number, like your driver's license number, on valuables.
• Make an inventory of valuables in your household and store it somewhere other than your home, such as in a safe deposit box.
• Leave curtains slightly parted so your house doesn't have an empty look.
• Never open the door to a stranger. Install peepholes in all exterior doors so you can identify whoever is outside. Do not rely on a door safety chain, because these can be broken easily.
• Ask for I.D. from service representatives who come to your home, and if they don't have it, check with their company to verify identity before letting them in.
• If you're planning to go away, be careful whom you tell about it.
• When vacationing, leave a car in your driveway or arrange for a neighbor to keep a car there and move it around from time to time.
• Have someone mow your lawn, rake leaves and shovel snow while you are away.
• Prune overgrown trees and shrubs to eliminate hiding places for intruders.
• Many garage door openers respond to common codes, so follow the manufacturer's instructions to program yours with a unique code no burglar's opener will match.
• Keep your garage door locked at all times, preferably with a deadbolt lock.
• Thieves always look in mailboxes, under doormats and above doorways for keys. Don't make it easy for them to get into your home.
• When having a car parked or serviced, leave only the car keys in it and take out all other valuables.
• If there's any chance a previous resident may still have keys to your house, re-key the locks.

Child Home Safety

• If your children are old enough and responsible enough to be home alone without adult supervision, be sure they know these safety essentials:
• The fire escape route
• Where emergency phone numbers and rules are posted
• Basic first-aid skills
• Safe route home from school
• Make sure your children know who is allowed in the home while you are away, and how to check an individual's identity before opening the door.
• If children are allowed to prepare and eat food while you are away, teach them how to do it safely.
• When your children play outside, be sure they know exactly what their physical boundaries are and how to react to strangers.

Pet Safety

• Assemble a pet disaster kit in an easy-to-carry bag, including medications, medical records and first aid kit, leashes or carriers to keep pets under control, current photos (in case they get lost), food, drinking water, bowls, cat litter and pan, can opener, a favorite toy or two, and care information, plus your vet's phone number in case you board your pets somewhere.
• At the first sign of trouble, get your pets inside so you can pack them up quickly, confirm pet care arrangements, check to make sure animal ID is secure and up-to-date, and check your disaster kit.
• If you must evacuate, your pets may panic and behave oddly, so keep them secure at all times and handle them carefully.
• For birds and reptiles, you'll want a secure travel cage, a blanket wrap for warmth or a mister for cooling, and sliced fresh fruit or vegetables with high water content.

Poison-Proofing Your Home
A normal household contains many poisonous substances, from cleaning products to medications to painting supplies. To protect children — and even pets—in your home, follow these precautions:

• Select medicines that have childproof caps.
• Keep medications and household products locked away out of reach of children.
• Install protective devices that keep children from opening cabinet doors and drawers.
• Keep dangerous products in their original, labeled containers.
• Add poison symbol stickers to dangerous items and explain to children what they mean.
• Don't give a child medicine in the dark.
• Never tell a child that medicine tastes like candy.
• Dispose of outdated medicines as recommended.

For 25 years, our customers in East/ Central Illinois, Kankakee, Will Counties, Livingston, Grundy, and LaSalle have slept many a restful night. Now you can rely on Protection Associates to guarantee your peace of mind. Request a free $475 value security review today or contact us for more information. 

We are certified by Bosch, one of the world’s leading end-to-end security system manufacturers. We make it simple to stay safe and secure.

Your safety-we keep it personal. Once you join the list of happy customers served by us, you become part of the Protection Associates’ extended family. Call us today forsecurity solutions that are designed to offer peace of mind.