You’re packing your bags and getting ready for that trip with your family. It’ll be long before you get back to your humble home.

But don’t get carried away just yet. You have to think practicality and safety. You wouldn’t want to go back to a home that’s been ransacked and broken into. The invasion of your privacy is enough to get you to panic sometimes.

So don’t go thinking that your home is safe from burglary and break-ins. No one is a hundred percent safe from these crimes.

• Make sure your home security system is activated. But don’t solely rely on the alarm system. A layered security works better so you might want to add other home security measures. Try to use timers, surveillance cameras, and other home security devices.
• Make sure your home looks like there’s someone in it. If you’re going on a long vacation, then make sure to have someone you trust look into your mail and subscriptions. Keep your yard clean and trimmed. Have someone mow the lawn and take care of your garbage.
• Make sure your house is safe from accidents that can cause fire, flood, or carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure appliances are turned off and unplugged. Lock all windows and doors and don’t leave keys under mats or pots.

SafeandVaultStore.com (Washington) has launched their Safe Selection Wizard as a helpful tool for finding the right and perfect safes for you! It will help you find your choice among a many burglary safe, fire safes, jewelry safes, and many more.

The Safe Selection Wizard is available online. SafeandVaultStore.com also gives you the four steps to choosing the right safe:

• Choose among the general types of safes given. Brief descriptions are given to help you decide.
• Estimate the total value of contents to be stored in the safe.
• State whether fire is a concern for you and if you live within the city limits or not.
• State the items that you intend to put in the safe.

After filling up the requirements stated above, the safe selector will then give you a list of the best safes available for you.

The Safe Selector Wizard is easy to use and helps shoppers save time and energy looking for the right safe. SafeandVaultStore.com also offers live help via online chat with trained consultants for any problems or questions.

GasAlarm Systems (Australia), a division of ALVI Technologies, has launched the VOC-mixed gas alarm, an alarm made to detect VOC-mixed gases such as volatile organic compounds, hydrocarbon, refrigerant leaks, and other toxic gases.

The VOC-mixed gas alarm can either be duct mounted or wall mounted. The duct mounted VOC-mixed gas alarm can be mounted on the fresh-air intake duct. It will then detect any incoming toxic fumes sucked through the ventilation. When it detects toxic gas, it will generate an alarm or close the fresh-air ventilation intake. Installing the gas alarm int he return air duct will also prevent the spread of the toxic fumes. The wall mounted VOC-mixed gas alarm is a stand alone self-contained model with an integral sensor.

The gas alarm also has a unique feature, and this is the “Early Fire Warning”. The gas alarm will be monitoring CO products of combustion. CO products of combustion is a method use to detect smoldering fires due to burning of wood, carpet, or upholstery.

The VOC-mixed gas alarm can be used in for quality air monitoring in commercial buildings, airports, enclosed railway stations, hospitals, offices, laboratories, and other enclosed places.

More and more home security tips are still coming in to help homeowners and residents deter burglary and break-ins this summer. WJTV also offers their own tips to improve home security and help protect your hoe from burglary crimes.

One of the advices that they gave is that you have to know the facts of burglary crimes in our country. Here’s a quote from WJTV.com News:

“Once a burglar has selected a home to burglarize, most will spend no more than a minute trying to break in and less than five minutes inside.

Most residential burglaries occur on the first or ground floor.

The point of entry is usually made at the rear or by a side door, the second most common access is via the garage door.

Most burglaries occur during daytime hours when homes are empty, and belong to two person households.”

WJTV.com also give home security tips for all:

“Now, with a few basis facts of burglary out of the way, in order to out fox a burglar, you need to think like one. Here are a few questions a burglar would ask himself before he breaks into your home. Ask this question to yourself.

If you were a burglar targeting your own home:

How would you get in to your home? Evaluate your home from the inside and out, night and day. You might even try a “mock” break-in, trying window jambs and loose locks on your house’s perimeter. Just let the neighbors know what you’re up to before you go lurking in the bushes.“

WJTV.com also reiterates the following home security measures:

• Burglary sometimes occur at night so install motion lights at the front and at the rear of your house. Position them at corners where it can help the motion detectors catch anyone approaching. Make sure they’re at a place wherein they will not be disabled easily by others.
• Trim all shrubs and trees. But you can plant thorny bushes under your windows to help deter burglars form entering through the windows.
• Don’t leave anything that might help a burglar enter your house around your yard (e.g. ladders, hammer, etc.).
• As much as possible, don’t display your name on your mailbox or front door. If you jave to show residency, then place your last name only.
• Secure your doors and windows. Use locks and bolts. You can also install alarms near it to sense if someone’s attempting to open it and break through.
• Hide your valuables. Make sure they’re not in the line of sight of anyone looking through your windows. Keep valuable appliances out of reach from the doors, windows, and other openings.
• Install a home security system!

.. and from WJTV.com News:

“Be careful while you’re away

Never leave an answering machine message indicating you’re not at home. Instead, just say you “can’t come to the phone.”

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.

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.

To secure sliding glass doors, add a bolt lock or use a “charley bar” to block the door closed.

Most home burglaries occur between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., so get in the habit of locking all doors and windows whenever you go out.

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.

Prune overgrown trees and shrubs to eliminate hiding places for intruders.

Thieves always look in mailboxes, under doormats and above doorways for keys. Don’t make it easy for them to get into your home.

Your ADT monitored security system includes door and window sensors to secure the perimeter of your home.“

Home security awareness and advice are being reinforced in some areas in UK. This action by the authorities was reinforced by the report that one in three burglaries was because the residents leave their doors and windows open or unlocked.

The week is being called the insecurities week, from June 24 to June 30. During this time period, leaflets and postcards will be given out. Officials ill also be on hand to give one-on-one crime prevention advice.

Thefts of air conditioning units are increasing dramatically in many areas that it has become a concern for the authorities. There’s a great demand for precious metals like steel, copper, and aluminum among thieves because of their high scrap value, and this has prompted residential homes and buildings, business establishments, and construction sites to become victims.

Luckily, one company manufacturing heating and air conditioning equipment has a solution. LOYAL Heating and Air Conditioning, a company based in Indianapolis, introduces the LOYAL Alarm, a new security device that deters vandalism and theft of air conditioning units.

The LOYAL Alarm is mounted on the air conditioning unit and it’s equipped with a 120 db siren. It’s powered by a high volt battery so it’s not necessary to connect it to the home security system for it to work. If the unit is moved about 3/8ths of an inch, the alarm is triggered and the siren and alerts sound. The alarm will stop only if it’s placed back at its original place.

The LOYAL Alarm is weather-proof and tamper-proof. It won’t affect the warranty of the air conditioning unit either.

For more information about the LOYAL Alarm and LOYAL Heating and Air Conditioning, visit their website at LOYAL HVAC.

An article about New Zealanders and their trusting nature conflicting with home and physical security measures gives off some questions that you can apply to check on your home and physical security.

From New Zealanders Too Trusting:

• Are all windows fitted with an auxiliary keyed window locks? Are the keys readily available in an emergency?

• Have you changed yours locks if you just moved into a new house, flat or apartment.

• Is your back door fitted with simple two lever mortice locks? Fit a deadbolt and use in conjunction with mortice lock and handles. The back door of your home is more vulnerable than the front.

• Have you fitted a deadbolt to the front door and all other external doors, including connecting door between garage and house?

• Have you fitted a good quality padlocks on both sides of garage door if it does not have an automatic opener?

• Have you fitted hinge bolts or pins to outward opening hinged doors, top and bottom?

• Have you fitted sliding doors with auxiliary bolts?

• Are all gates secured with quality weatherproof padlock and chain or keyless entry?

• Do you have an alarm system? Is it monitored?

• Have you included smoke detectors on your alarm system?

• Are all entrances well illuminated?

• Are all tree limbs trimmed to prevent access to upper floor windows or balconies?

• Do you have an up-to-date home inventory including identifying numbers and pictures?