The majority of break-in occurs during the middle of the day when it is expected that most people are at work. With this in mind and after reading my usual articles for this blog I had to give a real scenario to think about. What happens when parents work and a teenage kid is sick? Without giving it too much thought the kid stays home…..

Well recently a 14 year-old stayed home from school because he was feeling ill while his parents went to work. The police report stated that the young boy observed a red truck circle the block 3 times before pulling into his drive way. The young boy said a man went to the back and a man went to the front and when the man in the front saw the young boy in the front window trying to write down the license plate of the truck the man yelled and both men ran to the truck and sped away.

So with that you have to think about what else you can do to protect your home, the people and things that matter the most to you. A security system allows you to be monitored 24/7 whether your home or not. So when your children need to stay home due to illness or an adult date night, you can feel more at ease with the knowledge that your home is protected!

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I just read a story about a family that was caught in their house and was trapped on the second floor as the first floor was engulfed in flames. Having a fire escape plan is so important. The family consisting of five children ranging in age from one to twelve and an aunt. Had to leap from a second story window to safety. The most heart wrenching was the one year old who had to be dropped from the window to awaiting neighbors below. No one was hurt when jumping from the window.

All of the children were terrified and all of the screaming and sirens didn’t help. What could have help this situation was having more smoke detectors in place and an escape plan. If they would have had a window ladder no children would have had to jump. Also if a plan would have been in place and talked about there would have been less confusion because the children would have already known what to do.

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Parenting wired kids can be difficult—especially if you didn’t grow up with the same technologies. The Internet is an increasingly important place for children to learn, work and play. But it also presents challenges for parents, teens and younger children, especially considering the anonymity that can disguise users in cyberspace. You can help your child avoid online pornography and encounters with predators, hackers and others who would exploit children by establishing rules for Internet use, and making sure the rules are enforced.

General tips for parents:

• Learn everything you can about the Internet. Have your children show you the sites they visit, learn chat room lingo and acronyms that chatters use (see list below). Know what other Internet functionality your child may have access to like instant messaging, chat, e-mail and other text messaging. (Visit www.cybertipline.com for a quick lesson.)
• Establish approved Internet time and territory. Make it clear to children what sites they can and cannot visit, what hours they may use Internet, and with whom they may communicate.
• Keep the computer in a common area of the home, such as a living room or family room, where adults can easily monitor online activity.
• Discuss the importance of telling you or a trusted adult if something ever makes your child or teen feel scared, uncomfortable or confused while online.
• Consider safeguarding options like site blocking, filtering and monitoring. Enter these keywords into any search engine to learn more about software and browser settings that can help you control where children and teens go online. Know how to set parental controls and check the browser’s history files.
• Show your children how to turn off the monitor when something makes them feel scared, uncomfortable or confused.
• Make sure you are aware of any other places your child may be using the Internet, such as a friend’s house or the library.
• Talk to your children about what personal information is and why they should never give it out.

 E-mail safety: 

• Check the e-mail your children receive for appropriate content. All too often, e-mail addresses are “harvested” by unscrupulous marketers; the resulting “spam” messages frequently contain adult content.
• NEVER post your child’s e-mail address in any directory.
• Don’t “unsubscribe” on unwanted, un-requested or unsolicited e-mail. Don’t sign up for free offers (remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is!).
• Don’t forward e-mails to everyone in your address book.
• Make sure children only exchange email with people they know and only use chat areas you supervise.

 Tips for children and teens:

Print these requirements and post them near the computer in your home after discussing them with your family: 

• Don’t give out personal information: name, age, address, telephone number, parent/guardian’s name, and school name/address.
• Do not respond to mean, offensive, threatening or unwanted email or instant messaging.
• Choose a screen name that doesn’t identify you as a young boy or girl.
• Don’t share your password with anyone (except a parent/guardian)-not even your best friend.
• NEVER agree to meet with someone you don’t know. Remember, people online MAY NOT be who they say they are.
• Tell your parents, a teacher or trusted adult if you read or see something online that makes you uncomfortable or if someone threatens you or suggests you meet.

Here is an excellent resource that offers free, multimedia Internet safety presentations tailored for specific audiences – parents and communities, tweens, teens, and younger children. www.netsmartz.org

Internet Chat Acronyms:

AFAIK As far as I know

AFK Away from keyboard

ASL Age? Sex? Location?

BB Bathroom break

BF Boyfriend

BRB Be right back

CUL8R or CULR See you later

HW Homework

IDC I don’t care

KOTC Kiss on the cheek

LOL Laugh out loud

LYL Love you lots

LYLAS or LYLAB Love you like a sister (or brother)

OMG Oh, my God

POS Parent over shoulder

SN Screen name

TMI Too much information

Vigilance is your most important defense against Internet danger—pay attention to what your children are doing online and make sure they know you’re there!

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Below are some important tips to keep you and your kids burn free at home!

-Set your thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit

-It is nice to have anti-scald devices on faucets and shower heads that will turn the water off when it is too hot

-When testing the water for your child, check it with your wrist or elbow

-It is important to install smoke alarms outside of each bedroom and on every floor of your house.

-Be sure to test alarms once a month and replace the batteries once a year in all smoke alarms.

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Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, and it is the kind of violation that causes after-effects nearly as devastating as the assault itself. Without drastic changes to your personal habits, you can be mindful of ways to help protect yourself from this insidious crime. Although you probably feel safest in your home, it is always a good idea to install a reliable security system with 24-hour monitoring capability to add to your peace of mind and to warn off would-be predators.

Sadly, the statistics about sexual assault are devastating:

• 50% of all women will be physically or sexually abused during their lifetimes. (U.S. Department of Justice)
• 1 in 4 college women will be sexually assaulted during their student tenures. (U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• Every 35 seconds a woman is raped. (U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Rape costs America between 110 and 127 BILLION dollars per year. (In comparison robbery costs approximately 4 billion.) And these are merely the economic costs.

• Women experiencing rape are 26 times more likely to have a drug problem and 13 times more likely to have an alcohol problem.
• 31% of rape victims will experience post-traumatic stress syndrome.
• Rape victims are 13 times more likely to contemplate suicide than non-victims; 1 in 8 will actually attempt suicide.

BASIC PREVENTION GUIDELINES

• Whenever possible, park in a well-lighted area
• Always keep your car locked while driving and after parking
• Since rapists look for women who appear vulnerable and inattentive to their surroundings, always walk purposefully and stay alert, EVEN IN FAMILIAR AREAS.
• Avoid walking alone, especially if you are depressed, exhausted, intoxicated or otherwise distracted.
• If you sense someone following you, walk slower, faster, change your route and head for a place like an open store or a well-lighted private residence and draw attention to yourself.
• Never hitchhike, pick up hitchhikers or accept rides from strangers. You have lost control once you become trapped in a closed vehicle.
• In high-risk areas, like laundromats and basement laundry rooms in apartment buildings, bring a friend with you.
• If you are approached or observe something suspicious, take note of as much detail as possible so that you can furnish police with specific information about the culprit.
• Never accept open drinks or food from a stranger. Be especially alert about this when you are in a crowded or public situation where disabling drugs can easily be manipulated.
• In situations with friends, acquaintances or dates, be sure to say NO loudly and clearly when you mean it. Do not be concerned about politeness when your safety may be at stake.

DEFENDING YOURSELF
Although no one defense works in every situation, here are some recommendations:

• EMPLOY PASSIVE RESISTANCE
• Calm the attacker, trying to persuade them out of the attack by gaining their confidence.
• Claim to be ill, menstruating or pregnant; if possible, cause yourself to urinate or vomit.
• Act insane, be loudly hysterical.
• Fake a faint or seizure. In all cases, make your act unexpected, dramatic and convincing.

EMPLOY ACTIVE RESISTANCE

• Ranging from a simple whistle or scream to fighting tactics, the intention of active resistance is to discourage or forcefully stop the attacker. Realize, however, that you risk reprisal from the attacker and could possibly drive them to more violence if you are unable to follow through with any aggressive act you employ.
• A diverting noise, such as a whistle, scream, shout of “FIRE!” or “POLICE!” may frighten your assailant away but these noises are only useful if there is someone around to hear you.
• If you carry a whistle, keep it on a key chain or in your pocket, NOT on a chain around your neck as it could be used to strangle you.
• Running can be effective, but only if you are reasonably certain that you can get a good lead and can reach safety before the attacker reaches you.
• If you decide to fight your attacker, you must be willing and able to inflict serious injury without hesitation. Apply force to vulnerable areas: kick or hard squeeze to the testicles, hard strike to the throat, hard stomp on the instep or damaging jab into the eyes. It is wise to take a thorough self-defense course before trying to defend yourself physically. Also, get instruction on how to use pepper spray or other defensive legal weapons in order to employ them without risking your own injury.

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ATTACKED…

Whether you fight or submit, remember that you are the victim, you are NOT RESPONSIBLE for the situation and you should ALWAYS report the incident, in as much detail and as soon as possible, to authorities, and seek qualified medical attention. Don’t let your attacker hurt you twice by refusing to report him and carrying unmerited shame or guilt on yourself.

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I recently had a conversation with my children’s school about placements of the children’s bus stops and what can be done about the safety of kids walking to school and to the different stops. Between the daycare my children attend and the school there are no sidewalks and it’s still pitch black that early in the morning.

I just happened to stumble across this story so I figured I’d share since it seems that I’m not the only one that sees the potential for something terrible to happen. So in the article it’s kind of the same situation no sidewalks, dark, and around a corner that the children walk to.

What I found was that I had to do a lot of jumping through hoops and talking to different people at the transportation department for the school district. What I found out was the squeaky wheel gets the oil. The best advice that I can give is to really be aware of when your children leave for school or their bus stop, also maybe walk with them one day to get an understanding for what they see and how their walk is example: any blind spots that a driver might have when coming around corners, and whether or not there are sidewalks.

Then take all that information to the transportation department for the school district and make them aware of the potential dangers that the children are facing. You can ask the department to change bus stop to a more light area or get there assistance with taking to the city about adding a speed bump or sidewalks.  It also can’t hurt to get other parents involved that have the same concerns. It may take some time but it’s worth it!

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I read this article and decided that it’s such a rare occurrence that a story about a house fire ends well that I had to write about this one. In Virginia a Rookie fire fighter Henry Calle was on his way home after his shift at station 31 around 7:30 am. Calle stated that he smelled smoke and then out of the corner of his eye he saw the smoke that he had smelled for roughly a block or two.

Calle called 9-1-1 and ran to the door of the home, Calle banged on it with no answer. Then ran to the back of the house and banged on the back door again with no answer. He ran back around to the front door and banged again finally a man answered and Calle stated your attic is on fire. Calle managed to get two adults and a dog out of the house by the time the fire truck arrived.

The fire was due to an electrical malfunction and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage. But because of Calle they got out with their lives!

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Children, the elderly and people with physical disabilities have the greatest risk of experiencing a fall and also of suffering a serious injury as a result. But you don’t have to be a child, a senior or a disabled person to feel suddenly dizzy or weak and therefore suffer a fall. Anyone can fall because of carelessness, stress, poor vision, or a loss of balance due to the side-effects of drugs or alcohol. While the actual fall may result in nothing more than a bruise or slight cut, falling against a hot stove or hitting one’s head against a hard object can cause a serious injury.

The statistics are alarming: every five hours one older person is killed by an accidental fall in the home. Thousands are seriously injured every year – for many this leads to a long term reduction in their quality of life. Also, injury from falls is a common reason for children to be admitted to the hospital, with children under 9-years-old being the most susceptible to accidental falling and resulting injuries.

With awareness and pre-planning, most of these falls can be avoided. It makes sense to follow some simple safety precautions no matter who lives in your household:

• Install sturdy handrails on both sides of staircases.
• Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs to prevent toddlers from climbing up and falling down the steps.
• Open windows from the top, not the bottom, to keep children from falling out; screens are not strong enough to hold even small children.
• If you suffer from osteoporosis or have an unsteady gait from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or any other disorder, use a walker or a cane for added support.
• Install grab bars in tubs, in showers, and near the toilet. Use nonskid rubber mats or rubber stickers in bathtubs and shower stalls.
• Mark the bottom step with high-visibility tape, different color paint, or some other highly visual marking.
• Install photocell night-lights in your hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and near the staircase so they light automatically when it is dark.
• Remove scatter rugs or be certain they are securely taped to the floor or have a nonskid backing. Air-dry bath mats so the rubber backing doesn’t crack.
• Clear staircases of toys, shoes or other clutter.
• Wear shoes and slippers with non-slip soles; don’t walk up or down stairs in stocking feet.
• Wipe up all spills immediately. A dab of butter, a grape or a wet piece of lettuce can turn a floor into an ice rink, with potentially disastrous results.
• Relocate or tape down extension cords and telephone cords that might make someone trip.
• Be sure all floor surfaces are not slippery. After washing them, block them off from traffic until they are totally dry.
• Window guards should be installed in children’s bedrooms and other rooms where children spend time. Window stops that permit windows to open no more than four inches are alternatives. Keep furniture at least three feet away from windows. Remember: a screen is not a support device; it can pop out and allow the child to fall.
• Install an ADT Home Security System with Two-Way Voice, so that if you or someone inside your home falls, you will be able to speak with an ADT emergency dispatcher from almost any room in the house in order to get the help you need quickly.

Don’t forget to make consistent efforts to avoid falls that can happen outside the house. Especially in winter during icy and wet conditions, make sure walkways and driveways are clean and salted—keep sand, salt or cat litter near every doorway in case extra traction is needed. When carrying bulky packages or bags, never block your line of sight! Make more trips with fewer bundles and be slower, but safer. In all seasons, be sure to wear appropriate footwear for your outdoor activities—it’s particularly easy to sprain or twist a foot or ankle on pavement, outdoor stairways or city brickwork, so be prepared with safe shoes even when your destination calls for something more formal. (You won’t look any better in a cast!)

When your outdoor activity includes bike riding, be sure to wear a bike helmet to help to protect your head and brain from injury. Bike helmets are very important for both children and adults. Also, be sure to wear a helmet, wrist pads, elbow pads and knee pads to protect against injury while roller-blading or skate-boarding.

Whether indoors or outside, always take time to assess your surroundings and make sure of your safe footing and balance. Don’t take unnecessary risks just because you’re in a hurry or distracted.

For young or old, healthy or frail, a little caution goes a long way toward preventing the many injuries that can be caused by accidental falls.

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As the New Year is upon us we usually take the time to think about what things we can do to better ourselves and the lives in which we live. Our new year’s resolutions are usually exercising more, breaking a bad habit, or working to truly get our priorities in order.  Why not make a new year’s resolution that you can get some help with? A new security system for your home will not only give you peace of mind but also help you protect the things in your life that matter the most!

An ADT monitored security system cost probably less than you think. For a little more than a dollar a day you can have around the clock protection from theft, fire, and possible carbon monoxide poisoning. You would also be able to have a direct line to an ADT support person 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Isn’t that a new year’s resolution that worth thinking about?

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I was watching the news the other night and saw a segment on the new scam that people are doing that has the potential now more than ever to effect so many people given that its right around the holidays. There is always that one person that is so hard to buy a gift for during the holidays so what do we do? Well most just decide to get the person a gift card. Well you might want to think twice on that…..

The latest scam is that people are writing down the card number and codes off the back of the cards and waiting for a few days until they assume that the card has been purchased and activated than they just hop on like and start shopping. So there is a chance that the gift card that you get for a loved one is spend before the gift is even received.

What they are suggesting that people do is find a store that keeps their gift cards behind the counter to eliminate the potential that they have been tampered with. Another thing that you can try if you are willing to risk it is buy one from the middle or back of the rack because the assumption is that people that are taking the card numbers are only doing it from the first couple or few cards on the rack.

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