This is a simple plan for folks without a safe room in their home. I came across this article a few weeks ago while researching mylar curtains and balistic protection for homes.
One of my favorite topics to talk about and teach is security and home protection. Locking down your already locked home. What you do beyond locking your doors is what we are talking about. You do lock your doors at night, don't you?
When we start the process of discussing home security, it is like all other facets of Preparedness. The mindset. It does no good to prepare or build a layered security plan if you don't understand why you are doing it. The mind is the most powerful tool you possess. Train it and utilize it as part of your plan building and process development. Step outside the box and see things from a different perspective. If this doesn't make sense then consider reading my book, Hope for Survival and/or A Sheep No More by Jonathan Gilliam. This will help you understand the philosophy of thinking outside the box. So, in this article I'm talking about a SAFE room on the interior of your home.
When you think about a safe room or panic room, you need to focus on making an interior room of your home safer and more secure. Remember this may be where you take your family in the event of an emergency that threatens your life. This interior room of your house will be safer and more secure. It does not have to be high-tech and ugly. In most cases, there is no reason to change the purpose of a bedroom or home office. All you need to do is make it safer, so you want to start with the exterior of your home and work inward. Obtaining a loud home security system is a great start. After that, consider these construction tips before you go crazy with the surveillance system.
GET THE RIGHT DOOR - Have you ever watched the Hollywood tough guys kick down the door and it splits and splinters in to a thousand pieces? Well most likely they are not so tough because it was a hollow core door they attacked. Most interior doors are hollow core with an emphasis on noise reduction and privacy. Get a solid exterior door instead. You will still have the functionality of an interior door, but it will be tougher. Many exterior doors are steel, for greater security.
Reinforce the Frame - A strong door is pointless with a weak frame. Make sure the fame around the door is equally sturdy. Today, most frames are solid with the doors, so ask how much force the frame is rated for. The answer should be "no more Hollywood tough guys can break it down." It should be sturdy enough to withstand a grown man repeatedly throwing himself against it.
Lock it Down - Just as you lock your exterior door with multiple locks, including deadbolts, do the same with your interior door. Also consider a drop-bar lock for even more security, and add more locks at the top and bottom of the door and frame to make it even harder to leverage against a single point.
Replace the Window - It may seem like a pain, but it will be necessary to swap out entire windows, frame and all, with security windows - not just the panes. Cover the windows with heavy curtains, too. Even with the lights on, the right curtains will prevent an intruder from seeing exactly where you are inside your safe room.
Once your room is fortified, make sure you have the necessities just in case you have to barricade yourself inside. Depending on the circumstances, you should prepare for hunkering down for a few minutes or a few days. As with everything else in security and preparedness, always err on the side of overpreparing. That is not a type or misprint. Over prepare. You drive around with four tire rolling and one in reserve, no complaints on this one. Okay, so assuming you have fortified an existing room in your house, consider these steps:
Make it a Safe Room - Add an actual safe; in this case, the room can double as your gun room. A solid safe can be bolted to the floor. If the rule of thumb is self-defense, then be sure that, no matter what the circumstances are, you'll be able to arm yourself. Store guns, ammunition, and cleaning supplies here, and include some basic supplies here.
Don't Forget Water - You can survive for quite a long time without food. But it's easy to find yourself dehydrated in a short time. The safe room also might be used during natural disasters, so plan as if you were preparing for an earthquake or hurricane. Have enough water stored away to last seven to ten days on average. Depending on the reason you are barricaded in to your room, you may need to make arrangements for bathroom business. This will require additional water and sanitation steps.
Call for Help - The most important step is a phone. No helps is ever going to come if you don't have a means of contacting the outside world. Hollywood doe a great job scaring us with mastermind criminals cutting phone lines and disabling security systems. But chances are, you won't have to worry about it in reality. Just in case, keep a cell phone and charger inside the safe room. As soon as you are inside, call emergency services and stay on the line.
Remember the Necessities - Some other things you need to plan for are critical items you must have. Like, prescription medications. You must make sure you have them stashed and if possible have extra. You should also stock a make shift medicine chest. The perfect location for your safe room would be a master bedroom with an attached bath room. This would solve a lot of potential problems.
Lastly - You want to obtain and install a quality surveilance detection system you can operate and monitor from within the safe room. Secure a primary and alternate power source to keep your system operating. These are your eyes and ears until help can be notified to provide backup support. Ensure you test and retest your system. Make sure all of your family knows how to operate the system. Check the system on a routine schedule to ensure operational status.
Good luck,
Blessings,
Bravo Echol Out
