Fire Safety Tips
August 25, 2008
Did you know that fire is the third leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, yet most people ignore it. More than 150 workplace fires occur every day. So many of theses untimely deaths could have been prevented if they only had a plan.
The number one tip any family can have is, make sure all family members know what to do in the event of a fire. In a fire, timing is very critical. Don’t waste time getting dressed, don’t search for pets or valuables. Just get out! Set up a way for everyone to sound a family alarm. Screaming, pounding on walls, yelling "fire"!
If a fire happens in your home, you have to get out fast! Prepare for a fire emergency by sitting down with your family and agreeing on an escape plan. Be sure that everyone knows at least two escape exits, the doors and windows from every room. Decide on a meeting place outside where everyone will meet after they escape the fire. Have your entire household practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Essentials For Hurricane Season
August 9, 2008
According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the East Pacific expects 15 to 16 tropical storms. Nine of these end up becoming hurricanes with five becoming deadly major hurricanes. If you live in the southeastern part of the U.S. then you know that hurricane season started on June 1st. Are you prepared for Hurricane season? Did you know that Hurricane season lasts until the end of November? Have you gone out and bought all the supplies that you may need? This article is written to help you prepare for any kind of hurricane. It will also provide you with a list of items that are essential for any storm.
What do you need to do in order to prepare for a hurricane? If you live near the coastline, and a hurricane with deadly winds is going to make landfall, then you might consider evacuating and going to a shelter. You need to keep watching the news to see if the state has declared a state of emergency. If you are in the path of a land-falling hurricane, then you should prepare and have a list of supplies ready. List of supplies include: a first aid kit with all the necessary medications, canned food and an opener, plenty of water to last for at least 3 days, flashlights, a battery powered radio and extra batteries. Other supplies may include sandbags, tape, generator, raingear, sleeping bags and lastly protective clothing.
Home Security ? Defend Your Home and Possessions Against Intruders!
July 24, 2008
With all of the emphasis in the past few years on Homeland Security, many people have overlooked the importance of home security. While it might not make the first story on the news, when your house is burgled, safeguarding your home soon becomes the most important issue in your world.
The Facts
There’s no reason to wait until it happens to you. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 75% of all crime in the United States is property crime. In 2003, there were 14 million thefts of property. In 83% of these crimes, the burglars actually entered the home or some other building to steal property.
According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, residential burglaries in 2003 averaged $1600 in property or cash loss per incident. This does not include repair of locks, doors, windows, and other destruction. Are you willing to give $1600 (not to mention the security of your home and safety of your family) to a burglar?
It can happen to anyone. Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you are a target of burglars. What are you going to do about it?
The Options
Who Abducted the Missing Child?
July 8, 2008
What is going on with these people who feel they can walk onto your property or in front of your home and abduct your child? If those parents had installed a hidden camera in their home, the police could use the recordings from the camera and have a quick lead to find the child and return them safely. Being prepared for the unthinkable act of your child being abducted by installing hidden cameras is much better than wishing later you had installed cameras!
You can order a hidden camera and you can easily install it within the week!! Hidden cameras will make our children safer.
An Outdoor Motion light system with cameras can be placed on the outside of your house. If someone comes around, the motion lights come on and the camera begins to record the action on your VCR inside.
I’m sure you have assets such as a swimming pool, garage, and yard furniture that you want to protect. Install a camera nearby and if something disappears or is damaged, you have a picture of the person who did the unlawful thing.
Life Insurance - Wise Investment to Protect Your Home or Excessive Caution?
June 22, 2008
Life insurance is typically taken out to offer valuable financial protection for your family in the event of your death, upon which a payment is made to your financial beneficiaries, heirs or family members. The extent of this payment will depend on your insured sum and earnings. Life insurance and life assurance may be interlinked in advertisements, though bear in mind the two policies are different. Life assurance is a form of financial protection which is also an investment, as you should always get a pay-out at the end of the term of the policy. Life insurance on the other hand is simply financial protection for your family, avoiding the issue of debt in the event of your death.
According to an article by the Fair Investment Company, the British life insurance industry shrank to almost half the size of the pensions industry last year and according to the Association of British Insurers, less than 50% of UK households hold a life insurance policy.
In their most recent newsletter about this issue, the Association of British Insurers found that 25% of mortgage holders had insufficient life insurance to cover their debt. The ratio of new life insurance policies to new mortgage loans was apparently 68% in 1994, but by 2004 this had dropped by half to 33%.
How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
June 6, 2008
Millions of people everyday rely on fire extinguishers to put out minor fires which start in the home. Fire extinguishers contain a powder which is known to instantly put out a fire and prevent it from spreading any further. In 2004, fire extinguishers saved over 25 lives in the United States and prevented over 1,500 injuries. Fire departments all over the world encourage home owners to have at least one fire extinguisher in the home at all times. That said, studies show that approximately 80% of homeowners do have at least one in their home, but the question is do they know how to use it?
Sure it’s great to know there’s a fire extinguisher close by if you ever need one, but what most people don’t understand is if you don’t know how to use these devices, they are practically useless. Everyone should know how to use a fire extinguisher and if you are one of the many who don’t, the follow steps will provide you with everything you need to know.
The easiest way to learn how to use a fire extinguisher is to memorize the acronym P.A.S.S. and memorize the meaning of each letter. The following list will provide you with the meanings of each letter:
Hurricane Preparedness
May 21, 2008
If you are about to get hit by a Hurricane are you prepared? Do you have enough plywood to board up your windows? Often the local lumber companies will be sold out. In fact if you wait till the last minute Home Depot will be out too. Do you own a portable generator? No? Get one. Do you have enough fuel to keep it powered up? Most generators can use up to 1.5 gallons per hour and thus you need spare fuel tanks as well? If you wait too long the gas stations will be closed and after the Hurricane the power may not be turned back on for up to two-weeks depending on the damage. If you are talking about a direct hit Category III or IV it is entirely possible that it will be at least that long.
So what do you really need? Well you will need water first off. Fill up your bathtubs and any containers you have before the hurricane. Figure about 15 gallons per day per person. You can get by on 6-8 gallons if you have to, but 15 comfortably. Next you need food. Remember with the power out those foods needing refrigeration will spoil in a couple of days, so you need ready to eat type foods. Perhaps freeze, as much of your water as you can, ice is always a premium after a Hurricane.
How To Turn Thirty Dollar Web Camera Into Home Surveillance System
May 5, 2008
Web cameras are really inexpensive these days. With no technical knowledge, you can hook up one or several camerass to your PC and create own surveillance system, much like CCTV (closed curcuit television). But you’ll need the right tools first.
Active WebCam
Active WebCam captures images up to 30 frames per second from any video device including USB and Analog cameras, TV-boards, Camcorders and Network IP cameras. The program broadcasts captured content or from your computer or uploads it to FTP server. Broadcasting can be viewed using any Internet browser; no plug-ins or downloads required. The program performs simultaneous recording and broadcasting from unlimited number of cameras. Your camera / cameras can be used as surveillance system. When the program detects motion in the monitored area, it sounds alarm, e-mails you captured images, starts broadcasting, or records video. Live broadcasting as well as recording can be password protected that all video and audio information are scrambled and cannot be viewed without valid password. The program has features to place image overlays and date/time stamp on each video frame, and adjust picture size / quality.
Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/activewebcam.htm
Blue Iris
Surveillance Camera Positioning
April 19, 2008
It is a known fact that advertising is made to attract our eyes. Marketers work very hard to plant visual memories in your mind. They use anomaly phrases, rhetorical questions, sexy images and ironic text. There are many reasons why this is done but the biggest reason is that it works. Our eyes are often caught and our brains captured for a moment while we digest the advertisement. Since the advertising world has done such a good job in making us look and think there is a slight hesitation in our gaze and direction of sight. This of course is the world’s best time to snap a shot or grab an image of a human on a surveillance camera.
One of the best methods of insuring that images are captured is to place them behind power advertising promotional signs. So often surveillance cameras are put up on corners of buildings or on ceilings. We saw after the 7-7 London Transit Bombings images of perpetrators used by police investigators to track down the other links of suspects and perhaps even prevent future attacks. As we study the human eye gaze innate characteristics and the time of visual recognition we see that some images take the mind-eye visual registration a second extra. This is enough time to catch a really good image of each passer by for use in face recognition software to use for searching databases of "Watch List" humans who are most apt to be problematic to our civilization.
How to Buy a Safe for Your Home
April 3, 2008
The first step is to determine who or where you will buy your safe from. There are many places to buy a safe today, you can buy from a "big box store", an office supply store, a furniture store, a hardware store, online, or even from a professional safe retailer or locksmith.
With any other than the safe retailer or locksmith you run the very real chance of not being able to get qualified advice as to what you need, not being able to arrange service or repair should the need arise. When you buy from a professional safe retailer or professional locksmith who also sells safes, you are likely to be dealing with someone who knows which safe will best fill your unique needs, these people make their living by selling safes, they know how a particular type or model will perform, they know the features and benefits, and what they are meant to protect. Being the experts they are, they also offer service, repair and delivery services.
Would you really trust the protection of your priceless valuables to the advise you will receive from a minimum wage stockperson at a "big box store"?
