The homelessness crisis across the nation has greatly impacted the areas we service, including Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Because homelessness has become such an issue throughout the region, local agencies are now partnering with private institutions in an effort to combat the problem. For example, the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank Pittsburgh) recently announced a $1.075 million investment in grants for homelessness reduction programs.
With Father’s Day approaching, it’s time to turn our attention toward ways to make Dad’s day extra special. Now that many fathers are starting to return to in-person work (after a year of working from home and helping with remote learning), this year’s Father’s Day calls for smart home security technology to make his life – and, your whole family’s life – a whole lot simpler.
Use our Spring Home Security tips below to get your home ready for warm weather. Remember, Security is not expensive, It is PRICELESS!
1. Doors & Windows: Make sure to close and lock your windows at night and when you are away from home.
2. Eliminate Hiding places: Clear away areas that are overgrown or could provide thieves with hiding spots.
3. Know your neighbors: Work with your neighbors to keep an eye out for suspicious activities on your street. Leave a key with a neighbor, don’t leave a key under the doormat, plant pot near entrance.
4. Exterior Lighting: Make sure that the exterior is well lit at night. Use motion-sensitive fixtures around the perimeter or smart light bulbs indoor to make it seems like you’re home when you’re away.
5. Make Home Look Occupied: Create the illusion that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and TV’s. Keep an extra car parked prominently in the drive way or ask a neighbor to park their car there.
6. Suspend Deliveries: If away on vacation, put a hold on newspaper and mail deliveries. Consider having packages delivered elsewhere or requiring a signature for delivery.
7. Set a safety routine: Make sure your alarm system are armed every time you leave the house. Check the batteries in smoke detectors and test your burglar alarm system on a monthly basis.
8. Social Media: Don’t leave a message announcing travel plans on the answering machine, e-mail auto-responder or on social media sites.
Security Instrument wishes you to have a wonderful Spring break while your home and properties remain Safe & Sound.
About Security Instrument
From Fortune 500 to local SMB’s throughout the Tri-State area, Security Instrument integrates custom security systems to meet the needs of commercial clients.
It’s Older Americans Month – and while we should hold concern for our older loved ones year-round, the season of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is a great time to think about their home security. If you are considering an upcoming home improvement project for a beloved parent or grandparent, a security system for senior citizens is a great idea. What sets a home security system for seniors apart from other electronic solutions is the unique way it addresses their safety needs while also connecting parts of the home to electronic sensors. This functionality allows loved ones to stay on top of what’s going on in the home without infringing on the senior’s privacy. Here are some examples of ways it can work.
Security Systems for Seniors: Possible Features
If you are an adult child or caregiver seeking out a security solution for senior citizens, keep an eye out for features like:
· Sensors that can be placed in key parts of the home – like beds, refrigerators and medicine cabinets – so you will know when those places are being used, and can intervene if they are ever not being used
· A quiet connection to the system, such as a smartphone app you can discreetly look at anytime
· A notification feature that sends you emergency alerts when necessary
· Built-in intelligence that memorizes the activity in the senior’s home, so it can detect any unusual activity that may happen
Connecting Lights, Locks and Thermostats
For additional security, other elements in the home can be connected to the security system as well. Seniors can be even safer when their lights and locks are electronically connected to the security system; this is an option that enables their loved ones to program lights to come on and go off at certain times of day, and allows keyless entry into the home with a simple number code (which means no more lost keys for anyone!). Even thermostats can be connected, which means heating and cooling can be turned on and off remotely by caregivers from the smartphone app. If cameras are part of the home security system, seniors’ authorized loved ones can watch live video feed from the app as well.
To look into the options we offer in security systems for senior citizens, contact Security Instrument today. We look forward to helping you and your loved one.
About Security Instrument
Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned integrator that offers numerous home security options, including security systems for senior citizens. In Delaware Valley, Security Instrument serves thousands of customers located throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.
As consumers, we want to buy the newest technology available, and for security cameras, that means Ultra High Definition. However, there’s more to finding the perfect security solution. It’s critical to factor in the total cost, including storage for the video footage when shopping for security cameras.
The holidays are here, and that means it’s time for an annual review on holiday fire prevention. There are even some ways you can work alongside your home security system to have a safer holiday season. But to start, check out these startling facts regarding holiday fire risks:
- Thanksgiving is the most common day of the year for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving when much of the food prep for Thanksgiving is being done.
- U.S. fire departments respond to an estimated 1,570 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving in a single year.
- By far and wide, unattended cooking is the leading factor in cooking fires and house fire-related deaths.
- Cooking equipment is involved in almost half of all reported house fires and house fire injuries annually, and it is the second leading cause of house fire-related deaths.
Source: National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Holiday Fire Prevention Advice
Taking these facts into consideration, the NFPA instructs people to:
- Stay in the kitchen while cooking on the stove top, whether it is gas or electric.
- Stay in the house when cooking in the oven, and open the oven often to check on the progress.
- If using a turkey fryer, always fry outdoors. Never fry a bird indoors, and never fry it while it’s frozen (this is a major fire risk unto itself).
- Keep the floor clean; toys, decor and gifts piled up throughout the house can be fire risks and obstruct exits.
- Keep natural Christmas trees watered, and make sure all trees (natural and artificial) are at least three feet away from any heat source (including lights, candles and heating vents).
- Make sure trees are not blocking any exits in the home.
- Use the correct lights for the area you are illuminating, whether it’s indoors or out.
- Replace any lights with broken or loose bulbs; do not use lights with broken cords.
- Never use real candles on or near a tree.
- Always turn string lights and other electrical decorations off before leaving the house or going to bed.
Following these holiday fire prevention tips can help your family to enjoy a safer, more memorable holiday season. To discuss using your home security system to make the season even safer, contact Security Instrument. We will be glad to answer your questions.
About Security Instrument
Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned security integrator that offers numerous electronic security options. We serve thousands with both commercial and home security in Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.
It doesn’t take long for the slippers you bought Aunt Mary Anne for Christmas to disappear from your porch. Unfortunately, it only takes porch pirates seconds to steal any packages off your porch that were delivered while you were at work. There’s a perfect solution for this problem, and that’s a smart home security system with a video doorbell and smart locks for your home.
The video doorbell has taken the security industry by storm, quickly becoming one of America’s favorite security products. Security Analytics forecasts that security consumers around the world will spend close to $8 million on smart home cameras. This prediction includes video doorbells. So, what exactly can this doorbell do to enhance your home security?
Be the perfect crime-fighting duo with smart home security this Halloween. Halloween is a fun holiday for the kids, but vandalisms, burglars, and other property crimes are prevalent. Property crimes are crimes of opportunity, so don’t provide criminals with open invitations to target your home.
Everyone’s favorite time of year is here; we love the crisper air, the color of the leaves, and the anticipation of the holidays coming up. What most of us don’t love about fall, though, is going back to “real life” after a leisurely summer. And if you own a vacation property, there’s the added burden of figuring out how your summer home will stay secure for the next few months while you’re away. After all, every resort town has its prowlers looking for homes to rob in the off-season – and you want to make sure they don’t succeed at breaking into yours. How do you do it? The answer is smart technology.
No, this isn’t the same as the futuristic appliances you only see at the showroom of home and technology expos. This is smart home technology that powers home security systems. It’s designed to be more accessible than the devices you see in showrooms, because its ideal users are families like yours. It features:
Cameras that Connect
Home video surveillance has come a long way; it’s no longer just for the affluent. Today’s smart tech security cameras are for families who want their homes, including primary residences and vacation homes, to be secure at all times – no matter how many valuables are (or aren’t) stored inside. After all, your home is your sanctuary and your vacation home is your home-away-from-home.
These cameras can connect to your alarm system, so that the motion sensors and glass break detectors will work alongside your cameras to detect intruders and alert the monitoring center. And of course, they’ll alert you as well via your smartphone security app. The cameras connect to your alarm, and they connect to you.
Professional Security Monitoring
If you’ve ever owned a monitored home security system, you know the value of being able to talk to a live security operator when the system is triggered. With a vacation home, the system is even more valuable because the monitoring center can send law enforcement to your vacation property while you’re away. You’ll be notified, of course, but you don’t need to go to the property unless you want to. If your vacation home is hours away by car, that’s a pretty welcome convenience!
Protection from Other Hazards
Not all threats to a vacation home are caused by human intruders. Other threats are environmental: carbon monoxide, flooding, freezing and fire. If you receive an alert that any of these threats are present at the vacation home, you’ll be able to act immediately.
See how valuable smart tech security can be – not just for your primary home, but your vacation home as well? To get more details on these systems, contact Security Instrument.
About Security Instrument
Security Instrument is a full-service, independently-owned security integrator that offers numerous residential and commercial security options. We serve thousands of customers located throughout Delaware, MD, NJ & PA.
About Us
Security Instrument is Delaware’s largest full-service independently-owned security firm with over 75 employees serving thousands of customers throughout Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.
Locations
Wilmington, DE
309 West Newport Pike
Wilmington, DE 19804
(302) 633-5621
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Milton, DE
28340 Lewes Georgetown Hwy.
Milton, DE 19968
(302) 645-2212
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