ARE YOUR DOORS LOCKED AT ALL TIMES?
It sounds simple, but in nearly half of all home burglaries, intruders enter through an unlocked doors. Lock your doors even if you are just running to the store or to a neighbour's house.IS YOUR HOME SHIELDED BY TREES OR BUSHES?
Trees and hedges that are trimmed give intruders fewer places to hide or be concealed from view when an intrusion is attempted.LIGHTS OUT: NOBODY HOME?
Burned out outdoor lights signal that the homeowner may be away. Using the cover of night, thieves generally target homes with burned-out or generally insufficient outdoor lighting. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures with devices that have built-in motion detectors that turn on the lights whenever anyone walks past or schedule lighting with a routine that matches dawn and dusk of the time of year.ARE YOU PREDICTABLE?
Thieves know the predictable hiding places and where most of us keep our valuables. A jewelry box on top of the dresser is practically a homing signal as your dresser drawers, the freezer, under the mattress and your cookie jar!IS YOUR HOUSE CASH RICH?
Avoid keeping large amounts of cash and jewelry in your house. Thieves are looking for cash and easy-to-carry things they can turn into cash quickly: jewelry, silver, cameras and other electronic devices. Keep small luxury items locked in a safe or well hidden. Large items don't scare crooks off either - TVs, VCRs, computers and stereos get their attention too. Invest in a simple table/desk bolt for stereos, computers and video equipment. If it's too difficult to steal most thieves, looking to get in and out quickly, won't bother. Get a safe deposit box for heirloom items and things of value that your rarely use.DO YOU HAVE A SECURITY SYSTEM?
Homes without security systems are about three times more likely to be broken into than those with. Seeking the easiest possible course of action, neighbourhood - you'll stick out by exception in this regard.DO YOU HAVE A SMOKE DETECTOR?
Effective March 1, 2006 it is the law for all Ontario homes to have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas.Since most fire fatalities happen at night while victims are asleep, and most fire victims are killed by toxic and smoldering smoke and gases, not the fire itself, an early warning signal is very important. Contrary to a popular belief, the smell of smoke does not always wake sleeping people. Instead the poisonous gases and smoke produced by the fire can put sleeping people into an even deeper sleep by depriving them of oxygen. Only a working smoke detector can provide the early warning signal needed in a fire emergency. The best smoke detectors are part of your security system, so when they go off, your monitoring company alerts the authorities!
DO YOU HAVE A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR?
While we are encouraged to seal off our homes from all drafts and air leaks in the winter to conserve energy, this practice also adds to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Typically a furnace, small camp stove, lantern or other heating appliance produces this gas. Carbon monoxide is odourless, colourless, and deadly. Again carbon monoxide detectors are best as an integral part of your security system, instead of relying on a sound to awaken you from a deep sleep.Carbon monoxide detectors often look just like a smoke detectors. They should be close to your smoke detectors. If you or your family has flu like symptoms during the heating season and experience headaches and nausea mixed with drowsiness, these are carbon monoxide symptoms you may be experiencing.