I want you to think for a moment and consider the state of your home. What condition is it in? What work does it need in ther near future? What things do you want to do to make it a better home for your family?

Now I want you to think for a moment in the mindset of a burglar or a murderer. If you were them and you were sitting in the middle of your street, what do you see and think when you are looking at your house? Does it look like an easy target or a hard target? Are there any signs of a security system? Are there an cameras? A dog? Lights? Is there anything that would make you pass by your house? Is there something that would draw you to the house?

Now after thinking about how you'd like to fix up the house for your family and then thinking about if your house would be easy pickings or not, what other fixes or things would you like to add to your list of things to work on? Hopefully you noticed if you need to replace lightbulbs or add lights around the house. Did you think about adding a security system or even a sign that says your home is protected by a security service? Did you go check that all of your doors are locked and in good order? What did you check?

Here's a list of things you should consider and think on.

Windows:

• Identify all windows on the ground floor level that could be potential ways into the home for an invader.
• Do they lock properly and have sturdy locks such as metal instead of plastic?
• Are they locked?
• Does anything block the view of the window from the outside such as a bush or a tree?
• Is there anything outside the house that could be used as a stool to clim through the window (Home invaders usually won't bring their own stool or ladder, but they'll be more than willing to use yours)?
• Do you have an alarm company or security sticker in your window? Does it look new and not from 10+ years ago?
• If you have standard hung windows, do you have a secondary security device like a bar stop?
• If you have casement windows, do you have standard or reinforced hinges?
• Do the windows have a protective laminate applied? In other words, will your windows be shattered in one blow, or are they able to withstand multiple hits?
• On the first floor, what's in front of the windows? Is the area wide open, or is something like a table or desk infront of them that an invader would have to climb over to get in?

Doors:

• What is the quality and strength of your front, back, side and interior garage doors?
• What's the general appearance of the door? Does it look new, or is it old, faded, weak and looks easy to kick down?
• Are the hinges on the outside or the inside?
• Do you have the ability to look outside without them seeing you?
• Do you use any other kind of lock than the lock on the handle? Deadbolt, chain lock, or throw-over? If not, should you?
• How long are the screws that are used to mount the strike plate? Do they go into the stud or do they only go as deep as the door frame?
• Do you have any devices to more securely strenthen your door?

Lights:

• Is your house well it, or poorly lit on all sides?
• Do you have motion sensors?
• Are your lights in working order?
• Do you actually turn your lights on?
• How about your neighbors? Criminals will not only look for a darkened home, but they'll really look for a darkened home surounded by darkened homes.

General Appearance:

• How close are trees or shrubs to your home? Is there anything that an invader could hide behind while trying to enter your home?
• Do you have security alarm signs (in new condition) around the house?
• Do you have a beware of dog sign (yes, even if you don't have a dog. Most criminals don't like the idea of a loud dog coming after them or giving them away)?
• Does your home look like an easy pick compared to your neighbor? No we don't want neighbors to be picked instead of us, but we are trying to make our home less desirable and safer. So, if our house looks easier than our neighbors, we probably haven't done enough to make that a reality.

Alarm:

• Do you have a security alarm, and do you set it? Homes that have alarms are three times less likely to be burglarized.
• Is your alarm connected to an alarm service?
• Do you have motion detectors, glass break sensors, and sensors on the windows?
• Again, do you have signage for this alarm posted about?

These are just some ideas and things to get started. Comment and let me know what other things you do or you'd check to make sure you Protex your home.

Now that we've gone over a checklist of things to look for and do with our homes, what is the plan if something were to happen? If someone came knocking on your door at 2am, what do you do? If you hear glass breaking downstairs, how would you handle the situation? If your family was in danger while at home, what is the plan? How do you take care of everyone?

Think of all of the things we prepare for in life. You may remember your school days when you practiced safety drills. Maybe it was for a fire, an earthquake, or some other disaster. In those practices what did you do? What were you told? I remember being told to get under my desk for an earthquake and wait for the teacher to tell us it was safe to head out to the field and meet togther as a class and take roll. I remember during the fire drills that we were told to exit the nearest door and head to the prearranged spot for our class to meet up and again, take roll. Well do you have plans in place to do certain things in regards to different situations or dangers that may take place? Does your family know where to meet up or what to do in those situations? This is why it's a very good idea to have a Home Defense Plan in place. This could be for a burglar break in, a fire, sickness or whatever else may arrise. It never hurts to be prepared.

Here is a basic checklist of ideas that should be included in your plan.

• Are the front and back lights on?
• Is the alarm on? Do we have time to turn it on or hit the panic button?
• Is the defensive firearm placed/stage in an appropriate place to have quick access yet be safe from unauthorized use?
• Where is the phone and how do I dial 911? (Can you find the phone in the dark or with a sleepy mind?)
• If the home is invaded or in danger, what room do you move to? (You may set up multiple places to meet depending on the situation. Not all situations include you being in your room or having access to it. Does it even include moving to a room or evacuating the home altogether?)
• Does everyone know how to get to these locations?
• If someone (Kids, Elderly) needs help getting there, who's responsability is it to help them?
• Once at the gathering place, what do we do?
• If we need to exit the home, where do we meet up?
• What commands do we give?
• How do I identify a friend from a foe?
• What's a family code word to identify whom and where you are?
• How do we inform our family that we'll be coming home late, or that a guest will be in the home?
• Does each family member know how to call 911?
• Does each family member know how to do their part of the plan?
• Does each age-appropriate family member know how to use the home defense firearm?
• What do we do when the police arrive?

Comment and let me know what's on your Home Defense Plan. Contact me if you need help making or implimenting YOUR plan so you can Protex your home and family.