Sadly, it seems to be a growing sign of the times that the once-simple act of answering your own front door bell has turned into an increasingly dangerous proposition; especially if you live alone. But by keeping these three tips in mind you can minimize risk of a possible home invasion:

1. Unless you are expecting someone, do not open the door when your door bell rings. Instead, walk up to the door and clearly announce “I am not expecting anyone at present so I must ask you to leave.”
2. If the person on the other side states that it’s an emergency and they need to use your phone, don’t fall prey to this tactic. Instead announce “if you give me the number to call I will be happy to place the call for you.” If they say they want to give you literature, ask them to mail it.
3. If the person remains persistence, clearly announce that you are now dialing 9-1-1 and do exactly that.

As harsh or abrupt as these tips may seem, it’s important to remember that we’re not living in the same kind of towns we were living in 50 years ago. The times have changed, and with that advancement brings a need for new personal safety practices.

When all has been said and done you haven’t been rude – you’ve offered to help by making a call if the situation is indeed an emergency –but you have preserved your personal security.

Many products that help keep your home and vehicles clean and in working condition may also be harmful and poisonous. Practice caution when using and storing household chemicals and substances, and in case of ingestion call the national poison hot line at 1-800-222-1222. Follow the tips below to help ensure the safety of your home.

• Same container: Keep products properly labeled in the same container they came in. Moving them to other containers can lead to improper use and hazards.

• Follow directions: Don’t compromise your home’s safety by mixing products together that may cause chemical reactions. Always follow the directions on a product’s packaging, especially if they call for using gloves, eye goggles and other safety wear. Mix insect sprays as directed in outdoor areas away from areas your family members and pets use.

• Out of Reach: Store and lock products labeled with the words “Poison,” “Danger,” “Keep out of Reach of Children” and “Warning” in a place where children cannot see or reach them. Some products may include antifreeze, pesticides, paint thinner and automotive fluids. Also be careful of pool chemicals, which are poisonous and flammable. Make sure that flammable materials are stored near smoke detectors, which are often included as part of home alarm systems.

Hot water is a hazard not covered by your ADT alarm system that often goes unnoticed in homes. But it takes only a second to be scalded in a home accident. Use caution and follow these home safety tips to help prevent scalds:

• Set the temperature: Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Test tub water: Always run your hand through bathtub water to check it’s a safe temperature before getting in or placing your child in it.

• Install special spouts: Buy specially made tub spout and shower heads that help prevent burns by turning off the water flow if the water reaches a temperature that can lead to burns.

• Cook safely: Keep children away from the stove, use oven mitts and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove while cooking. Be careful when sipping hot drinks and drink out of a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Keeping up your home’s aesthetics and functionality is important. However, finding a safe, reliable contractor to help you do this is just as vital when your family and home’s security could potentially be put at risk. So keep these precautions in mind when searching for and hiring a contractor:

1. Decide what you want: Determine what should be done before you contact contractors, so you don’t get talked into work that you didn’t consider before.
2. Get recommendations: Ask friends, family members and acquaintances for recommendations. Hardware stores and consumer-rating websites like Angie’s List are also good sources to check out. If any red flags come up, eliminate those contractors from your list. Compromising your home security isn’t worth saving a few bucks.
3. Compare candidates: Check to see if contractors have experience in and are licensed to do the desired work. Also get estimates for what you want done.
4. Get it in writing: Get a copy of everything you sign, and make sure it has all your stipulations and you understand it.
5. Pay when the work is complete: Make sure all work is complete before you pay your final bill.

With winter quickly approaching in many parts of the country, it’s important to keep home safety in mind. The colder months of the year present their own unique challenges. Below, you’ll find some tips to keep you safe.

Keep Up Appearances: When you go away on vacation to some sunny spot, don’t forget to arrange to have your driveway plowed. If it’s completely snowed over, criminals will be much more likely to target your home.

Start Your Vacation By Setting Your Alarm: In the rush to pack and make a flight, even the most responsible homeowner can forget to set his or her ADT home alarm system. Take an extra second to stop and double-check.

Beware the Cold: The weather can do severe damage to your home. When a frozen pipe bursts, the results can be disastrous. Likewise, snow piled on top of your roof could cause a collapse, risking not only damage to your property but hazard to your family as well.

Be aware this winter. With a few simple but important considerations, you can help to ensure that your home and family will make it through to the warmer months without a problem.

September is finally here, and it’s time to send your little guy or girl off to college. In all of the excitement of this big moment, don’t let the importance of home security get lost in the mix. The first days of the school year are thrilling regardless of whether it’s freshman or senior year, and thoughts of safety end up abandoned amidst the hoopla. As a parent, it’s up to you to remind your children of the importance of maintaining home security, either in the dorm or off campus. Here are some tips to pass along to your kids:

Remain Aware of Your Surroundings: While the first few weeks of freshman year can seem like summer camp, remember that not everyone is as trusting and innocent as you are. Thefts happen in the dorm everyday, and once a valuable possession is gone, it’s likely that it won’t be seen again. Remember to lock your door when you leave, and make sure your roommate is on the same page.

Ask Your Landlord for an ADT Home Alarm: Many landlords are coming around to the fact that home security is their responsibility, just like fixing a broken dishwasher or a leak in the roof. Ask your landlord to install an ADT home security system. Offer to tack on a few extra dollars per month; the savings will come back in spades when a burglary is thwarted.

Keep an Open Dialogue With Your Neighbors: Let the folks living around you know that you want to hear about any suspicious behavior. Taking collective home security seriously is the best way to keep everyone around you safe, including yourself.

With some basic precautions around campus and your home, you can go a long way towards a safe school year. Contact ADT today to see how they can help.

Summer is nearing its end, and that means children across America will soon be hearing that first bell that kicks off the new school year. That makes some kids happy and other kids sad, but regardless, every child needs to understand that safety and home security take top priority. There are too many potential hazards out there to give this anything less than your full attention. Look below for tips to help ensure your child’s safety this school year.

Perform Some Bus Stop Recon: No matter whether it’s your kid’s first or hundredth ride, it pays to spend a few minutes scouting out the place where he or she will wait for the bus. If there is a walk from your home involved, take the time for a practice run.

Replay Home Security Basics: Now is as good a time as ever to go over your expectations for keeping your home protected. If your child is old enough to operate the ADT home alarm, have them show you how to do it. This is especially important if the child will be left alone.

Talk to Neighbors: Have a discussion with the folks living around you about expectations for the new school year. Consider setting up a schedule to take care of each others’ kids if an adult isn’t always available in both homes.

Lay Out Rules for Older Children: Kids in high school and college represent a whole different set of challenges. Sit your child down and have a frank talk about the dangers involved with operating a motor vehicle, especially in cases where alcohol is involved. Parents are the number one deterrent for bad behavior, so take the few minutes to speak to your kids.

As the dog days of August turn into cooler September rain showers, make sure your children are safe. Practice these home safety and school safety tips. There’s nothing more precious than their well-being, and you should take every step possible to ensure it.

Have you ever heard the expression, “a team is only as strong as its weakest link”? While not universally true, it certainly applies to home security. By banding together with your neighbors, you can greatly bolster your own property’s protection. Along with an ADT home alarm system, this can be one of the best ways to keep your family safe. Here are some tips for getting your neighborhood watch group off the ground.

Start Small: Talk to your neighbors to the immediate left and right. This is the first step to increasing the strength of your neighborhood’s defense system. Discuss mutual expectations and concerns, and delegate responsibilities.

Expand Across the Neighborhood: Now that you have the backing of more homeowners, take the campaign further by going door to door. Don’t be discouraged if you get rejected from a few homes on your way-it’s their loss. You can also print up flyers if you would prefer to move things forward from a distance.

Home Security Meetings: Once the organization has been developed, hold a monthly meeting to talk about potential threats. Encourage your neighbors to openly discuss home security issues.

As a unit, your neighborhood can protect itself against potential intruders. By banding together, you can supplement stronger locks, a home alarm system, and other individual home security measures.

Packing for safety is key. It is important to always take along things like a personal alarm, a door alarm, cash carriers and passport jackets.  It is also important to keep everything important, such as money and documents, close to your body where they’re harder for someone to steal. Not in an inside pocket or fanny pack, but a money belt or harness that is worn inside your clothing. Especially when traveling overseas.

For example, a woman in the Paris train station sat her fanny pack with her and her husband’s passports, their traveler’s cheques, and their cell phone all on top of her suitcase. When she turned sideways to bend down beside the suitcase and look inside their backpack, everything was stolen in the blink of an eye. A busy train station with people walking by and bumping into one another was all it took for someone to casually pick up the fanny pack and leave my friends stranded in a foreign country without cash and their passports.  They hadn’t even purchased their train ticket yet, so they couldn’t get to the American Embassy. Their first mistake was putting everything they had in one central location. They should have each had their own passports on their bodies.  Each of them should have had money and traveler’s cheques hidden on their bodies. Their cell phones that had all of their phone numbers stored inside them should have been separated inside luggage and a duffel bag, and they should have had a back-up system like a written copy of emergency numbers.

Personal alarms can protect you if you’re out and someone tries to mug you or if you’re in a situation where you simply feel uncomfortable. By pulling a wire out of a handheld device, an ear piercing alarm is emitted that will scare off a potential attacker and attract attention to you. A door alarm will do the same, except it is like a bumper placed at the foot of the door that will sound if someone tries to gain entry.

If you go on vacation, especially to a foreign country where you might not be fluent in the language, be careful about what you pack. Make sure you’re taking the safety items you need to make your vacation a success. Do it right and your only worries will be how much stuff you lug home!

As for the safety of your home while you are away, ADT home security has been protecting American homes for over one hundred years. Their monitoring professionals are quick to respond. Remember to travel safe, and keep your home security level up while you travel.

For the ultimate in home security, supplement your home alarm system with a set of closed circuit television cameras. Commonly referred to as CCTV, these high-powered devices allow you to monitor everything happening both inside and outside of your home. Having the ability to spot a potential problem before it becomes a disaster can save lives.

With recent significant leaps in technology, CCTV is now an even more effective way to protect your property. Going on vacation any time soon? With a CCTV system from your home security provider, you can keep track of the situation from any computer with a broadband internet connection. Take a brief look each day; if anything seems out of the ordinary, you can immediately contact a home security professional to investigate and decide whether further action is needed.

Most experts will agree that home security cameras are one of the most effective ways to combat potential break-ins. Having the ability to scope out your property before exiting the front door is a sure way to beat back the potential for intrusion.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your home security system, a CCTV setup is the next natural evolution. Offering great protection at a very reasonable cost, closed circuit cameras give you an eye into the outside world from the comfort and safety of your own home.