Top 10 Garage Door Security Tips to Prevent Break-Ins

Top 10

by Bryan Black of ITS Tatcial

1. Don’t leave the garage door remote in your vehicle – If a thief breaks in to your car and steal the remote he has a way into your home.
2. Invest in a keychain remote opener – Stop using that remote you clip to your visor and get a keychain remote opener that you can leave on your keys.
3. Secure your garage door emergency release.
4. Keep it locked – Put a deadbolt on the door between your house and garage; is it really that much of an inconvenience to have to use a key each time you come home?
5. Make sure the door from your garage into your house is as secure as your front door – Ensure you have a strong, sturdy door made out of solid-core wood or reinforced steel and install an Anti-Kick device.
6. Don’t leave your garage door open – It amazes me how many people in my neighborhood just leave their garage door open all the time. It’s just inviting someone to pop their heads in and grab something. Listen up America! I don’t care how safe you think your neighborhood is, good neighborhoods are the first place criminals like to drive through to case houses.
7. Install a wide-angle peephole in the door between your house and your garage – You’ll at least be able to see what’s going on if you hear a strange noise; rather than opening the door to find out.
8. Frost or cover your garage windows – Don’t do thieves any favors by enabling them to see when your vehicle is gone, a better idea would be to replace the door with one that lacks windows.
9. Padlock the throw latch on your garage door when you’re out of town – If you don’t have a manual lock on your garage door, you can use a c-clamp tightened down on each side of the door track to effectively “lock” down the door. It’s similar to those small window track locks you can buy for your home interior windows.
10. Don’t neglect maintenance on the mechanical parts of your roll-up garage door and keep an eye out for corrosion. Don’t forget the door from your garage to your house; check the frame, locks, hinges and any replaceable items.

Test your system for vulnerabilities! Please also take a few minutes and share this with your friends and family! Don’t be the victim of a garage door break-in this holiday season!

A Bug's life

Preparing for disasters not yet announced seems to carry a certain criticism or maybe a bit of scrutiny about it. Could it have been that 50’s Americana cold war propaganda has created that kind of stigma? Whatever the case, inherently people have the natural preparation instinct about them.

As legend tells it, a Greek slave named Aesop, who was a storyteller, one day received his freedom as a reward for his wit and intelligence. As a freedman he supposedly became involved in public affairs and traveled a lot—telling his fables along the way.  

D.L. Ashliman an American folklorist and writer stated that Aesop’s fables "They were among the first printed works in the vernacular European languages, and writers and thinkers throughout history have perpetuated them to such an extent that they are embraced as among the essential truths about human beings and their ways.” Holding these words to be true, generations of people have been influenced by his works. One of Aesop’s greatest fables is the Ant and the Grasshopper.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.	1
“Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?”	2
“I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.”	3
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: “IT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY.” Metaphorically and symbolically speaking preparedness favors the victor. The old adage 'to the victor goes the spoils' is more relevant in prepping than one might think. The spoils of victory are the quintessential extra bonuses, perks and treasure you get from winning a war. Is the “War” not the internal struggle with balancing being prepared and living a life of worldly or religious trust? Christianity has given many scriptures that preparation is just in the eyes of God. A fellow blogger and Prepper by the name of Chris Ray wrote here are the biblical scriptures that have spoken about preparedness.  Proverbs 27:12  A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.  Genesis 6:21  “And remember; take enough food for your family and for all the animals”. God could have easily provided enough food every day for all people and animals on board, but He had Noah prepare ahead of time. Genesis 41:1-32  “I had a dream last night,” Pharaoh told him, “and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you.” Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph interpreted it for him, leading Pharaoh to stockpile seven years of grain. God used seven years of great prosperity to bless them in the seven years of famine. Proverbs 6:6 – 6:11 6:6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise! 6:7 Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work, 6:8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. 6:9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? I want you to learn this lesson: 6:10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest 6:11 and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. In closing tonight the ant is a freak of nature and a prepping machine, its internal instinct drives it to prepare and work harder than any insect on the plant. Mankind on the other hand has become a society of instance gratification which, relies on the fruits and labors of others in order to survive. We must find that primal instinct and re-motivate ourselves. Being prepared in the event of disasters isn’t always easy or cheap; sometimes sacrifice is the key. Putting off instant gratification, saving and preparing in the end will ultimately win the war over scarcity.

Preparedness Fundamentals

When having an intellectual conversation regarding preparedness fundamentals the following must be considered as the status quo:

·        Escape routes.

·        Family Communications.

·        Utility shut-off and safety.

·        Securing insurance and vital records.

·        Basic first aid and CPR training.

·        Acquiring suitable shelter

·        Food and water.

·        Personal Protection and other security measurements.

·        Caring for animals.

·        Acquiring power, heating and cooling.

  Arguably, this list could go on and on from many different perspectives and situations. So often it appears that society in general adopts the notion that catastrophic events or disasters are strange “odd” events that happen magically elsewhere and couldn’t possibly affect them or their loved ones. This kind of ideology allows society once again to adopt and implement the old adage “out of sight” is “out of mind” thus, creating loss of lives and property. Reality remains that no matter where you live, short and long term disasters are potential disrupters to your life as you typically have come to know it.

These statistics are compiled by the Office of Services and the National Climatic Data Center from information contained in Storm Data, a report comprising data from NWS forecast offices in the 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Wherever you live, be sure to have a disaster supplies kit at the ready for fast evacuation in case of an emergency or catastrophic event.

Just a few items around the house to give a general idea.

If you’re fortunate enough to have notice prior to an evacuation, you do not want to spend your precious seconds, minutes or hours reenacting the flight of the bumblebee trying to gather precious personal items, rather than trying to gather the emergency basics that you will need to safeguard your family and home. Thus, allowing you to have a safe and comfortable evacuation.

Preparation through education is less costly than learning through tragedy. --Max Mayfield, Director National Hurricane Center

Introduction

Welcome to Prepper's Nook blog spot. A place where you can enjoy the fruits of our labor. Why blog? Outside of the massive request by our clients, family and friends, teaching others about disaster preparedness is a rewarding experience that results from knowing you have helped your fellow citizen be ready in the event that a disaster should strike.

 Our goal is to provide you the average citizen opportunities to participate in a range of measures to make your family, your home, and your community safer from the threats of crime, domestic terrorism, public health issues, and  natural disasters that affect our region.



Picture we took on March 2012 of a Tornado in Oak Ridge, TN

WHO IS BEHIND PREPPER'S NOOK?

Prepper’s Nook is a husband and wife team who has been serving the community through insurance and medical fields. Our knowledge and education has allowed us to be trained and employed by the best, whether trained by The Department of Homeland Security FEMA to being employed by a Fortune 100 company.  With 18 years of service, we have had the pleasure of holding hands with the sick, those who have lost their homes, and others in midst of total despair. It is our life's mission to continue our service in protecting and caring for our fellow citizens. We hope that you enjoy our blog and come back regularly to see what’s new in our world.