By Pamela Singleton, Sonitrol Pacific Director of Communications
Posted November 2, 2009

Ahhhh, the joy of “falling back” and regaining that hour taken away when we “spring forward.” Considering many of us regularly lament needing a 30 hour day in order to get done all we need to do, you may not be looking for ideas to fill that precious hour. However, investing an hour now can pay off dividends in terms of your future security.

Everyone knows we’re supposed to change the batteries and test smoke/fire/carbon monoxide detectors, but here’s a few more things you can do in an hour to increase security:
1. Sleep. The CDC estimates as many as 70 million US adults don’t get enough sleep and argues a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night is needed for optimal alertness. Therefore, it only makes sense that you, your family and your home or business will be safer and more secure with everyone getting more sleep.
2. Hold a practice fire drill. Whether at home or the office, a practice drill reinforces the emergency evacuation plan for everyone. Don’t have a plan? Use your newly acquired hour to write one and get it into everyone’s hands.
3. Be the burglar. Try breaking into your business or home. Walk around the building with fresh eyes and look for opportunities from a burglar’s perspective. You might be amazed how easy it is to climb up to and inside that second floor window, reach in under a garage door or overhead door, squeeze through a pet door, or sneak past the reception desk to snag a laptop during a quick walk through the office. Once you find points of weakness, take action to fix them.
4. From cure to cause. Go through the contents of your medicine cabinet or first aid kit. Toss and replace items past (or close to) their expiration date. Medications past their expiration date can become harmful. Verify everyone in the office knows where the first aid kit is kept. This may be a good time to schedule an office or family CPR training/retraining too.

Want more security tips? Check these out. And you’re always welcome to schedule a free security assessment with one of our experts, just call or email.