safety plan for children Archives - Page 3 of 3

We’re always on the job!

July 8, 2020 by Sarah Scarbrough

Don’t let worries about an unsecured property ruin your lake or beach weekend getaway this summer. Sonitrol residential and commercial alarms are verified by our around-the-clock monitoring team and trusted by police. The moment anyone attempts to break-in to your property, our innovative audio technology enables us to listen in so we can dispatch police and provide details in real-time to responding law enforcement. We’re always on the job so that you can take the break you deserve. Call us at 1-800-444-1191 for a FREE assessment from one of our professional security design consultants.

It is an honor to serve you!

July 6, 2020 by Sarah Scarbrough

Since 1969, Sonitrol of Evansville has been family-owned and operated out of our downtown location in Evansville. Our U.L. Certified Central Station is open twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, and operated by a team of professional, local men and women you can depend on. When you choose Sonitrol to handle your commercial or residential security needs, we consider it an honor to provide you with outstanding service. Call us today at 1 (800) 444-1191 to learn about our current specials and see how we can protect your home or business.

Make false alarms a thing of the past!

June 29, 2020 by Sarah Scarbrough

Tired of false alarms? We hear you! So was the retired police officer who founded Sonitrol…That’s what prompted the officer, Al Cronk, to team up with an inventor over fifty-five years ago to develop an alarm system that would accurately determine if a break-in was in progress. Traditional systems depend on motion detector equipment, which unfortunately, can easily be triggered by something as tiny as a warehouse mouse. In his career as a police officer, Cronk had responded to way too many false alarms. His inventor friend, Robert Baxter, came up with the perfect solution, the audio sensor. This innovative sound device launched the Sonitrol alarm, the most dependable and verified alarm system in the industry. Using this audio technology, Sonitrol detects sounds at the first sign of a break-in attempt. Before the would-be perpetrators have even gained access to a facility, our Central Station operators can listen in and hear them trying to gain entry. Our team immediately dispatches law enforcement, who can arrive on scene before anything has been stolen and usually before anyone has broken into the facility.

Because of Sonitrol’s capability to verify true break-ins, we have the fastest police response times and the lowest false alarm rates in the industry. If you want to ensure your business, school, or facility is protected around the clock and that false alarms are a thing of the past, contact us today for a free assessment from one of our security design consultants at (800) 444-1191. We look forward to providing you with security peace of mind.

The audio sensor

Fire Prevention Week

October 7, 2019 by Sarah Scarbrough

It is National Fire Prevention Week, and it is important to discuss fire prevention measures and safety tips with your loved ones, friends, and co-workers.

Here are some safety tips to consider:

Install smoke alarms throughout your home and business, test them once a month, and if they are not working, replace the batteries. An early warning from a regularly tested smoke alarm can save lives.
Have a plan. Talk with your family, especially younger kids, about what to do if a smoke alarm goes off. Make sure you each know at least one or two ways to escape from every room in your home in the event of a fire. Do practice fire drills, and know where to meet up outside, for example, the mailbox. Have escape plans at your place of work, too. Practice getting out in less than two minutes.
In the event of a fire, “Get out, and stay out.” Only professional firefighters should enter a building that is on fire. Don’t go back inside.
Have a monitored fire system that will dispatch the fire department. Sonitrol’s fire detection integrates with all of our products and services for your home or business. Just like our alarm monitoring services, our Central Station team monitors smoke and heat detectors, sprinkler systems and pull stations. Our operators can differentiate between an intrusion alarm and a fire signal and will immediately dispatch the necessary emergency personnel to your facility or home. Our professional service team will install, maintain, and inspect your system regularly. Call us today for a free assessment at (800) 444-1191.

Facebook for kids? LOOK OUT!

August 4, 2015 by Dawn Lara

This week on Facebook, there were several posts about door to door salespeople in the Tri-State area who “may be” child predators. These unconfirmed reports put parents on high alert! Yet, many parents allow their children unlimited access to social websites and do not monitor their use, though the number of child predators is exponentially higher! In fact, some parents ignore the age limit of 13 years old as specified by Facebook, and allow their children to create a profile on the social media site. But is Facebook for kids really safe?

Should I let my kids make a Facebook profile?

If your kids are 13 or older, it is up to you whether or not they should be allowed to make a profile. Before allowing this to happen, it is important to make rules for use on Facebook. Here are some things you should consider.

Explain to your children why it’s important to not share personal information with strangers online.
Monitor their internet activity.
Make sure they are not posting information that can identify where they live. This includes their address and what school they go to.
Ensure they are using Facebook’s privacy settings so only people they know have access to their information.
Make sure your kids understand that once they post photos on the web, they lose control of them. Approve any photos before they can post them.
Know who they are talking to online.
Talk to your children so they feel comfortable coming to you if anything makes them feel uncomfortable. This includes online bullying and unwanted messages from adults.
Make sure they post their real age, as Facebook has stricter settings for younger individuals.
Help them make their profile and consider using your email when signing up. This will allow you to see who is adding them and what kind of stuff is being posted on their walls.
Report any misconduct to the authorities and Facebook.
Make sure they ask you before giving out any personal information, or meeting anyone in person.
Make sure they are only adding people they actually know in person.
Make your own profile and “friend” them so you can see their post.
Explain to them when a comment or page is inappropriate to like.

Important statistics

There are serious dangers lurking on Facebook for kids and other social media sites, especially for children. Many sites entice kids in by using silly quizzes and games. These sites are known for asking users personal questions such as age, gender, and interests. This information, makes it easier for predators to gain trust of our kids.

One survey done on children age 12-17 revealed that 46% had at one time given out personal information to individuals they didn’t know. As they get older, the chance of a kid giving out personal information increases.

Monitor their use

It is important to monitor what you kids are doing on Facebook. Most homes not only have laptops and personal computers, but many kids now also have access to their own smart phone. This means they can use Facebook from anywhere. Keep track of the things they are doing on their phone. This is also true when they are home alone and have access to these sites.

So, when is Facebook for kids safe? Only you can decide. There are serious risks to letting a younger individual on social media. Stay involved and aware of their actives on the internet. By setting rules and enforcing them you can ensure your kids are playing it safe on Facebook and other social media sites. Have an open conversation with your kids and let them know that if anything happens on Facebook that is upsetting or makes them uncomfortable, to come show you.

Parents – Are you Defining the Stranger Danger Line

April 17, 2015 by Dawn Lara

As a parent, your number one priority is the care and protection of your child.

One of the challenges parents face is teaching your child to make their way in the world with confidence but also with a reasonable measure of caution. Parents need to warn their child of potential threats without making them anxious or fearful whenever they step out the door.

One of the safety lessons parents need to teach their child at a young age is how to deal with strangers. Situations will arise when your child might need to ask for help (for example, if they get lost in a mall) and need to interact with strangers. Older children might encounter a stranger at a park or other public place.

Here are some simple tips you can give your child to keep them safe:

Tell your child if he or she is lost, to look for someone in uniform like a police officer. If they are in a store, approach an employee for help. If they are in a crowd, tell them to look for grandparents or parents with small children.
If the child is lost in a store, tell them they should never leave the store or stand at the entrance.
If your child is alone and approached by a stranger offering them candy or toys, the child should simply say “no!” and walk away immediately. The same is true if a stranger asks for your child’s help or asks them to get in the stranger’s car.
If parents need other adults to give their child a ride or pick them up somewhere, make up a code word that only you, your child, and that trusted adult know.
Teach your child that appearances are less important than how a person acts. Even if someone seems friendly, if the child gets a funny feeling or the stranger asks something inappropriate, the child needs to walk away and tell a trusted adult.
If your older child is home alone, make sure they always keep the doors locked and that they never tell anyone they are home alone. Having a security system which allows you to view when your child comes home can be a useful tool. Parents can simply get a notification when the child disarms the system. The child should also know how to rearm the system in occupied mode once inside the home. If parents see a notification that the front door is opened, using an app on their phone, they can also view the cameras to see why the door was opened.

Teaching children these common sense tips for their safety and protection will give parents more peace of mind.

Fire and Safety Plan for Children – 4 “Must do’s”!!

November 25, 2013 by Dawn Lara

If a fire were to break out in your home tonight, how would your family react?

Planning for the worst case scenario is not what daddy and mommy want to think about. In our world, we want everything to be perfect; safe for our family. Besides, you don’t want to scare the children unnecessarily, right?

No one wants to scare the children. But according to the NFPA an average of 366,600 house fires occur each year in the United States. Children need to be prepared if a fire breaks out in your home. When teaching your children, stress the importance of the scenario, but make the lesson a game also. The more memorable the lesson, the better prepared your children will be in a fire emergency.

1. Smoke detectors

– Since we all change the batteries in our smoke detectors once a year (right?) have your children help you. Explain what a smoke detector is used for, other then a dinner bell (like at my house). Test the siren so your children can hear what sound it makes. If the siren goes off in the middle of the night, the sound will become a warning, not simply a strange noise coming from downstairs that must be investigated!

2. Escape routes

– Everyone in the house must have at least two escape routes, especially on a multi-level home. Have a drawing of your home and use colors to draw each individual’s escape route. Then physically walk them through each escape route.

3. Remind children of other do’s and don’ts when escaping the home:

Touch a closed door first and never open a hot door!
As you are exiting the house, close doors behind you.
If you must go through smoke “Get Low and Go!”

4. When outside:

NEVER re-enter the home.
Have a central meeting place away from the home, like a light post or mailbox for everyone to gather.
Having a monitored fire system will ensure the fire department has been dispatched. However, if you need to call the fire department, do so from a neighbor’s house.

Foresight is better than hindsight! Go over your family’s exit strategy at least once a year so that everyone knows what they need to do! Share your family’s fire and safety plan with our readers in the comments below:

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