22/10/2026
🏡🛡️ SAFETY TIPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND HOME
Your home should be a place where your family feels safe. Taking time to prepare, test your security systems and practise an emergency plan can make a difference.
MD Alarms encourages every household to review these essential safety measures:
👨👩👧👦 HAVE A FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN
• Agree on what each family member should do during an emergency. Practise regularly and include your children in an age-appropriate way.
• Identify a secure room with a strong door, reliable locks and access to emergency communication.
• Keep escape routes accessible. Security barriers should not prevent you from escaping a fire.
• Get to know your neighbours and agree on how to call for assistance without putting anyone at unnecessary risk.
🚨 CHECK YOUR ALARM AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS
• Test your alarm, outdoor beams and panic buttons regularly, following your monitoring company’s testing procedure.
• Have an experienced installer assess vulnerable entry points and blind spots.
• Check that backup batteries can support your system during power interruptions.
• Activate your alarm when leaving home and use the appropriate night settings while your family is inside.
• Confirm your monitoring and response arrangements, and keep your keyholder details up to date.
📹 MAKE YOUR CAMERAS WORK FOR YOU
• Check that cameras are operational, recording correctly and positioned to cover entrances and areas protected by beams.
• Set up secure cellphone access so you can investigate an alert from inside.
• Install outdoor motion-activated lighting with suitable backup power.
• Before returning home, check your cameras where possible—but remember that a clear camera view cannot guarantee that the property is safe.
🔐 STRENGTHEN YOUR HOME’S SECURITY
• Check doors, windows, burglar bars, gates and fencing for damage or weaknesses.
• Consider a security gate separating your sleeping area from the rest of the house.
• Close curtains at night and avoid making valuables visible from outside.
• Keep gates closed and verify visitors before granting access.
• Avoid keeping unnecessary cash on the property and use EFT for payments where possible.
📱 KEEP EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT READY
• Charge cellphones and two-way radios and keep them within reach.
• Save your security company’s number and other emergency contacts on speed dial.
• Make sure your emergency contacts know your plan and their role.
• Keep serviced fire extinguishers accessible and ensure responsible household members know how to use them.
• Store fuel securely in a suitable location, away from ignition sources.
⚠️ RESPOND SAFELY TO SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
• If you hear unusual noises, calls for help or disturbances outside, stay in a secure location and contact your security company to investigate.
• If there is a fire or another immediate danger inside, follow your evacuation plan.
• Verify unexpected visitors claiming to be police or service providers through an independently sourced official number.
• If you arrive home and notice forced entry or anything suspicious, move to a safe location and call for help. Do not enter to investigate.
• Changes in your dogs’ behaviour may warrant caution, but do not rely on them to confirm that an area is safe.
• Prioritise getting your family to safety and calling for assistance. Avoid confronting suspected intruders.
👀 STAY OBSERVANT AND SHARE INFORMATION RESPONSIBLY
• Check gates and boundaries from a safe position for damage, tampering or unusual activity.
• Report specific suspicious behaviour to your security company or neighbourhood watch.
• Record relevant details only when safe. Avoid approaching people or publicly circulating accusations.
• Verify employee references and explain household security procedures respectfully.
• Keep access codes, routines and security information limited to those who need them.
✅ REVIEW YOUR SECURITY CHECKLIST
✔️ Suitable perimeter protection
✔️ Alarm system with outdoor beams
✔️ Strategically positioned CCTV
✔️ Secure gates and access control
✔️ Backup power and outdoor lighting
✔️ Fire extinguishers
✔️ Reliable emergency communication
✔️ A practised family emergency plan
Preparation helps you stay calm and act with purpose. Review your plan regularly so everyone knows what to do.
📞 Need help assessing or improving your home’s security? Contact Mark at MD Alarms on 073 663 1139.
🟡⚫ MD ALARMS — YOUR SECURITY IS OUR PRIORITY.