Here are the resources I mentioned in the lesson:
3M security glass (skip first 4 minutes)
ACE security laminate ACE security laminate on “It Takes A Thief”
Information on film vs. plexiglass vs. lexan
High-speed home defense contractor
Let me know your thoughts and ideas on this lesson by commenting below.
Thanks!
David
We have a great method of recharging batteries for cordless tools. We use a solar trickle charger. You can buy a solar panel charger from a sporting goods store. We bought one to use to keep our batteries on our sail boat from going dead when not in use and not connected to power at the dock. It has alligator clips to attach to the boat batteries. We have used it when we were off-shore to recharge the cordless drill batteries. We just attach the clips to the metal connections on the battery and in a few hours, it is charged! These panels are small and easy to carry. They are only about 8″ x 11″ x 1″ and weigh maybe a pound. The panels are also inexpensive. I think we paid about $40.00 for ours. You can get larger ones that have more amperage and will charge faster, but this one has been adequate for us.
I forgot to mention….The clips are too big to fit into the terminal area of the drill battery so we found a screw to put on each side where the terminals would plug into a conventional charger (you don’t need to use an AC charger to charge the batteries). Instead of plugging the battery into the charger, attach the heads of the screws that you have put into each side of the battery to the alligator clips from the solar charger. When the battery is charged, disconnect it, take out the screws and you are ready to go. Do be careful not to overcharge the battery.
Great Read, enjoying the course so far. For recharging, Harbor Freight has a folding solar panel with a handle on it that’s decently priced and has adaptors and a blocking diode built in. http://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-to-24-volt-solar-charger-95000.html
I live in a location that gets hurricanes often and got tired of gas generator noise and the smell so I designed an easy to build generator which uses solar 12v batteries and can be used indoors to roll around to power stuff. The plans are available at my site littlegreenprojects.com
Thanks David
David,
As usual, great article.
Here’s an idea for free sandbags (because free is “almost” always good).
I have chickens but I also like to feed the birds and squirrels in my area (you never know when they’ll come in handy). I stock up on cheap wild bird food whenever I can and this week, Menards had 40lb bags on sale for $3.99.
Bird and animal feed quite often comes in woven poly bags just like the sandbags people pay good money for. If you feed the wildlife in your area year-round, it doesn’t take long to amass a nice collection of bags.
As usual David this is great information. I really think you should charge more for this course, it is well worth the money at any price!
As previously mentioned our home is a soft target regardless of what we do. It will never be a fortress or even a defensive position. Sometimes you need to realize that 1-you can stay put and take your chances, 2-relocate to a more defendable position out of town if possible, 3-group up with neighbors; in our case about 16 couples spread out over 3 blocks. Well armed and trained for attack/counter attack strategies, at that we feel our longevity is 3 to 12 months God willing. 4-flee your surroundings and take your chances. A well thought out plan should include at least 2 contingency plans. #3 is our option which gives us some latitude for we do not know exactly how things will happen and what opportunities may arise in the aftermath. One thing that we are afraid of is WTSHTF will we be immediately disarmed as in Katrina. An acquaintance there and his garrison was completely disarmed by local LNG, police and blackwater personnel. He has not been able to recover 10% of his weapons and none of his ammunition or ordnance which was confiscated shortly after Katrina.
This was sent to me via email, and has some great tips:
THIRTEEN THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste… and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom – and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door – understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.
12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering
glow of a real television. (Find it athttp://www.faketv.com/)
8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:
1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again.. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was
doing. It’s human nature.
4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to
pick my targets.
6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.
8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs http://www.crimedoctor.com/ and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book: Burglars on the Job Protection for you and your home.
If you don’t have a gun, here’s a more humane way to wreck someone’s evil plans for you. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.):
WASP SPRAY
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.
The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn’t attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection… Thought this was interesting and might be of use.
FROM ANOTHER SOURCE
On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.
Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he’s suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, “This is better than anything I can teach them.”
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, “spray the culprit in the eyes”. It’s a tip he’s given to students for decades. It’s also one he wants everyone to hear. If you’re looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.
“That’s going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out.”
Maybe even save a life.
Put your car keys beside your bed at night
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr’s office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or
the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator.
Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a
sexual abuse crime.
An easy decorative fix for clear sidelights next to your front door, or glass in your door is to install patterned clear glass inside the window. This way, you still have the strength and R value of the original window, full light coming in, but no one can see inside. You can get several types at a stained glass hobby store and they will cut it to size. Remember to have it cut 1/16th of an inch smaller than the window to allow for expansion on a hot day. Install it on the inside with “glass points” (from a hardware store) or just silicone it in.
Loved these ideas!
David,
Loving the course…..just wanted to give my input about what I call impact resistent windows and doors, being a Hurricane Ike survivor…..my windows and doors were double paned and could withstand a 2×4 hitting them at 160 mph…..when I asked the dealer why I didn’t get key locks on the inside…the answer, because if there was a fire and you couldn’t get your keys, you would die……these things will shatter but they will not bust…..but honestly don’t know if they could take ammo against them….but just saying..
They ain’t cheap, and they are heavy, but they could be a consideration when building out your home……
Be safe, my friends,
Laurel
Just want to ditto the previous comment about wasp spray…..I have that pepper spray with the markings, but then learned about wasp/hornet spray…..if you don’t have a can in every room in your house, do it now…..it is as effective as pepper spray, and you won’t have to shoot someone, at least not at first……I’m going to let my German Shepherds eat them…..LOL….just kidding…..cheap, and not seen as a weapon……just warn the kids if you have them when to use them…….
Laurel
David,
I am really enjoying the course. Thanks for all of the great information. I am on the road a lot, and I was thinking about putting a can of WASP spray in the trunk of my car. Do you think it would store ok? Some times in Southern California it gets in to the low 100′s. Do you think that the can would explode?
Please let me know.
Thank you.
James
Great Lesson and immediately fixed my front and back doors today, ha!!! Hard to harden a wooden house but all the other things I learned in the lesson I plan to do will make it safer without breaking the bank. After reading all the resource pages from past lessons I am impressed with the imput and knowledge this aware group taking this course have shared; more very usefull and surely lifesaving information. Thank you, Loren
Thanks Dave for another great lesson! I’m always looking for new ways of hardening my home to criminals. I like to leave my tv or radio on & pull the shades when i have to go out,to make it seem like i’m home! Hope it never comes to filling sand bags,as i got my fill of that in Nam!!
God Bless….. ALLONS!
If anyone considers adding burglar bars to their home, be sure the bars installed in the bedroom are the type that can be released from the inside to avoid being trapped. They have a bar which extends through the exterior wall into the house where a handle can be operated from the inside only. Some building/fire codes require this.
For exterior doors, consider installing a decorative security door. This also prevents home invasions. Even if you open the house door, this prevents people from forcing their way in. They can be purchase at Home Depot for under $100.
A good way to deter “smash and grab” from a vehicle through your exterior wall is to incororate large rocks (100-200 pounds) as part of your landscaping. Locate them in areas where it prevents a pickup (usually stolen) from being rammed into a vulnerable wall.
Tigerlover 11