12 Tips for Keeping Your Family and Home Safe

It’s important to you to protect your family and have a safe home. That means maintaining your home’s safety and security and making a plan so that when an emergency happens, you’re prepared.  From natural disasters to burglaries to fires, there are plenty of reasons to think about house security ideas and implement solutions. Give yourself peace of mind — keep your family safe at home with the help of this comprehensive list of domestic safety tips for keeping your home safe, protecting your personal information, practicing disaster preparedness and being financially ready for the unexpected.

Keep Your Home Safe

Use a Home Security System

It’s important to deter burglars who might want to enter your home, steal items and cause damage. A home security system is one way keep your home and family safe. Smart home devices can help secure your home even when you’re not there by allowing you to program alarms, access video doorbells or detect maintenance issues remotely via your smartphone. Don’t forget to use the stickers or signs the alarm company offers — these items alert potential robbers that you have an alarm system, which may be the best deterrent of all. 

Have a Fire Safety Plan

A fire is always an unexpected hazard, and you want to be ready in case a fire happens. In this case, the best offense is a good defense. You likely have smoke detectors in your home, but have you tested them lately to ensure they are fully functional? Test your smoke alarms at least once a month and be sure to replace any batteries. It’s also a good idea to create an emergency fire escape plan and practice it with your family so everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. But the best way to keep your home and family safe from a fire is to take steps to prevent fires before they happen. And if a fire does occur, know what to do once it’s over.

Eliminate Hazards

As part of your regular home maintenance checks, walk through your house and identify places where trips and falls are likely — loose rugs or wires, steep or poorly lit staircases. Check your yard, too. Then, take the time to eliminate these hazards. 

Protect Your Personal Information

Secure Your Documents

One way to secure important documents is to use a safe deposit box at your bank. You can keep original documents there that you don’t need to reference frequently, including birth certificates, wills, social security information and tax returns. The extra level of security at the bank will give you peace of mind. For documents you wish to keep at home, consider investing in a home safe that’s fireproof and has a secure locking mechanism. This will protect your personal information from people you don’t want to access it and from natural disasters like fires or floods. 

Safeguard Personal Information Online

Keeping your online information secure might require a little extra work, but safeguarding your assets is worth it. Make sure you know best practices for keeping your personal information safe. An important first step is making sure you keep your security software current — this is your best defense against viruses, malware and other online threats. If you use mobile apps to store personal information, keep in mind these are also susceptible to online threats. Use two-factor authentication for your most vulnerable accounts, like your bank, to prevent hackers from accessing your information. Secure your home wi-fi network, too.

Use Password Best Practices

You may be tempted to incorporate personal information into your passwords to help you easily remember them, but doing so makes it alarmingly easy for hackers to crack your code. Your password should not include anything related to your name, nickname or even the name of your family pet. Your password also shouldn’t contain easily recognizable numbers like phone numbers, addresses or other information someone could guess by looking at your mail. It’s a good idea to use a password management app such as 1Password or Dashlane, which can also generate secure passwords for you, then store them securely so that only you have access.

Monitor Your Credit

Stay ahead of identity theft by regularly monitoring your credit activity on an annual basis. You are entitled to a free credit report once a year from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Transunion. 

Protect Your Identity

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. If someone steals your wallet, digs through your garbage or hacks into your computer, it could cost you thousands of dollars and countless hours to restore and repair what has taken a lifetime to build. Fortunately, it only takes a few steps to protect yourself from identity theft.

Don’t forget to keep your children’s information secure, too. Children can also become victims of identity theft but may not realize their information has been compromised until later in life, when the task of fixing the problem can be immense. Contact your Farm Bureau agent to learn more about how you can protect your family with Farm Bureau’s Identity Theft Protection.

Practice Disaster Preparedness

Plan for Storms

No matter the season, a weather emergency can harm your home and threaten your possessions and your family’s safety. The best way to help protect your family is to develop an emergency plan. In addition to preparing your home for a storm, your family should practice periodic storm drills so that everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency. A storm safety checklist is an effective way to show your kids how to respond when a storm hits so they know what to do to stay safe.

Know How to Handle Severe Weather

Do you know how to handle power outages and other threats during severe weather like tornados and blizzards? Take these into account when you’re creating your emergency plan. Know what severe weather alerts mean. And have a plan for severe weather, including an emergency kit that you can grab and go.

Protect Your Home

Make sure your homeowners insurance can weather the storm. Contact your Farm Bureau agent to schedule a SuperCheck^® to ensure that your insurance continues to offer the best coverage for your needs. 

Prepare Financially

In addition to keeping your home and belongings safe, it’s important to take a close look at your finances to make sure you’re prepared in the event of a disaster or tragedy. Your Farm Bureau agent can help ensure that your family is protected with the adequate amount and right kind of life insurance for your specific situation. 

Protect Against the Unexpected

Life is full of the unexpected, but with the help of a Farm Bureau agent, you can help your family stay protected from the unexpected.