Moving to a new city can be difficult on any family. There is quite a bit of change associated with moving from a new neighborhood to new schools to new friends—all of which can be overwhelming and hard to handle. To make matters worse, there’s the security issue. As any parent will tell you, their children’s safety is their number one priority, and a new city creates safety issues.
Here are a few tips to keeping your family safe in an unfamiliar area:
1. Home Security
One of the easiest ways to protect your family is by installing a home security system. Security systems offer a wide variety of features including break-in protection, fire safety, and carbon monoxide detection. If there is a security breech, you and the proper authorities will be alerted. As you are in a new area, it is always a safe bet to do a bit of research in order to find the best security company for your family’s needs. Check out http://homealarmproviders.com/compare/lifeshield for a comparison on security companies.
2. Link Smoke Detectors
If you have moved into an older home, check to see if your smoke detectors are linked, meaning that when one detector is alerted of smoke, it automatically alerts all other detectors.
In an emergency such as a fire, this feature provides the entire house with the knowledge there is potential danger, hopefully allowing everyone to exit the house safely.
In many states, linked smoke detectors are law. However, older homes do not have this feature, for they were built before this law went into effect. In order to prevent fire danger, rewiring detectors to alert the home at the same time could possibly save a life in the event of a fire.
3. Home Fumigation
When moving into a new home, many homeowners do not know the history of the previous owners. As such, before moving, have the home fumigated. There potentially could be trapped animals or vermin inside of the home, which can be detrimental to human health. Similarly, have the house sprayed for dangerous spiders or cockroaches, as they can also be serious to your family’s well being.
4. Speak with Neighbors
Getting to know your neighbors is a great way to integrate yourself into the community and find out about the safety of the area. They are a great resource to finding out information about any crime in the area or information on the city’s school system. And, as an added bonus, being friendly with your neighbors offers you a built-in neighborhood watch program. If anything appears unusual, most neighbors who know you will check out the situation.
5. Look Around
Feeling safe in your new area can quickly be achieved by getting to know your surroundings. Once you feel like you know your area and the type of people living in the community, you will feel more secure about your family’s safety.
While a parent is always concerned with their children’s safety, these tips can help to alleviate some of that worry.