I am interested to know what measure you have all taken to reduce risks in and around the home.

I know in earthquake zones people fix their furniture to the walls and in hurricane/tornado areas often get window treatments, but I am also interested in the general measures such as smoke alarms, automatic lights in the event of power failure and measures to improve home security, in fact just about anything that reduces your risk.

OIMO

"reduces your risk" is rather specific, in my very humble opinion. As you point out in your two examples, what is done to reduce risk depends on what the risk is perceived to be. Are break-ins a concern in your area? Floods? Financial risks? Children putting their fingers in sockets?

I suspect that if you have more specific problems identified, you'll get more - and more specific - answers.

Smoke detectors built-in and connected so all go off together (big, well-insulated house-may not hear one going off ma distant room) with battery models as back-up

multiple fire extinguishers

Pool pump valved and connected to supply small fire hose with B/U genny power

Reinforced door hardware

Motion-sensing exterior lighting

TRAINED watchdog (not attack dog)

Roof reinforced against high wind (braced, screwed, glued)

Friendly with good neighbors

Stored food & water, survival gear, extensive first aid supplies

Stored repair, loss mitigation, clean-up, and salvage tools & supplies

Sufficient insurance

Well-laid, documented emergency plans


etc...

Jeff

Emergency auto-on lights that plug into the wall socket are a good idea. The only problem I've had with those are the cheap rechargeable batteries that the lights come with. In my experience they only last about a year and a half and then don't hold a charge anymore. I have seen another model that I think is a bit better and it uses non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. It also plugs into the wall socket and turns on in a power outage.

• Carbon monoxide detectors
• If you live in a radon-prone area, appropriate detectors
• Motion sensor flood lights strategically mounted on exterior
• +1 on Jeff's fire extinguisher recommendation – often overlooked.
• Decent dead bolt locks on exterior doors.
• Sliding glass doors and windows equipped with "anti-jimmy" devices.
• If it's overkill (or too expensive) to have an alarm system that's monitored by a service (ADT, Brinks etc), there are plenty of packaged systems (without an outside service) on the market.
• For the really thrifty, buy these instead — window decals and yard sign — that make a bad guy think you've got a monitored alarm system.
• The firearm of your choice close at hand.
• Braided stainless steel burst-resistant water hoses for clothes washer and refrigerator ice-maker (I installed after my bro-in-law had an "incident" while away on vacation). Believe may be mandatory in some municipalities.
• Earthquake straps on your hot water heater, even if you don't live in traditional earthquake country. <$20 for a kit.
• Is your garage well-secured, especially at night? (all too often an easy access point that's overlooked).
• "Mold" is a hot topic these days. If you have a crawl space that's moisture-prone, or other mold-friendly conditions, might be worth a check-up.
• If you live in an older home (aging electrical and plumbing; construction pre-dates important building codes), and you don't have the knowledge to do it yourself, consider paying $250 +/- for a *qualifed* home inspector to give it the once-over...a small price if it reveals significant shortcomings. Or, Google "home safety inspection checklist" and check out the 1.8 million hits.

Short list then: good medical insurance.

Find out if you have any aluminum wiring. I think it is mostly non-code now, but in some houses built in the early 70's, it is still out there. A neighbor had a new shingle roof put on. The vibration loosened up the aluminum wiring in a box in his roof. Caused a fire that burned down the house. Miracle no one was at home when it happened.

Hi,

I agree bws48 about checking for aluminum wiring, I have lived in 2 houses with it and both had fires caused by it.

Mike

In addition to having fire extinguishers, I review at least yearly with everyone in the house how to deply them. I don't like having dark areas at night around the front of the house. I'm generous with my motion lights. Better to have more range and more coverage than less.

Since my specialty is security here it is IMHO:


HOME SECURITY

- Have deadbolts on all exterior doors, to include basement and/or doors that lead to the garage.

- Lock all windows

- If you have sliding doors use a piece of a broom stick to keep door from opening. If you attach a piece of string to the handle of the door and the broom stick then you can easily remove the stick in an emergency. Just put a loop around the handle.

- Have flashlights by all beds and in bathrooms.

- If you have children get a dog not a gun. It takes years to train with a firearm to be able to grab it in the middle of the night, identify your target (friend or foe), aim in complete darkness and hit your target. I have heard too many stories of parents waking up and shooting at a loved one that they thought was suppose to be somewhere else.

- Unless you have gobs of money to spend, an alarm system is useless. Let me explain...when someone breaks into your home it takes several minutes for the system to actually send out the alarm, this reduces the chance of a false alarm. If you opened the door and forgot to take the kids out of the van, it doesn't make sense for the alarm company to send out the SWAT team. So a lot of companies wait a set amount of time and then try calling your house to insure everyhthing is OK. Professionals know this so if they want something that you have they will build intelligence and hit when least expected. Don't pay attention to the Brinks commercials, unless you are a VIP that can be held for ransom, no one is going to break into your house while you are making dinner. Just get the stickers, they will probably keep the neighborhood problem kids away, but even a system won't help with the pros.

- If you have teenagers, set a curfew, know where they will be and who they will be with, have phone numbers for their friends and their friends' parents, if they are late call them. Keep calling until they answer or if after a half hour call their friends, if no luck call their friends' parents. Again too many stories of kids who got "LOST" from their freinds at a party and things didn't go so well.

I could add a lot more to the list but I guess this is a good start...