Hail and tornadoes and all kinds of storms have plagued the Midwest these last few weeks, in a way we haven’t seen in a long time, if ever. The skies have been more threatening than friendly and the temperature has been moody. After a brief stretch in the upper-90’s, we were brought to a shivering 39 degrees. Soon enough, though, we know the sauna-like summer climate of Kansas (not my personal favorite) will be back, and with it, the vigor of outdoor activity.

    Warmer days will bring with them, hand-in-hand, the increased hazard of opportunistic home-breakers. The chill of winter and early spring wards off more than mosquitoes – it’s also a deterrent to burglars who, statistics have shown, are far more active in the summertime.

    Whatever your outdoor state of affairs, if you’re already deep into the summer season or still venturing from spring, it’s a good time of year to do a check-up on things around the house to find any weak spots and to fix all those little problems that get pushed to the back burner in the wintertime, especially those related to home safety or your own personal protection.

    Summer inspires us to be a bit more carefree, and relaxed, but how sad it would be if “the feelin’ is easy” ended in the regretted loss of a prized possession–or even worse, harm to someone you love. Now is the perfect time to remember the importance of home and personal security. Here’s to a summer enjoyed with peace of mind!

- Rose

Raise your hand if this has happened to you:

We have a deep freeze unit in our basement that we keep meats and a variety of other frozen goodies. This is great as it allows us to make fewer trips to our grocer. Recently, my 6-year old has been helping out with loading and unloading the ice box. This has been going great, I will take one less trip up and down the stairs any day of the week.

Then it happened…

We returned from grocery shopping one Saturday night and I had my little helper run some things to the freezer as he had done (what seems like) a thousand times before. This time, things were a bit different. Instead of closing the freezer it remained agape.

Luckily I had made a chance trip to the basement to check my water heater and noticed that the freezer door was open and our frozen goods were embracing the room temperature. That’s when I decided not to rely on the distracted mind of a child to make sure the freezer was shut.

The very next day I purchased a micro contact from SafeMart (I will be honest, I get a heck of a discount working here ) and slapped it on the door of the freezer. Then, using my LiveWatch Complete Service, I set a Sensor Left Open notification so that if the freezer door is left open for more than 3 minutes the LiveWatch Service will send me an email and a text message. It will also send an email and a Push notification to my wife’s iPhone.

Spoiled food is a thing of the past with my LiveWatch Service.

Let me know your “beyond security” applications in the comments below. The best one will get a free month of service (my boss LOVES when I do that ).

-Joe

    Hello, friends – I hope you’re all doing great! Today I just wanted to mention a little tip in the practice of self-defense. It’s not a martial art maneuver but it’s still a phenomenal weapon in your favor!

    When any sort of offender aims to commit a crime that involves confronting his victim, I believe that his first and greatest weapon is fear. If he can intimidate us, he can “victimize” us. Once we’re convinced he’s more powerful, the advantage is his. This is bad news (because fear is a strong emotion) but also good news, because if it means that his chief ally is actually in our minds!

    Whenever something makes us afraid, that fear is debilitating – our muscles get weak, our knees quake, and we fall to the defensive. We don’t feel in control because that fear is dominating us. But because fear lives in the mind, we actually have the power to force our brains to ignore the emotion and look at the facts. Thinking, then, is the first weapon of defense. Thinking clearly in a compromised situation is the dawn of victory.

    A little fear can be good, because without we might really be in trouble by doing something rash and risky, but staying cool, calm, and collected is the first defense in our reach. Thinking on what powers we do have is a lot more effective than dwelling on all the possible dangers ahead of us. I hope you don’t ever find yourself in a life-threatening situation, but in case you do, I think thinking is the best place to start!

At least I’d like to think so!

Hello Friends and welcome to my little corner of the blog here at SafeMart.com.  I can’t express how excited I am to be able to be a part of the blog team. I am a nerd at heart that loves technology (sometimes to a fault) and I hope to bring you valuable tips on using your home security system and new products or services coming out. 

To kick things off I want to tell you about the Silent Exit feature on your Simon XT.  This feature allows you to arm your system but silence all beeps for the exit delay (except for the 1^st two and last two beeps). I can tell you this feature is a must with a spouse and kids that don’t like to be woken in the wee hours of the morning.

To utilize this feature, arm your Simon XT by pressing DOORS+WINDOWS then press the SILENT button…that is it. This can only be done from the main unit but we are working on a new touch screen and firmware version to allow you to do the Silent Exit through the touch screen. I will be sure to keep you in the know as details unfold.

I would love to hear your feedback or questions on systems or services that you have (or are getting)!

- Joe

Hello, friends, and welcome to our blog! I am the ladies’ voice in the choir here, and I’ll keep you filled in on tips related to safety and security, at home or out and about, with all sorts of anecdotes and practical help along the way. I’m happy you’re here to accompany me, and I hope you feel free to share your own stories and advice with the rest of us. The more the merrier!

    Personal security has recently become a more conscious priority in our lives. It has always been a vital issue but now it seems even more so, and because of that it’s a wonderful area in which to invest time and effort. No one wants to be robbed or have their home broken into, and even more importantly, no one wishes to face a dangerous or life threatening situation. But because it does happen, and because we can’t be sure it won’t happen to us, nor can we predict when, it’s in our best interest to start learning right away how we can have the upper hand should the need arise.

    Personal safety, home security, self-defense – knowing in advance how to safeguard what is dear to us gives us great peace of mind. The great old adage could not be truer – “Forewarned is forearmed”. Being prepared is a huge advantage. Plus, the tips and tricks offered here can be practiced by almost everyone. They don’t require a black belt in Tae Kwon Do or intensive physical training. Most of self-defense and home security is a matter of playing it smarter, not harder.

    That’s the general purpose of my posts here and I hope you will find them useful and informative. If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I’ll be happy to get back to you as soon as I can!

“HELLO WORLD…”

(Displaying this message on the computer screen was the first command I learned how to program a personal computer to do. Since I’m new to this blog, it seems appropriate here.)

I’m pleased to be invited to join this conversation as a regular contributor. I’ll try to bring some items of interest, and help find the answers to questions from our readers/contributors. Since some readers may wonder if I really know what I’m talking about (skepticism is healthy!), I’ll offer some shameless self-promotion and personal disclosure.

I began working in the field of security and fire safety when I left college in 1968, selling one of the first reliable, UL listed home fire & security alarm systems. In 1973, I founded a security and fire alarm company for home, commercial, institutional, and industrial clients that is still in business today. I’ve done installation, service, sales, and management functions. Along the way, I have seen tremendous changes and advances in the technologies used to protect Americans in their homes and businesses. I carry, and keep current, advanced engineering technology certifications in both fire alarm technology and security systems design. Probably my most important “teacher” was the responsibility of running an operating alarm company and meeting a payroll every week for 37 years.

Along the way, I got married and raised three children, who have blessed me with one granddaughter (so far). In addition to my interests in technology, I enjoy the outdoors, skiing, camping, sports, sea kayaking, and I am a life-long Green Bay Packers fan.

Next time here, I’ll try to have a useful idea, as well as answering any reader posts.

- John