If you're building a new home, you may wish to incorporate a safe room in the design. A safe room is intended to allow you and your family to remain safe from intruders or terrorist threat whilst awaiting assistance. But what constitutes a safe room and how can you go about creating one?
The concept of a safe room
A safe room is intended to give you safe haven in case of an emergency, such as a home invasion. A safe room is essentially a box with just one opening. The sides of the box and the door into it are all fortified, meaning that an intruder would find it extremely difficult to get in, and you will be safe inside.
The furnishings in the room are usually minimal, although you should have a fully-charged mobile phone kept there at all times. You'll also need to keep a first aid kit, and a torch with good batteries in the safe room.
Building a safe room
The key thing when deciding on a suitable space to use as a safe room is that it has no windows or skylights. The room only needs to be big enough to hold a few chairs and fit all your family members.
You will need to have a solid wood or steel door fitted so that it only opens outwards. The wooden doorframe must be replaced with a steel one. Alternatively, you could reinforce the door frame with steel angle iron, which will prevent it from being kicked down. The door jamb should be secured with long screws in the hinges and a heavy-duty lock strike plate should be included.
If your safe room is being constructed as part of a new build, you should make sure that an alarm panel is wired in, together with a direct-dial phone and an electrical outlet for mobile phone charging. Steel sheeting or chicken wire should be installed underneath the wall and the ceiling drywall. Ventilation and lighting are also desirable, and you may want to consider having a loo put in there for personal hygiene needs.
It's important to make sure that the safe room blends in with the rest of your house so that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. This means that you should remain safe and undiscovered by burglars while you wait for the police to arrive.
In conclusion
If you are having a new home built, you might want to discuss the idea of a safe room with your home builders. Alternatively, you could convert an existing space into a safe room by following the suggestions above.
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