When I was trying to decide what I wanted to write about for this spring’s Blue Thumb article, it was nine degrees outside with lightly dusted snow on the ground. Schools were being delayed, and I just couldn’t bring myself to write about the outdoors.

So I decided to bring my Blue Thumb inside and talk about something that had to do with the home – but it has nothing to do with gardening this time. Sorry!

A few years back I wrote about home burglaries and how thieves can get in your house by using items you have outside your home, such as a ladder to gain entrance through your second story windows.

As a follow-up to that feature, I thought I’d talk about your home’s security and why you should consider an alarm system.

According to FBI statistics, a home is burglarized every 14 seconds in the United States. Frightening, isn’t it? However, Dr. Simon Harkim of Temple University says that you can significantly reduce your home’s chance of being burglarized just by taking some simple precautions. “Previous studies have shown that effective deterring precautions are a car in the driveway, exterior and interior lights, watchdogs, and active neighborhood watch programs,” says Harkim. “Effective prevention measures are locking doors, with deadbolt locks being preferred. The only detection measure is a burglar alarm.”

There are four basic types of precautions you can take to significantly reduce the chance of burglary:

• Deterring Measures: These are security measures that are likely to lower the chance of break-ins when the burglar cruises neighborhoods in search of a target. Burglars search for homes that appear unoccupied. Deterring measures suggest that someone is at home, therefore, making your home an unappealing target.
• Preventative Measures: These are security measures that make the actual break-in more difficult and/or time consuming. Burglars try to spend no more than 60 seconds breaking into a home. So any measure you take to raise this time may cause a burglar to change his mind and move on.
• Detection Measures: These are measures that detect the presence of an intruder on the premises and send a message out, such as a burglar alarm.
• Managerial Measures: In nature, these measures are in the deterrence category. They are not physical precaution measures like the three previous categories but are associated with the deterring category in their objective, which is to produce the impression that somebody is home. They include stopping newspaper and mail delivery, notifying police when you’ll be away, and having neighbors watch your home. Burglars most often target single-family homes, and only one in every five homes currently has electronic protection. Surveys show that burglaries are drastically reduced when an alarm system complements other security measures. The more precautions you take, the lesser the chance of a break-in. When coupled with other precautions, an alarm system will reduce the chance of a burglary by over 66 percent when the homeowner takes three or more precautions.

Another benefit of an alarm is the amount of time a burglar can spend in your home after break-in. This reduces the amount of property that can be taken because the burglar knows they only have a limited amount of time before the authorities arrive.

There are some scary statistics on the risks of not having an alarm system and following simple precautions. Unalarmed homes valued at more than $600,000 have as much as five and a half times the burglary risk of alarmed houses with the same value.

So what to do? There are hundreds of companies out there to consider. Fortunately, the National Burglary and Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) offers help and a checklist on selecting the correct system for you and your family. Like every business, not all security companies are created equal.

Homeowners are urged to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their family and personal property. Electronic security systems give homeowners peace of mind and act as a primary deterrent against criminal activity.

For consumers seeking the services of a reputable and experienced security company, the Electronic Security Association (ESA) has the following recommendations:

• Ask your insurance agent, friends, family, or neighbors for referrals.
• Visit the ESA website for a list of member companies throughout the United States who have agreed to abide by the National Code of Ethics.
• Call several companies and ask if their employees are trained and/or certified by a nationally recognized entity like the ESA’s National Training School.
• Ask the companies for proof of applicable state and/or local licenses.
• Ask the companies if they conduct any pre-employment screening (i.e., drug test and/or background checks).
• Contact your local police department’s crime prevention department, as well as your state’s licensing agencies, consumer protection agencies, and the Better Business Bureau regarding any past interactions with, or history on, the perspective security companies.
• After you've narrowed the field to three or four alarm companies, ask call on you.
• When he/she visits, ask to see some company identification.
• Ask each alarm company representative for an inspection, recommendation and a quote in writing. Use a check list to compare different packages and price quotes.
• Never feel pressured to sign anything. Be cautious of those who push you to sign a contract quickly or who may be offering unusual deals or incentives.

For more information from the NBFAA, visit www.alarm.org. It is a great resource for insuring you are making wise decisions when it comes to your family’s wellbeing.