A Simple Independence Day 2019 Security Checklist For Your Charleston Home & Business

With July 4th coming up here Thursday, many of you probably have travel plans to celebrate the holiday weekend.

Whether it’s spending time with family in the mountains, or just traveling to get away from things for a bit, being away from your home or business can bring with additional worries and stress about security while your away.

If you’ve already installed a home security system, security camera system and/or an access control system (for your business), you’re probably already feeling better about leaving for the holiday knowing you have those safeguards in place.

Even with those security systems in place, however, there are things that you should keep an eye out and mark off your list before heading away for the 4th.

1. Test Your Alarm

Crucial to any alarm is its ability to reach your monitoring service in case of an emergency. Even with today’s modern security systems, testing your alarm is vital in guaranteeing your system is communicating correctly.

Testing is quite easy and only takes a few minutes, so be sure to contact your local home security company to help you test your system before you hit the road this weekend.

2. Set/Arm Your Alarm

Now that you’re sure your system is passing signals effectively, the next step is actually setting your alarm.

This might seem obvious to most people who have an alarm, but very often when a break-in or other emergency occurs no signal is sent because the alarm wasn’t properly set.

Remember, your system can only trigger and contact the monitoring center if and only if it is armed in the first place, so be sure to activate it before you head out to your festivities.

3. Check Your Security Camera Clearance/Visibility

If you have security cameras installed it gives you a great additional layer of security for both your home and business.

Cameras are only effective, though, if they have clear lines of sight from where they are installed.

So before heading out for the weekend, do a quick runthrough of all of your cameras and make sure there isn’t any dirt, debris or any other obstacle blocking its intended view.

4. Check All Window & Door Locks

Another obvious one to check off your list, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to lock a little-used window or door in their homes.

Many break-ins occur through such entryways — a simple lift or turn of a knob will let them know it’s open and the next thing you know you’ve got a burglar rummaging through your property.

We advise creating a simple checklist of all of these entryways that you can run through, especially if you have a larger home and/or many doors and windows.

5. (For Businesses) Update Access Control Hours/Personnel

With the holiday break, your business might have adjusted holiday hours and different personnel throughout the weekend.

For those of you with a scheduled access control system, be sure to contact your security or IT company to have them adjust your access schedule for these holiday hours.

Doing so before the holiday can keep you from having to deal with access issues during your own holiday and keeps everything running smoothly while you’re away.

6. No Alarm, Cameras or Access Control? It’s Time For An Update

If you don’t already have an alarm system, cameras or an access control system, now’s the time to get started with any/all of the above.

Every level of security you install in your home or business is another degree of comfort when you’re celebrating things like the 4th of July, so be sure to schedule a consultation with a reliable security company this summer.