The O Blog

Statistics (Know Your Enemy):

1. Approx. 2.2 million burglaries occur annually in the U.S. (1 every 14 sec.)

2. Approx. 70% are home burglaries and can affect the security of our families

3. Approx. 13% of burglaries result in an arrest

4. Approx. 85% of burglars are male

5. Most thieves attack homes between 10 AM and 3 PM

6. Average loss is a bit over $2,000.00 – median household income is just over $50K

7. Items most stolen are cash, firearms, jewelry, silver, and electronics

Securing our families includes training our family members how to react in the face of a critical health emergency. For example, do our children know who to call and what to say if they are at home with a parent who falls over with a sudden heart attack or stroke? Seconds can save lives in an emergency health crisis and we can prepare to secure our families from these risks by educating our family members and practicing these scenarios. If we have young children in our families, we need to keep the instructions basic so they too can participate in securing the other members of the family.

Securing our families against financial crisis is important. This is especially relevant in today’s economy where few jobs are certain and families can find themselves in financial trouble without much warning. People can lose their jobs for a number of reasons, but consequences are normally difficult and dangerous unless proper preparations to secure our families against these hardships have been made.

Home intruders are a security concern for all families. Do our spouses and children know what to do and say if someone enters our home with the intent to steal our possessions? Securing our families from this threat involves understanding the situation since there are some important variables about the intrusion that must be considered for proper reaction. There is also a huge difference in the way each family will secure themselves depending on the age of the children in the home.

Securing families entails addressing many circumstances that can cause confusion, disorientation, and chaos. An important part of securing families is to discuss these scenarios, explain proper reactions, and practice the protocols on a routine basis. Practice allows family members to react with reflex in the event a problem happens since most people don’t think clearly in the moment of a disaster. Our families will be much better secured and prepared if we address these situations proactively.