yap home defense 101

8/6/2019 YAP Home Defense 101

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HOME DEFENSE 101

Table of Contents

Protecting From Home Invasion

Introduction

First Line of Defense Awareness Training & Development

Are the Fight Genetics Present?A Mental Exercise

MindsetThe Psychology of Criminal PredatorsCondition White (Unaware of Surroundings)Condition Yellow (Aware of Surroundings)Condition Orange (Evaluating a Potential Problem)Condition Red (Action! Deal With the Problem)Fight, Flight, or FreezeWhen the Sheepdog Uses Violence to Protect

Second Line of Defense Avoidance & PreparationHome PreparationBurglar AlarmsPreparing a Safe Room

Third Line of Defense 911

Tactics for Using a Safe RoomA Gun in the Home

Fourth Line of Defense Force & Violence

Conclusion

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HOME DEFENSE 101

woman is alone in her house. It is in a nice neighborhood,and it is the middle of the day. The doorbell rings, and sheopens the door. She sees a girlmaybe fourteen years old

sobbing, and in obvious distress, her face buried in her hands.Can I help you, Honey? Whats wrong? She moves closer to thegirl to comfort her. In one well-practiced movement the girl push-es the woman violently against the door frame, extracts a razor

blade from under her tongue and presses it against the womansthroat. Dont move, the girl snarls and adds an expletive. A mo-ment later, ve other teenage girls appear. They force the woman

back into her house, close the door and beat her up. They ransack her house and then leave as quickly as they arrived.

The dictionary de nes a home invasion as a, Burglary of a dwell -ing while the residents are at home Homeowners, if they survive,call it their worst nightmare. While individual home invasions arevaried, a typical incident starts with one or more violent intrudersforcing their way into a home while it is occupied. They use forceto threaten and intimidate the occupants into handing over their valuables, and then hopefully leave. This scenario is about as gentleas it gets. Far worse incidents involve assault, rape and murder.

Why, when so many homes now have security alarm systems andare fairly secure in terms of double glazed windows and neigh-

borhood watch, have home invasions increased in number andspread across the country from both coasts? Possibly the singlemost relevant reason is the prevalence of those sophisticated se-

curity alarm systems! In the old days, criminals wanting to steal property from a house would wait until the home was empty or the occupants were asleep. As it became increasingly likely theywould have to defeat an alarm system, burglars switched to steal-ing from homes while the family is at home, which is the onetime they could almost guarantee that the alarm system would beturned off. Also many vehicles are now equipped with car alarmsso car thieves often nd it easier to drag a motorist out of his car and steal it (while the alarm is off) than try to defeat a sophisti-cated alarm system. This is called carjacking.

The real threat in a home invasion has nothing to do with the lossof a laptop, an SUV, or a diamond ring. It has to do with loss of

life, serious injury, rape, and the attendant emotional issues thatmany survivors, and those close to them, have to deal with for therest of their lives. It doesnt have to be this way. No one has to livelife as a timid sheep hoping that a predator wont pick them for hisnext meal. To paraphrase Lt. Colonel Dave Grossmans writingson sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs: The term sheep is not meant to

be derogatory. It simply describes kind, decent people who arenot capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under ex-treme provocation. Wolves on the other hand, are the bad guys.

Protecting From Home Invasion

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The wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.

Does any law-abiding person want to be a sheep or a wolf? Wedont have to be either. There is a third option: The sheepdog.In Lt. Colonel Grossmans view, the sheepdog protects the sheepfrom the wolves. Police of cers are sheepdogs, although we cannot expect them to always be there to protect us. Our friends andneighbors who own guns and have obtained concealed weapons

permits may be sheepdogs. They are often cited by violent crimi-nals as the people with whom they least want to meet.

Establish the mindset now to not allow a sociopathic thug to de-stroy what has taken a lifetime to build. Determine to not allowany criminal to hurt loved ones. Decide that the home will not be

breached by miscreants who would take what is not theirs or hurtthose who look to the home as shelter from the world outside.

Introduction


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ome invasion itself is not classi ed as a crime. People whouse a home invasion to gain access to a dwelling arecharged with the crimes they commit as part of the home

invasion. Crime statistics for home invasions are not tracked bylaw enforcement. This makes it dif cult to determine the extentof the problem. Statistics may be good for something but if onehappens to be unfortunate enough to become a victim of a homeinvasion, then the statistic is 100 percent.

First Line of Defense Awareness Training &Development

H

Are the Fight Genetics Present?

A Mental Exercise

Mindset

Sometimes, when a person has his rst real-life ght in self-de -fense, someone who knows them, and who is also schooled in theart of self-defense may say they have the gene. It is an af rma -

tion that the person has the wherewithal, the ghting spirit, todefend themselves from a physical assault. It is not intellectual. Itis animal. It is emotional. In most people it stays well hidden mostof the time. In some people it stays hidden a persons entire lifeeven if they die at the hand of another. Some live in denial think-ing it will not happen to them. Secretly, we all know it can. Nexttime a news story is read about a murder, consider if that victimever said it. Consider if that victim might still be alive if he ac-cepted the fact that it could happen to him and then took steps to

prevent it from happening.

Self-defense is a built-in right. Watch a rabbit ght to escape af -ter it has been cornered by a fox. No one says that rabbit shouldknow hes supposed to be lunch for the fox. No, there is a partthat cheers for the rabbit if he breaks free and escapes. If a shescapes off a shermans hook, no one says how that sh shouldhave known he is supposed to let himself be reeled into the boat.Why should we be any different?

People allow terrible things to happen to them every day. Why?Because they do not have the programming to ght back. Some -thing prevents them from defending themselves as surely as if they were being held down by ten strong men. They have not

Pick three people: a friend, a co-worker, a relative, perhaps. Pic-ture each person in a situation where he is in a life or death en-counter with someone who has broken into his home and clearlyintends to do him great bodily harm. Does he do nothing? Doeshe try to talk his way out of the problem? Does he ght and lose?Does he ght and win? Take some time, and be honest.

Probably each persona was evaluated on his determination, hisability to recognize danger, and whether or not they deny to him-self that he is in a potentially life threatening situation. Perhaps

he is known well enough that it is easy to determine if he wouldght or not. Maybe it was dif cult to judge how each one would

react. Hopefully realization is starting to build in what is meant by the gene. It is the programming to drive the body to ght andwin when needed. It is the gene that is kept in a little red box onthe wall of the psyche. On the door of that imaginary red box arewritten the imaginary words, In emergency, break glass. Nowlook in the mirror and do the exercise this time applying it toones self.

One can live in a fortress, and be surrounded with weapons, but if there is no mental resolve to ght when it is absolutely necessary,there will be no victory. To have this resolve, rst look inside to

nd the gene.

The author John Steinbeck said it best, This is the law: The purposeof ghting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. Thesword is more important than the shield and skill is more importantthan either. The nal weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

taken the time to reach down into their inner self to discover thegene. Most people do not know it is there, and that is the problem.Many people who owned guns, practiced martial arts, enjoyed lotsof strenuous physical activities like football, hiking or swimminghave had the means to defend themselves and win a ght but theydid not have the right mindset. They had not discovered the genewithin themselves that, when they are provoked, screams, NoIm not going let you do that horrible thing to me! It is a genethat provokes an anger response and indignation with the mindset

of how dare you try to rob, rape or murder me.

When are we going to talk about gadgets and fancy door locks?Would good locks have helped the woman in the introduction?

No, not unless she had a mindset that is based upon awareness and prevention. And as long as criminals have cars, there is no such

thing as a safe neighborhood. So lets work on developing the cor-rect mindset to be able to deal with crimes like home invasions.

The Psychology of Criminal PredatorsA natural reaction for many people who are swiftly and viciouslyattacked is to question their attackers motive. Why are you do-ing this to me? I dont deserve this! I did nothing to you. Crimi-nals do not think the same way normal people do. Many criminals

nd the only control they have over anything in their lives is whenthey are assaulting someone they perceive to be weak and easily


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Condition White (Unaware of Surroundings)

Condition Yellow (Aware of Surroundings)

Condition Red (Action! Deal With the Problem)

Condition Orange (Evaluating a Potential Problem)

This is when one is not aware of the surroundings. It is being physically or mentally asleep or feeling as if it is a safe placewhere one can relax without paying attention to what is going on.Someone could sneak up and yell Boo! before it would even beknown that someone was there. The radar is switched off.

The radar is running. As one goes about his business, walkingalong the street, driving, making breakfast, taking out the gar-

bage, a part of the mind is processing sights and sounds, lteringout the normal things and trying to focus on what is not normal.This is the state of mind that everyone should be in for the entireday until back in a safe place where it is safer to relax and go intocondition white.

This is when a threat has been identi ed and action needs to betaken to neutralize the threat condition. Run away, defend, swervethe car to avoid hitting the child that stepped off the sidewalk intothe path of your vehicle. Physical action is required to protectfrom harm.

A blip just showed up on the radar. It is not yet known what isexactly is yet, so some special attention will be given to it until iteither goes away or there is a need to take some course of actionto deal with it. Perhaps footsteps are heard coming up quicklyfrom behind. Is it a friend or someone who wants to do harm? If it

is friend, and therefore not a threat, go back to condition yellow.If it is a bad guy creeping up, then go to the highest condition of awareness which is red.

controlled. They revel in this feeling of power over another person.

Is it likely that one could reason with a person like this and denythem the pleasure they have eagerly anticipated for so long? Notlikely. The rst part of developing the correct mindset is to notlive in denial. Recognize that bad people exist and that there is agood chance of running into one or more of them at almost anytime. Next, consciously make the decision that the criminal willnot prevail if there is an encounter. Handing over cash to avoid

being shot is not failing to prevail. Prevailing is coming out theend of a violent encounter with all intended victims unscathed.

The correct mindset begins with being aware of ones surround-ings. The easiest way to learn and remember the fundamentals of

being aware of your surroundings is to learn Colonel Jeff Coo- pers color code system of awareness. Ships and aircraft invari-ably have a radar system aboard that is running the whole time thevessel is moving. The radar constantly scans a 360 radius aroundthe ship or plane, and signals when something is approachingthe vessel. At rst it is just a blip. What the blip is isnt known

but nevertheless something is out there. The color code systemof awareness relies upon our own radar system being active the

whole time we are going about daily activities.

The woman in the introduction started her day in condition white.Assuming her house was locked and secure, this would be okay.But when the doorbell rang, she should have immediately movedinto condition yellow. She would then look through a windowto see who is outside. On seeing the teenage girl, whom she didnot recognize and wasnt expecting, she would have moved up tocondition orange. She could have questioned the girl through thelocked door, but instead she opened it and ran straight into a very

bad situation.

From young children to grandparents, everyone must have someunderstanding that it can be dangerous to allow access to a strang-er without rst verifying if they have a legitimate reason to enter the house. Young children should be instructed to never open thedoor unless an adult is right there with them. Older people whogrew up in an age may need some additional coaching on always

being aware of their surroundings.

It is not enough to be aware of who is knocking on the door. Beaware of everything and do not give information to strangers on

purpose or accidentally. Do not leave jewelry or other valuableslying around when the delivery guy or the repairman walks in.

It is not smart to let strangers know about valuables. Sometimes people whose job takes them into a lot of homes will sell infor-mation to burglars and other criminals. For a price, criminals can

nd out anything they desire. It takes practice to become fullyaware of ones surroundings at all times, but there are some thingsthat can be done to improve awareness. Focus on what is beingdone. Dont allow preoccupation with ten different things at thesame time. If walking from the car to the bank, dont talk on a cell

phone and dont think about what needs to be done after going tothe bank. Focus on walking to the bank. Look around. Is anyoneacting suspiciously? If a couple of guys wearing masks and car-rying shotguns approach the bank, perhaps this is a good time to

be somewhere else. In general, women have excellent instincts.They can tell when their child is lying to them, when their hus-

band is having an affair, or when they are walking into danger.The problem is that they often choose to ignore those instincts.That is when they get into trouble. If something feels wrong, it

probably is.

At home, when some quiet time is needed to concentrate on some-thing speci c, make a point of locking the doors and windows,generally securing the home. Now relax and go into conditionwhite, secure in the knowledge that the home is as safe as it can

be reasonably made.

Fight, Flight, or Freeze Now that we have covered the mental part which is proper mind-set, we need to discuss the internal changes that the human bodyundergoes when it is subjected to severe stress, confusion and ter-ror. Sometimes, we hear about a swimmer who is attacked by ashark. The swimmer, terri ed of the shark, punches it in the eyeuntil it breaks off the attack. This is the ght reaction.

A man steps out into the street without rst looking for traf c. Hehears the horn as a cement truck speeds towards him, too close to


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When the Sheepdog Uses Violence to ProtectIn the military warriors kill people and break things. Their primaryrole is to act offensively, rather than defensively. They will oftentravel to dangerous places in organized units in order to wage war.On the other hand, for those of us who are acting as individuals,trained and armed for our own protection, we only get involved ina ght when we or a loved one are directly threatened, and whenthere is no other recourse, such as running away. It is likely wewill ght alone.

We defend our own bodies. If there is time, we will offer a sternverbal warning to dissuade a potential attacker from coming anycloser. If the attacker retreats and we consider the threat to havesubsided, we will continue with our business. We wont initiate or

escalate to a violent situation if we do not need to.

Certainly soldiers, and to some extent police of cers, have to be -have as warriors in an offensive role, whether it is attacking amilitary enemy, or deciding to raid a crack house, these are overt,

premeditated acts of aggression. Armed citizens, on the other hand would be arrested for doing that. Our role is to react to aclearly de ned and identi ed threat or criminal act of aggressionand to break off our aggressive response when the threat is nolonger there.

stop in time. The man leaps back onto the sidewalk as the truck speeds by. With no conscious effort on the mans part, his bodyhas reacted to the threat of being killed by dumping large amountsof adrenaline into his system which causes it to go into a state of

biological hyperalertness. His heart rate and blood pressure goup, his muscles tense, his pupils dilate. His body prepares to either

ght or run away. He jumps out of the path of the truck, quite pos -sibly with little or no conscious thought. This is the ight reaction.

If the body pumps no adrenalin into the system it can cause the body to freeze. A Navy SEAL told of his experience in Vietnam.He and another SEAL were moving slowly through a graveyardwhen a large force of enemy soldiers arrived in front of them.They had to go back the way they had come to avoid the en-emy. He couldnt move. He knew what he had to do, but his bodywould not respond. This is the freeze reaction. Happily, after afew moments of motivational thought, he was able to move. Heovercame the temporary physical reaction of his body that seemed

beyond his control for a few moments.


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he best locks in the worldwont fully protect any-one, because one day,

someone will forget or simply not bother to use them.Murphys Law dictates itwill be the day when the

Second Line of Defense Avoidance & Preparation

THome Preparation

home is invaded. Stout doors and strong locks only work if theyare actually used. Criminals will test defenses to nd a weak

point, and they will only give up if they stand to lose more thanthey stand to gain.

Take time to prepare the home to resist a criminal incursion. Likean onion, home security should be comprised of multiple layersof resistance. The job is not to catch criminals (although that mayhappen as a result of defensive actions). The real job is to makegaining access to the home so dif cult and frustrating that a crimi -nal will give up and go somewhere else. A criminal may penetratethe rst layer of security, but the second layer will be much tough -er. The third layer is even tougher. All of this is for the purpose toget him to give up and go somewhere else.

Study the home as if looking through the eyes of a burglar or aviolent criminal who wants to gain access. Are there open doorsand windows? Can upstairs windows be reached? Are there placessuch as a garage, shed or large bushes where a criminal could hideand ambush someone? In an apartment, how is access gained tothe inside of the building? Could someone simply ring the bell

and wait for an upstairs neighbor to buzz them in? Determine howeasy or hard it would be to break into ones own home. Make alist of things that need to be xed. How about a bathroom windowthat doesnt lock properly, the cheap lock on the door that doesnt

t very well into the door frame, that neighbor who leaves thefront hall door ajar. Do this same exercise at night. Is the exterior lighting suf cient? Are there shadowy corners where someonecould hide and ambush someone as a key is put into the lock?

Locks should be good quality dead bolts made from case-hard-ened steel. The bolt should extend 1 1/2 inches into the door framewhen it is locked. Add some three inch screws through the door frame and into the frame of the house for extra strength. Also,replace the short, imsy screws that attach the strike plate to theframe with three inch screws. This will resist somebody tryingto kick the door in. Any glass side windows need to be either reinforced or boarded up. The alternative is to use double-keyed,double cylinder locks that require a key to both lock and unlock from the outside and from the inside. In the event of a re in thehouse, do not be stuck behind a door that cannot be unlocked.Be sure to keep a key close to the door for emergencies. Do notforget about locks for interior doors, especially one that connectsa garage to a house.

Sliding glass patio doors are not very secure. They can be liftedoff the track, or simply smashed in with a heavy object like thatconcrete garden gnome Aunt Betty bought as a housewarminggift. Some better-quality sliding doors cannot be lifted out of thetrack when they are locked. Perhaps there is a need to upgradethe door or consider replacing it altogether with a conventionalexterior door and good quality deadbolt locks.

The other alternative is to have a professional installer put a thin

layer of clear plastic security lm on the inside of the glass. Thismaterial is designed to stop the glass in a window shattering intothousands of razor sharp shards if struck or if a bomb explodesoutside the window. It works very well to stop a burglar from

breaking through. This is not the usual laminate found in a localhardware store. This security lm is a much tougher polycarbon -ate lm backed with a really tough adhesive that is intended tostop the glass shattering, and hold it together when a burglar hitsit with a baseball bat.

We saw from our case study at the beginning of this report thathome invaders can be juveniles. Would it be a surprise to learnthat children as young as ve years old have been led or coerced

by adults into breaking into homes? Keeping that in mind, donot forget that narrow window over the back door. It may be toosmall for an adult to squeeze through, but it is no problem to lift a

ve-year old up to it and let them wriggle through and then openthe door for an adult. That dog or cat ap in the kitchen door maymean that you dont have to get out of bed to let a pet in, but itmay be large enough for a small child to enter and then unlock the door.

Lighting is another important issue. Cockroaches scatter when a bright light hits them. Violent criminals may not be quite so co-operative, but they certainly dont like to work in well illuminatedareas if they have a choice. Lets look rst at exterior lighting.Lighting over the front door should shine down onto visitors sothat they can be identi ed before opening the door. It should alsoshine a little into their eyes so that when an occupant of the homeis standing in the doorway he becomes just a silhouette. If a badguy cannot see in detail when the door is opened, he cannot tell if the person answering the door is holding a weapon.

Interior lighting is also important. If going away, put several lightsthroughout the home on electric timers that are programmed toturn lights on and off from time to time. To the observer, it ap-

pears that the home is occupied. Do not forget to vary the lightsand the time they come on and go off, in order to produce a ran-dom pattern to make it look as if someone is home. Use a timer toturn on the bathroom light for a few minutes once or twice duringthe night. Do the same kind of thing with a radio or TV.

All exterior doors should be solid core doors that offer a high de-gree of security. However, the problem with having a solid frontdoor is that one cannot see through it. The door should not haveto be opened to nd out who has rung the doorbell. Either have adoor with small reinforced glass windows in or near it to look outof, or install two doors. The outer door is a wrought iron securitydoor with reinforced glass or Lexan windows and a stout lock.


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Burglar Alarms

For most people, burglar alarms fallinto two distinct types: Alarms that areinstalled in an automobile to discour-age a thief from breaking in and steal-

ing it, and alarms that are installed inthe house to discourage burglars. Sta-tistically the number one and number two reasons burglars who onlywant property choose another house is because of an alarm systemand/or a dog. However, burglars and home invaders have tricks.

One common scenario is it being late at night while the family isasleep in bed. A burglar walks up to the house. He deliberatelytriggers the alarm system, then runs away and hides. The hom-eowner wakes up, rushes downstairs (this is a bad tactical move,

but more of that later) and investigates. He nds no burglar andno signs of a break-in. He resets the alarm and goes back to bed.Half an hour later, the burglar approaches the house again, trig-gers the alarm, and runs away to hide. Once more the homeowner rushes downstairs, investigates the house and nds there is nothingamiss. He resets the alarm and grumbles all the way back to bed.

The burglar waits for a while and then walks over to the house andtrips the alarm again and runs away. This time, the homeowner isconvinced that his burglar alarm is faulty. He goes downstairs,turns the system off and goes back to bed. This time, the burglar

breaks in. What we can deduce from all this is that home inva-sions have become more commonplace because burglar alarms

are more prevalent and more sophisticated. By all means have oneinstalled. Just do not rely on it to the exclusion of all other securitymethods, and do not treat it like a talisman.

A dog can be a very valuable factor in the overall security of thehome. However, people should not assume the responsibility of owning a dog unless they are prepared to look after it. This meansmore than just providing food and water. Researchers tell us thatat best, a smart dog has the same emotional maturity as a ve year old child. Be prepared to give the dog lots of love and attention.Walk the dog, play with the dog, become friends with the dog, andthe dog will be there when needed. Take the time to research what

breed of dog would t best into the familys lifestyle.

Keep in mind that for the sort of security requirements we are con-cerning ourselves with here, there are basically two kinds of dog:The dog that bites and the dog that barks. People acquire dogsthat bite because they think that a dog will protect them againstintruders. The problem is that the dog, an animal with the brainand maturity of an infant, may not be able to tell the difference

between a violent intruder and a Girl Scout selling cookies.

How many times has it been in the news about someone being at-tacked by a neighbors dog? There is the responsibility to self andthe other members of the household as well as the community ingeneral to not bring home an animal that bites because it wants to.Dogs need to be properly trained and socialized to act and reactappropriately around people. Though all dogs can bite, some canobviously do far less physical damage than others. A tiny dog thatwill bark his head off at strangers until commanded to stop is likehaving a roving burglar alarm. This dogs job is to be an alarmsystem. It does not ght battles; it simply tells when there is a

problem that needs addressed. A dog that can wake up from a deepsleep and bark when it hears something that it knows is not part of its normal surroundings is worth its weight in gold.

So now the gears of thought are turning with consideration be-ing given about installing a burglar alarm for the times when thehouse is empty and getting a smart dog that will be loved and wellcared for by the whole family. That is good, but it only solves the

rst part of the problem of surviving a home invasion. When thealarm goes off or the dog starts barking, someone needs to swinginto action. Pick up the phone and dial 911. The emergency opera-tor says the police are on their and to stay on the line. Now thereis the waiting time for rescue to come. All the while sounds of someone breaking down a door or a window as they try to get intothe home are heard. The dispatcher is sitting in a safe place, milesaway. It is a race to see who will get there rst, whether it is the

police or the bad guy or crew of bad guys downstairs.

Take time before an emergency to call the local police or sher-iffs department and ask to speak to the crime prevention of cer.Ask them how many of cers they have on patrol at any one time.

Now check the yellow pages and count the number of pizza de-livery places there are in the area. The number of of cers on dutyis about the same as the number of pizza delivery guys. It takesthirty minutes to get a pizza delivered, so if the security alarmgoes off, or if 911 is dialed as a violent felon is kicking in the front

This will allow the inner solid door to be opened to see who isthere, yet still have a secure barrier between the occupant andwhoever is standing on the doorstep.

This is also a good time to look at the construction of the homeand ask where would be a good place to be if the bullets start to

y. Even if there are no rearms in the home, it does not meanthat the bad guys wont be armed. Most bullets will penetrate atypical interior wall built of wooden studs and sheetrock/drywall.

Become familiar with places and objects that may stop a bullet.Brick, concrete or cinder block walls are much more likely tostand up to gun re. Solid, heavy, wood furniture or a large freezer or washing machine might slow down or stop a bullet too.

If a gun is present in the home, still become familiar with whichareas offer a safe eld of re. If a home invader is shot at andmissed, what is behind him? Is there nothing more than a imsyinterior wall between him and a sleeping child? What about bul-lets that exit the house through a window and travel into a neigh-

bors house? One of the basic safety rules is: Be sure of the tar-get, and what is behind it. Do not shoot at a shadow or a noise; itmay be a family member such as one of the children creeping into

the house after curfew. Always clearly identify anything beforeshooting at it, and be sure to have a clear shot without the risk if hitting some innocent bystander behind the bad guy.


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Preparing a Safe Room

Begin to examine the physical and tactical aspects of preparingwhat is known as a safe room in the home. The purpose of a saferoom is to give the occupants of a dwelling somewhere safe toretreat to in the event that their home is invaded by bad guys. Itis somewhere secure where the homeowners can hide, notify the

police, and wait for help to arrive. Safe rooms vary from inexpen-sive and simple to costly and sophisticated.

The simplest form of safe room may be a bedroom, with a stoutdoor, strong door locks, and a cell phone next to the bed. Keep inmind that criminals may still be able to break in through the win-dows or a skylight. The most sophisticated safe rooms are similar to a bank vault, built with thick steel or reinforced concrete walls,ceiling and oor, out tted with massive door locks, a high-techcommunications system, closed circuit camera, ltered air sys -tem, lighting, toilet facilities, weapons, food, electricity, neededmedication and medical supplies, water, and more. These rooms

are often used as huge vaults to store money, jewelry, important papers and other valuables.

It is impossible to say what kind of safe room is best. Construc-tion depends on a lot of factors such as where the safe room is to

be located, cost, whether owning or renting (better check with thelandlord before pouring concrete) and what level of security isrequired to give you some peace of mind.

The simplest safe room is an interior room or walk in closet thatdoes not have any windows or skylights. This is also a good roomif living in a part of the country where tornadoes or hurricanesmay be a threat. The door should at least be a solid core door like

an external door. If the existing door is imsy, buy a solid coredoor that is pre-hung within a frame from the local building sup-

ply store. Do not buy a good solid door and then install it with justa couple of nails. The frame must be attached to the walls withseveral three inch or longer wood screws. The factory-suppliedscrews in the hinges should also be replaced with screws that areat least three inches long.

In addition, the door frame itself can be reinforced by using thinsteel strapping material (such as is used to bind shipping crates),running it around the inside of the door frame in one continuousstrip and then screwing it rmly in place. Make sure the door willstill close properly if this is done. Alternatively, a door that is pre-hung in a steel box section frame is even stronger and will resistrepeated kicking and prying attempts.

Door locks should be long enough to extend into the frame to 1 inches. If there are plans of storing valuables in the safe room, agood quality keyed deadbolt will work. Install two of these in thedoor, one about a third of the way up from the oor and the other roughly a third of the way down from the top of the door. This isto spread the load of someone trying to kick in the door. Goodquality solid steel bolts installed on the inside to keep bad guys

out when the family is inside are less attractive but can withstanda lot of punishment if installed correctly in pairs to spread theforce of an assault on the door.

It is important to consider the possibility of a young child lockingthemselves in the safe room. In these cases, a lock which can beopened from the outside with a key is a good idea. An even better idea is an electronic keypad with a combination known only toresponsible adults in the house.

Most interior walls are comprised of 2x4 timber or light steel strutscovered with a layer of sheetrock/drywall on each side. Most have

probably seen how quickly a sledge hammer will demolish one of those walls. If a bad guy may try to smash his way inside, put alayer of a strong material known as hardware cloth (a tough meshof woven metal wire available in various thicknesses gauges)underneath the sheetrock on one or both sides of the wall. Thisrequires removing the sheetrock/drywall and xing the hardwarecloth securely to each of the timbers in the frame. Use a gaugeof hardware cloth considered appropriate for the speci c need.Also look at reinforcing the two by fours around the door frameand ensuring that the door lock fully engages into the frame for

maximum strength.

While the hardware cloth approach may make it tougher for some-one to smash the wall with a sledgehammer, it will not stop a bul-let. If there are concerns about someone trying to shoot throughthe walls or the door, there are some things that can be done toreduce the chance of bullets getting through. If there is enoughspace inside the room, install oor to ceiling bookshelves with

plenty of books packed very tightly together will offer some re-sistance to incoming rounds. A more expensive, but less bulkysolution is to install ballistic quality Lexan. This is a type of hard

plastic sheeting that is used in many applications where simpleglass would break. It comes in various thicknesses, and could beinstalled in place of the hardware cloth behind the sheetrock/dry-wall. Consider only protecting an area from bullets that the wholefamily including pets can crouch or lay behind. This will cut thecosts of ballistically reinforcing the whole room.

The one problem with constructing a safe room from materialsother than cement and steel is the danger of being trapped in ahouse re. Some safe rooms include a backdoor exit. This givesthe extra option to retreat into the safe room but also be able toescape out of the house through the rear exit while home invadersare occupied elsewhere. Then if the invaders set re to the homethe occupants have a secondary means of escape.

Consider also that a safe room cannot be brought along on a visitto friends and family or during vacation. Be mindful of choosinghotels and motels as well as being vigilant of what, if any, securitythere is at a friend or relatives home. Though the safe room can-not go with the family, the mindset, training and tactics can.

door, is it logical to think that a policeman will arrive in time tohelp? Establish a better plan!


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9

f confronted with a middle-of-the- nightawakening to the sound of breakingglass, lock the bedroom door and then

pick up the phone and call the police. Ex- plain to the police dispatcher that there is

Third Line of Defense 911

ITactics for Using a Safe Room

A Gun in the Home

an intruder in the home right now, and the police need to comeimmediately. Do not report it as a burglary, because sometimesa dispatcher will assume that the homeowner who calls about a

burglary is reporting the non-urgent discovery of a crime thathappened while the home was empty.

Make sure the dispatcher understands that there is an intruder in the home right now, and that the situation is urgent. Providethe dispatcher with details such as name and address. Advise thedispatcher which people are supposed to be in the home, who isknown or thought to already be there as well as where they arethought to be at the moment. Give a location of where the call is

being made from.

The police dispatcher will stay on the phone with you the policearrive. If possible, change into suitable clothes to go outside, es-

pecially shoes that are suitable for running or climbing. If the badguys break down the bedroom door before the police arrive, that

ght or ight response is going to kick in. Leave the sandals or stiletto shoes in the closet and slip on a pair of walking shoes.Also be sure to have a set of house keys in the bedroom that can

be thrown out the window to the police when they arrive so thatthey can easily get in.

It is a good idea to attach the keys to either a small ashlight or achemical light stick (a small plastic tube that you bend and shake

to cause two chemicals inside to mix and throw off a bright glow).That way the cops can nd the keys easily at night if they arethrown to them out the window. Now get behind the bed or someother large object that provides a barrier away from the bedroomdoor. Keep the phone and keep telling the police dispatch opera-tor what is known to be going on.

If a gun is present in the home or another weapon such as pepper spray, a baseball bat, knife or even a Rottweiler, be sure to be incontrol of that weapon. Once the bedroom door is locked, the po-lice are called, and they are given the same information as before,

be sure to also advise of being armed. Get behind the bed. If thereis a gun, it should be ready to engage whatever comes through thedoor. However, it takes training to be able to instantly discern acriminal from a family member bursting in the room to sound thealarm that someone bad is in the house. Also, police of cers indark uniforms carrying guns look a lot like criminals in the dark.Keep up a running commentary with the police dispatcher. Thisis very important for two reasons: rst, the dispatcher will relaythe information to the police of cers who are responding to thecall, and second, if one has to shoot, stab, club, or sic the dog on a

burglar, the police call can be used as evidence to prove that therewas reason to fear loss of life.

Establish a code word that, when shouted by someone in the homecauses everyone to go into a preplanned course of action. If any-

body yells, Fire, re, re, in the middle of the night, it meanseveryone has to run outside and assemble on the front lawn. Inthe event of a home invasion, a different code word is yelled thatmeans everyone runs for the safe room. Be imaginative choosinga code word that will be remembered. Make a plan with every-

body in the house, including older relatives as well as the youngchildren. If there is someone too young or too to be able to react

correctly to the plan, then plan to have other people go and getthem and bring them to the prearranged rally point. This can bethe master bedroom, the safe room or wherever the safest placeis. Practice the home invasion drill until the correct response issecond nature. Absolutely never joke about code words that have

been established. People must understand that if the signal isheard, it is either a practice drill or it is the real thing.

Sometimes hiding behind a locked door is not an option. Theremay well be times when homeowners must confront an aggres-

sor in order to save a loved one or themselves from unspeakableviolence. The most likely reason is that the police are not presentand time has run out. A time when homeowners must act now or lose something they hold most dear.

Back in the days of the Old West, people had a saying about pis-tols made by the Colt Company: God made men, but Sam Coltmade them equal. In trained, con dent hands, a gun is a greatequalizer. Many people jump to conclusions when they are decid-ing if they should have a gun in the home for protection. Emotionsand preconceptions can run wild about guns.

It seems that many people spend more time deciding how they

will play a hand of poker than they spend thoroughly evaluat-ing the use of a gun for protection. This is not to be considereda declaration as to whether or not a gun should or should not beowned. It is a declaration that there are some important things for individuals to consider in order for them to make the right deci-sion for their own selves.

Maybe there is a question of whether or not a gun can be legallyowned. Anybody who may have done time in jail might consider reading Federal Form 4473. This is the form that everyone who

buys a rearm from a gun dealer must complete. The criterion for legal ownership is stated on the form. Every gun store has them,and a sample of the form can also be found on the internet. If it isthought that anyone can buy a gun, take a look at all the restric-tions on Form 4473.

If ones only exposure to rearms has been a couple of huntingtrips as a child, or what has been gleaned from watching movies,then the answer is a resounding NO. That person is not familiar enough with rearms to use them effectively. The best thing todo is nd a quali ed instructor who teaches basic rearms safety,correct gun handling, and the fundamentals of marksmanship.The National Ri e Association has instructors in every state who


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10

teach basic classes. Take a course before buying a gun. This wayone will be far better informed to make a suitable purchase (or not, if it has been decided that a gun will not work for the speci cneeds of the individual or family).

If buying a gun for protection, one must accept the fact that theremay come a time when it is necessary to actually shoot some-

body in order to save a life. While it is true that many criminalsrun when somebody shows them a rearm, it cannot be assumed

that one wont meet the hard case who already knows what it islike to be shot and does not fear being shot again. Responsiblegun owners do not pull a weapon for just any little thing. The useof deadly force is reserved for that back-to-the-wall situation whereevery other option has been tried and has failed to stop the attacker.

If the only tool one has is a hammer, then every problem lookslike a nail. A gun would be one tool in the arsenal of self-defenseand home protection. There is a need for a plan for self-defensein the home. If a gun is in the house, it is important to spend timeat a good school that specializes in training civilians in defensiveshooting tactics. These classes typically run from 2-5 days andwill cover a selection of rearms and other equipment, drawinga handgun from the holster or use of a sling on a shotgun or car-

bine, tactical reloading, shooting while moving and from behindcover and concealment, and shooting in low light.

Guns are not the only weapons that can be used for defense. For many reasons, a gun may not be suitable, available, or even legalto have. The term less-lethal was probably rst used by law -yers working either for police departments or the manufacturersof defensive tools to describe weapons that are not intended to

be lethal, but may cause death in extreme circumstances. Pep- per spray contains Oleoresin Capsicum which is an extract of hot peppers. A popular and often extremely ef cient defensive

weapon, a shot of OC spray in an attackers face will aggravatesensitive membranes causing swelling, profuse watering of eyesand throat and airway irritation.

A TASER is another good example of an effective less-lethalweapon. TASER is the trade name for a device that shoots a

pair of metal probes connected to electric wires into an attacker.Once the two darts are embedded in the attackers skin or cloth-ing, a high voltage electric shock is transferred from the device,through the wires, and into the attacker. TASERs are used bymany police departments as a way to incapacitate a suspect. Theyare also available to civilians and are legal in many states andlocal jurisdictions. Permits may be required. Keep in mind, how-ever, that the TASER is a one shot deal. If the person using theTASER misses his target or the darts do not stick in the attacker,then nothing happens to them. The TASER C2 for civilians willstill work as a contact stun-gun type of device, but the point of aweapon in civilian hands is to keep a distance away from the at-tacker. The range is limited by the length of the wires to 15 feet.

There are other weapons that can be used. A knife, for example,can be highly effective for cutting tendons and muscles to severe-ly incapacitate a violent attacker. However, ghting with a knife

is something that must be learned and practiced repeatedly. Thereare some good martial artists out there who teach solid, no-non-sense knife ghting techniques. There are instructional books andDVDs available for private study. A knife offers some advantagesover larger, more complicated weapons. There are many excellenttactical folding knives available that are designed speci cally for

ghting. They open with one hand, they can be clipped inside a pocket for fast easy access, and they are small and light, so theycan be carried most of the time. Check your local laws to see if

knives are legal to be carried outside the home.

Everyone should carry a tactical ashlight. These lights are generally made of aluminum for strength, and feature an extremely

bright light that usually come from an LED instead of a regular bulb. The idea is to use the light to temporarily blind an attacker and permit one to run away. If necessary one can test the tough-ness of the aluminum light on the attackers skull a couple of times too. Anyone carrying a pistol for self-defense should carrya tactical ashlight. It is absolutely vital to be able to correctlyidentify any target before shooting it. In low-light conditions, asmall, powerful ashlight makes this possible and may preventshooting a family member in the dark.


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11

his is not the place to give legal advice, but laws do differ from state to state. Sometimes they differ from town to town.In some states, there is a legal requirement for the resident

of a dwelling to retreat if possible from a physical assault (al-though no state requires you to retreat if one cannot safely do

so). In quite a few states this law has been replaced with the laws pertaining to the Castle Doctrine that allows the occupant to useforce to defend if he believes the intruder is in the home illegallyand that he has committed or intends to commit a felony.

So now the home is as secure as it possibly can be with availableresources. There is some sort of safe room available for the oc-cupants to run into when threatened. Every waking moment islived according to Jeff Coopers color code of awareness. Classesin one or more forms of self-defense have been completed. Thereis a plan for defending against a home invasion with the family inthe same way there is a plan in the event of a re. Everyone in thefamily feels better about the whole concept of self-defense. Thereis knowledge of at least the basics of how to defend, the familyhas acquired the skills and recognizes that skills are perishablerequiring regular practice and training. Everyone is more vigi-lant, aware and con dent, and able to unleash aggression whenit is absolutely required. Despite all these things, everyone is stillhopeful that the skills and knowledge will never need to be used.Then one day, it happens.

A successful home invasion is likely to happen very quickly. Adoor or window is smashed in or as in the example in the intro-duction someone is able to push his way into the home because of

being able to persuade someone to open the door. Perhaps a visit-

ing friend or a relatives child innocently opened the front door to a stranger. Maybe the garage door was left open for a minute.Perhaps someone followed a family member home from the store.Maybe the garage door wasnt immediately closed after drivinginto it. Maybe someone did not make sure he or she was alone inthe garage before unlocking and opening the vehicle door or thedoor from the garage to the house. Yes, the door from garage tohouse should be locked with a keyed lock.

Whatever the reason, violent and menacing strangers are sud-denly in the home. Suddenly one goes from condition white or yellow to condition orange. The problem is known. How longdoes it take you to go from condition orange to condition red? If one has really trained and practiced for this home invasion, then itshould already be known how one will respond. The basics of re-sponding should be with ferocity that exceeds that of the attacker.Fight or ight is probably the rst thing to decide. If escape is

possible always choose that route. Perhaps there are loved ones inthe house. Should they be left to fend for themselves, or must onestay to defend them? If there is the choice made to run, is a neigh-

bor close enough to quickly summon the police, or is your bestoption to run to the safe room. Consider whether or not it would

be possible to bear hiding in the safe room while loved ones were

Fourth Line of Defense Force & Violence

T

locked outside at the mercy of the home invaders. If the choice ismade to ght, is there a weapon to even the odds? Where is thecell phone, the ashlight or the gun?

f this report was carefully and thoughtfully read, then one hasalready spent far more time considering how to deal with ahome invasion than most people. The chances of being a vic-

tim of a home invasion are low, and gaining this knowledge hasmade those chances even lower. However, times do change. Wecannot expect that the current low crime rate will continue. In

New Orleans, before Hurricane Katrina hit the city, who wouldhave predicted that there would be such a complete breakdown of law and order? If we have learned anything at all from Katrina, itis that apparently it does not take much to bring out the worst insome people. And for that reason, it must be considered how toeffectively prepare for bad things that may happen.

If it is decided that a gun is a good defensive tool to have, start by taking a basic class such as those that the NRA offers. After developing a good foundation in the basic principles of gun safe-ty, handling and marksmanship, then seek out a good defensiveshooting instructor to take at least one class. Most of us keep a

re extinguisher in the home in case it is ever needed as a weaponagainst re. Most wear a seatbelt to defend against severe injuryor ejection from a vehicle if there is an accident. Why not preparethe home and everyone who lives in it to win in the event that itis ever invaded?

Under stress, training takes over, so practice the things that can

be practiced so that more attention can be given to the problem athand. If the choice is ever made to ght, then ght to win!

Conclusion

I


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If you look at the oor plans of most homes and apart -

ments, each one is a complete home invasion disasterwaiting to happen , especially if you have kids in thehouse.

This work book is going to highlight some of thesetypes of home oor plans, and show you how best toreact to a home invasion in progress with several condi -tions each.

When we say that these plans are disasters waiting tohappen, we are referring to the following attributes:

Bedrooms are far apart.

Most of the master bedrooms are far apart from theother bedrooms. This distance creates too much time torespond to an invasion.

Generally, most home security experts recommend thata safe room be the master bedroom and all family mem -

bers will meet there in the event of a home invasion.

When the bedrooms are as spread out and far apart as inmost modern homes though, the distance from the kidsrooms to the master bedroom (or safe room) can proveto take way too much time. The same can be true evenif you make one of the kids rooms a safe room: it willstill take you time to get there.

Bedrooms are separated by entry points.

Not only does the distance take time to cover, but if you look at many common home layouts, your travel

path to and from each room is usually wide open andin clear view of the invasions entry points. This meansthat while trying to reach one another, you or your kidsmay be spotted by the intruders, and you may be in theline of re if they decide to start shooting.

As you will see in the following pages, many of theseoor plans suffer from this disadvantage. For example,

consider the very rst home layout on page 3. If youare in the master bedroom and you hear your front door

being kicked in, if you have children in the home, your initial response will be to try to get to their rooms- la -

beled Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3. You have tocross right behind the front door, and the hallway tothe two bedrooms has only one entrance or exit. (Thisshows us that most architects and home builders do nottake safety and security into consideration when build -ing homes, apartments and trailers. If they did, homeswould be laid out in a completely different manner!)

Here is why the home invasion scenarios are so dif -cult: Consider the page 3 oor plan once more. Chanc -es are that if someone breaks in and you hear it, your kids probably will not hear it. Most kids would sleepthrough a train crashing through the house! So if youhave kids in Bedroom 2 and Bedroom 3, and you are inthe Master Bedroom, you have two options. 1) With ahome intercom system, use the intercom to awaken thekids and help them remember the family safety plan, or 2) set up one of the kids bedrooms as the safe room,

and you yourself go to it.

Depending on the age of your children, they may noteven hear the intercom. If they do, they will be scared,half asleep, not thinking straight and probably wont re -member any family safety plan. The only feasible planthen, requires you to have to leave the safety of your master bedroom, cross the kill zone, and get to your kids before the intruder gets to either you or your kids.Thats the scenario, now how do you want to play itout?

Unfortunately, you dont have much of an option whenit comes to an intruder coming through your front door.You will most likely either have to nd a way into your kids bedrooms and hold up there or attempt an escape,or you will have to face the intruder. Unfortunately thereare no magic answers and no tricks-up-your-sleeve thatwill help solve these dilemmas. There are literally hun -

When seconds count:Fight, Flight, or Freeze

Jerrod Smelker & the Delta Media Team

Page 1


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dreds of scenarios that could play out which all dependon where the intruder enters, what their intent is, howfast things are moving, the time of day/night, whether or not the family is asleep or awake, and whether you havea defensive rearm or not. These factors and variationswill in turn lead to hundreds of possible courses of ac -tion, which will each lead to hundreds of possible out -comes to the home invasion some good, some bad.

The closer together the bedrooms, the better.

If you are on a second oor with your kids, such as inthe third home layout (on page 5), you stand a much

better chance of getting to your kids room to set upa safe room without running into the intruder. Your chances and options diminish if you are on the ground

oor of a multi-level home, in a trailer or double-wide,or in an apartment.

The whole subject of home invasions is lled with grayarea, meaning that there are very few one size ts allsolutions. The fact of the matter is that gray areas arethe world we live in. If we were able to design and buildour own houses, then we could take safety and secu -rity in mind and design accordingly. Unfortunately wehave to live with the hand we are dealt, and this appliesin this case to the preexisting houses most of us livein.

That is what this work book is all about- working withwhat we have. Were not going to show you a half-mil -lion dollar oor plan designed by Gaston Glock. Weregoing to show you common oor plans found all acrossthese United States, and were going to tell you how tomake the best of them.

For sake of argument (and because an entire book could be written on each of the following oor plans if it weredesired), were going to assume that the intruder willenter from the front door, and that you hear the homeinvasion as it happens.

If you live alone...

If you live alone, then your bedroom would prove agood location as your safe room. Your safety and secu -rity plan will of course be your own with only yourself in mind. In this case, you must decide whether or notyou will take up a defensive position within your saferoom, or if your intent is to simply escape. If livingalone, your best bet with any of these house layoutswould be to make the master bedroom your safe room.Make sure you can secure your bedroom door with alock and even some type of obstacle, such as pushing adresser in front of it, or using a wedge bar. Doing thiscan give you vital extra escape time if need be.

If you are in your safe room and escaping out of a win -dow or another door, be aware that many criminals donot work alone, so if one intruder is entering the frontdoor, another accomplice could very well be waitingoutside your bedroom window or door. Its generallyeasy to spot the master bedroom windows from outsideof a house- and criminals know this- so be cautious andvigilant while executing your escape.

Please join me as we continue our look at the followingten common home oor plans.

Page 2


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What to do if Alone? If you are in this house layoutalone, you have three options. One is to escape, whichcould easily be done through the Master Bedroom win -dow. Two would be to take up a defensive positionwithin the Master Bedroom and three would be to leavethe security of the Master Bedroom to investigate anddeal with the intruder.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?Your primary objective is of course to reach the chil -dren rst and to provide security for them. There areseveral topics of discussion on whether or not to get tothe children, which could draw attention to them, or use

yourself to draw attention away from them.

What to do to escape? To escape most homes duringa home invasion, any window or door that is furthestaway from where the intruder is would be the commonsolution. Within this home layout, an escape with thechildren would be best suited through the Bedroom 2window.

What to do to defend? If you have a home rearm for defense, you would be able to leave the Master Bedroomto get to the children in Bedrooms 2 and 3 by movinginto the Great Room while keeping an eye on the frontdoor. Your objective is to get to the bedroom hallway,

but understand that you have to cross the open area of the Great Room, which is where the intruder could be.Another option would be to take a defensive position atthe Master Bedroom entrance next to the replace. The

replace would act as great cover and concealment andif the intruder tried to go into the childrens hallway,you could shoot if need be. This is because if you look at the layout, if you have to shoot from that position,

and missed or over penetrated rounds would go into the bathroom and not the childrens bedrooms.

Where would the best safe room be? The best loca -tion for a safe room in this home layout would probably

best be located in Bedroom 2. This is the bedroom fur -thest from the front door and has a window for escape.

When Seconds Count: Fight Flight or Freeze

Page 3

BEDROOM #3

BEDROOM #2

MASTER BEDROOMGREAT ROOM

PORCH

DININGROOM

UTILITY KITCHEN

BATH

CLOSET

CLOSET

CLOSET

C L O S E T

BATH #2


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17/26

What to do if Alone? Living alone on the second oor

gives you plenty of time to escape or take a defensive position if you are able to hear the home invasion. Youcan make your Master Bath or Walk-in closet your saferoom.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?Being on the second oor gives you a much better chance of gathering you and your children into a saferoom. In this layout, you would wake the children ineach room and meet in Bedroom 2. It is the mid-pointof all rooms and has an escape route through the win -

dows.

What to do to escape? Escaping through Bedroom 2windows would probably be the best bet. Be aware thatyou are on the second oor and a exible safe interior ladder tossed out the window would be needed to es -cape to the ground.

What to do to defend? You could stay within your

Master Bedroom and take a position with a rearm to-

ward the stairwell. Since that is the only way to ac -cess you and your children, the intruder would have tocome that way and you could engage him or her there.Be aware though that rounds could go into Bedroom 1.Another option is to take up a defensive position in theMaster Bedroom walk in closet. It looks large enoughto hold all family members, but it should be constructedwith locking and secure doors. Remember though thatthere is no escape option with the walk in closet.

Where would the best safe room be? The safe roomcould be located in Bedroom 2 or the Master Bedroomor Bath. Each has escape routes and are in the cornersof the house.


Page 5

BATH

BEDROOM 2 BEDROOM 3

BALCONY

STAIRWELLTO LOWER LEVEL

MASTERBEDROOM

MASTER

BATH

BEDROOM 1

CLOSET

CLOSET

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

WALK-INCLOSET


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What to do if Alone? Alone in this house would beeasy escape from a window or an easy defensive posi -

tion in the Master Bath.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with chil-dren? If you had another door access in the Master Bath to the Bedroom 2, 3 and 4 bathroom, this would

be a quicker and easier option for gathering the familyto Bedroom 3. This room is the middle room and hastwo windows for escape. Another option would be toescape the Master bedroom window onto the porch andenter Bedroom 2 window to gather the children. Onceagain this would require both pre-planning and accessinto the windows.

What to do to escape? Bedroom 3 would be the escapefor you and the kids if you are able to reach them. Oth -erwise as stated above, escape your Master Bedroomwindow and reach the children in each bedroom fromtheir windows.

What to do to defend? The front door is right next toyour Master Bedroom door. If you have a rearm, you

would have to immediately engage the intruder there or before they reached the kitchen or dining room. Luck -ily in this layout, the other bedrooms are far away fromthe front door, giving you time to stop the intruder be -fore he or she reaches the bedrooms.

Where would the best safe room be? Bedroom 3would make a great safe room, because it is in the cor -ner with windows for escape and it is central to the threechildrens bedrooms.


Page 6

DINING

KITCHEN GREAT ROOM

MASTERBEDROOM

BEDROOM 2BEDROOM 3

BEDROOM 4

GRILLINGPORCH

COVERED PORCH

MASTERBATH

BATH


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What to do if Alone? The Master Bath would be a greatdefensive position or the Master Bedroom windows for escape. Taking a position with a rearm within theMaster Bedroom entrance gives you a vantage point of the stairway.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?Gather the kids from each Bedroom and use the Mas -ter Bedroom as the safe room. In fact, one of the walk in closets would work great, but once again remember that the closets give you no escape option.

What to do to escape? Either the Master Bedroom or Bedrooms 2 and 3 would work for escape through thewindows. Remember that you are on the second oor,so an escape ladder or other means of getting to theground would be necessary. You would never want totry to escape down the stairway.

What to do to defend? A defensive position could beright from the entrance of the Master Bedroom or theentrance to Bedroom 2. It is in direct line to the stair -way, which is where the intruder would have to enter togain access to the upstairs.

Where would the best safe room be? Even the Mas -ter Bathroom or the 2nd bathroom could prove to be aquick safe room. Each one could have a solid lockingdoor and each one has a window for escape.


Page 7

B A T H

MASTERBATH

MASTERBEDROOM

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

BEDROOM 2 BEDROOM 3

BEDROOM 4


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What to do if Alone? You are already in the Master Bedroom so no reason to go anywhere else. Escapethrough the window or take a defensive position in thecloset or bath.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?From the Master Bedroom there is a lot of distance tocover in order to get to the children in Bedrooms 2 and3. Once there though, either bedroom will work for es -cape or a safe room. Each has a window and each couldhave a solid secure door.

What to do to escape? To escape use the windows inBedroom 2.

What to do to defend? If you have a rearm, you willengage the intruder right from your Master Bedroomdoor. The Living Room is the area where you will mostlikely meet. Be aware that the two bedrooms are rightin the line of re if the intruder moves that way.

Where would the best safe room be? Bedroom 2would be a great safe room for escape or taking up a

position in the bedroom closet.


Page 8

FAMILYROOM

DINING

ROOM KITCHEN

LIVINGROOM

MASTERBEDROOMBEDROOM 3BEDROOM 2

CLOSET


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What to do if Alone? Once again, you are already inyour Master Bedroom, so your options are to escapethrough the windows, take up a defensive positionwithin the Master Bath, or if you have a rearm, engagethe intruder from the Master Bedroom into the GreatRoom.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?The Master Bedroom and Bedroom 2 are very closewhich is great. Bedroom 2 could be easily used for a safe room or for escape through the window. Theonly problem is to get to Bedroom 2s door, you have towalk right in front of the front door where the intruder could be.

What to do to escape? Escape through the Bedroom2 window or the Master Bedroom door to the covered

porch.

What to do to defend? To defend with a rearm, youcould take a position in the Master Bedroom along thewall of Bedroom 2, or you could even escape throughthe Master Bedroom door, travel along the CoveredPorch and engage the intruder from behind as you arecoming through the front door.

Where would the best safe room be? The Master Bathwould also be a good safe room for a defensive posi -tion, especially if you can lock the bath door, then gointo the walk-in closet.


Page 9

MASTER BATH

WALK-INCLOSET

MASTERBEDROOM

LAUNDRYSHOP/STORAGE

GARAGE

COVERED PORCH

COVERED PORCH

GREAT ROOM KITCHEN

BEDROOM #2 FORMALDINING

BATH


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What to do if alone? The Master Bedroom and adjoin -ing bath can prove to be the best safe room or defensive

position when living alone in an apartment.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?The apartment layout creates a distance problem be -cause the bedrooms are the furthest apart. From theMaster Bedroom you have to cross the entire main oor dining room and Living Room, which is in direct sightof the front door. Reach Bedroom 2 and secure the door,then an escape can be performed through the window.

What to do to escape? Escape to the balcony would probably not be a good option if you were too high up.

There may be no means of escape and you probablycannot secure the door from the outside.

What to do to defend? If you live on the 10th oor,your balcony is useless, and so a defensive positionmay be your only option. Take it up in the Bedroom 2if you have children, use the Master Bedroom or Closetif possible.

Where would the best safe room be? The safe roomwould be Bedroom 2 or the Master Bedroom closet.


Page 10

P A T I O /

B A L C O N Y

MASTERBEDROOM

BEDROOM #2

LIVINGROOM

DININGROOM

KITCHEN

C L O S E T

CLOSET


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What to do if Alone? If you hear an intruder coming through the frontdoor of a mobile home, escaping out the Master Bedroom window would

be the ideal thing to do. You could also take a defensive position in thekitchen, then retreat to the Master Bedroom if need be and still escape.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children? Much like theapartment, you have the bedrooms at either end of the mobile home. Be -cause mobile homes are extremely thin, going from the Master Bedroomto Bedrooms 2 and 3 could prove to be practically impossible without run -ning into the intruder.

What to do to escape? If you were able to escape through the Master Bedroom window and the children could escape through the back door or windows. Once you escape through the Master Bedroom window, youcould reach the Bedroom 2 and 3 windows to assist the childrens escape.

What to do to defend? Defending with a rearm from the Master Bed -room could prove fatal depending on where the shots go. Trailers or mo - bile homes have notoriously thin walls where rounds could penetrate andhit the children at the opposite end of the house. You must also take intoconsideration that if you live in a trailer park, a round from a ri e couldeasily pass through several house trailers before stopping.

Where would the best safe room be? The safe room could be in Bed -room 2 or 3, depending on where the kids are.


Page 11

MASTERBEDROOM

BEDROOM 2

BEDROOM 3

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

C L O S E T

KITCHEN

LIVINGROOM

U T I L I T Y


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What to do if Alone? The Master Bedroom windowcan be used for an escape, and a defensive position can

be taken up in the doorway looking down the hall.

What to do if the rooms are occupied with children?This layout is a bit simpler than the three-bedroomlayout. The Master Bedroom and Bedroom 2 are closetogether. You could go from the Master Bedroom di -rectly to Bedroom 2 and escape through the window.Another option would be for you and the child or chil -dren to meet in the middle bath for a defensive positionor escape through the window.

What to do to escape? Escape through the windows inthe Master Bedroom or Bedroom 2. Another option isthe back door right across from Bedroom 2.

What to do to defend? You can take up a defensive position with a rearm right in the Master Bedroomdoorway, this allows you to see right down the hallwayfor intruders.

Where would the best safe room be? The middle bathwould work great or the Master Bedroom for escape.


Page 12

BATHBEDROOM #2

MASTERBEDROOM

LIVING ROOMKITCHEN


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Page 13

Draw your homes oor plan, and draft a Family Safety Plan.

Ask yourself these questions:

How would you react to a home invasion if you were home alone?

How would your plan differ if your spouse or children were home at the time?

Which avenues of escape are available to you and your family?

Where would the best place to set up a defensive location be?

Where would the best safe room be?


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Draw your homes oor plan, and draft a Family Safety Plan.

Ask yourself these questions:

How would you react to a home invasion if you were home alone?

How would your plan differ if your spouse or children were home at the time?

Which avenues of escape are available to you and your family?

Where would the best place to set up a defensive location be?

Where would the best safe room be?

yap home defense 101

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