Hustle And Bustle To Burglary And Fire

With such a fast growing region, the people of Saline County take a lot of pride in their community. Often when you walk into the local shops you will likely see a few friendly faces. During demanding and hectic times, it can be the littlest of things that makes our county safer.

From working, shopping, traveling, and spending time with friends and family, the holiday season can be a very busy and stressful time for many Americans. Even with these additional stressors, it’s important to use common sense safety precautions during the holidays and throughout the year.

A new survey from Nextdoor, the free and private social networks for neighborhoods, showed that a majority of people are not taking proper precautions to protect their homes from fire and burglary. According to the survey, conducted by Harris Interactive in Nov. 2012 among 1,910 U.S. adults aged 23 and over, nearly 60 percent of Americans did not follow common sense safety care to protect their homes from burglary, such as:

• 38 percent do not tell a neighbor they’re going out of town.
• 19 percent leave their house key
  in a nearby hiding place.
• 12 percent let mail and
  newspapers pile up.
• 10 percent broadcast that they are out of town on social media.
• 8 percent even leave a door or window unlocked.

Burglary Precautions

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), nearly 400,000 burglaries occurred in the U.S. last November and December. Year round, a house, apartment, or condominium in the U.S. is burglarized every 15 seconds. Believe it or not, it’s often the simplest and most obvious precautions that homeowners tend to forget—and which burglars tend to exploit. Here are some common sense safety tips to make sure your home doesn’t become a statistic:

• Whatever the situation, you should always lock your doors and windows when you go out.
• Keep close track of any spare keys that exist.
• Be wary about posting your vacation plans and updates on social media websites
• Use automatic timers on lights when away
• Always park your cars in the garage with the garage door shut
• If possible, have your telephone calls forwarded when you are away from home
• Have a trusted neighbor pick up the mail and newspaper, take out your garbage and have your grass mowed / snow shoveled.

Fire Precautions

The same survey found that nearly 50 percent of Americans aged 23 and over increased their chances of a home fire because of decorating for the holidays:

• 34 percent connect multiple extension cords together
• 16 percent put up holiday
  lights without inspecting
  them for frayed cords
• 9 percent let their tree dry out after it is decorated in the home
• 9 percent have lit a fire without an annual chimney inspection
• 5 percent have left a burning
  candle unattended

Approximately 390 home fires and 21 deaths are caused by either a Christmas tree, holiday lights, or other decorative lighting occur each year according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).

It takes a lot of strength and diligence to become such a close community and it takes us all working in unity to care for our town.