Having a safe room in your house is meant to offer better protection to you and your family in the event that a disaster had to strike. Building a safe room can be easy; however, there are always more security enhancements you can add in order to increase its safety levels. We will show you some of the enhancements that you can add.
What is a Safe Room?
Safe rooms or panic rooms are intended to be used to provide a temporary area that you can hide if your exterior security was compromised. These rooms should only be used for short periods of time until help arrives. Safe rooms do not have to be stand-alone rooms, you can use any room in your house such as your kitchen, living room, bedroom, or bathroom as your safe haven.
Safe Room Benefits
Safe rooms are meant to be hidden and keep everyone in them hidden as well. Here are some of the benefits of having a safe room in your house.
- Hide from intruders
A safe room will be able to keep you safe from dangerous situations such as a home invasion. If someone had to illegally gain access to your home and did not know that you had a safe room, they would not know where to find you which would offer you peace of mind.
- Increased property value
Installing a safe room will be able to increase your home’s value as it provides the reassurance of safety which can be a great selling point. It can also attract the attention and interest of buyers.
- More storage space
A safe room can only be used during a crisis which does not occur often. This means that most of the time during the year it is unoccupied, and you can use it for extra storage space.
- Keep your belongings safe
There are people who choose to install safe rooms for their possessions as they feel as if they will never have to use it themselves and this ensures that these possessions are always protected.
Safe Room Security Enhancements You Can Add
Safe rooms can always have more security enhancements in order to improve its safety. Here are some additional security enhancements you can think about adding.
- Security Gates
One of the easiest ways to add more security to the entrance of your safe room is by installing a strong security gate that will prevent intruders from gaining access. Security gates can come in the form of roller style shutter, security screens, slam lock barriers, or fixed bar security doors. Security gates should be installed professionally in order to provide maximum security and they should contain a lock.
- Lighting Systems
Your safe room will need lighting so that you are able to navigate the room better. LED lights are the perfect lights as they have a longer lifespan than traditional lighting and they require fewer replacements. LED lights also have dimming capability which means that an intruder won’t be able to see that the room is occupied. They can also operate in hot and cold temperatures.
LED lights also consume a lot less power which is a bonus as your safe room might have to be powered by emergency power. They emit less power due to the fact that they emit light at 180 degrees while other lights emit light at 360 degrees.
- Emergency Power
There is a possibility that you might have to use your safe room because of a natural disaster and you won’t have access to power. It is important to have automatic back up power. You can choose an electric portable generator as it will be able to keep the lights on, and keep your communication devices alive and powered on.
Electric portable generators do not need oil changes. They are also silent and you will still receive video surveillance of what is happening outside the safe room.
- Bomb Blast Resistance
Blast resistant doors can be a great way to protect yourself from any blast attacks that can occur. Blast attacks can cause major damage to buildings and the shattered glass and debris from windows and doors can be life-threatening. Blast doors are made from materials like aluminium, concrete, and timber which can offer protection from high-level blasts. Steel is however the recommended material as it is stronger than aluminium and has fire-resistant qualities as it has a low transfer of heat and a high melting point. Steel is also more resistant to expansion so if it absorbs the pressure and reduces the impact of the blast.
- Fire Proofing
In order to protect yourself from fires, you can fireproof your safe room. The most affordable way you can do this is by being intentional about the materials you choose to use. You can choose to use fire-resistant materials such as stone, concrete or stucco when building the room as they can take higher levels of heat.
The safe room should contain a fire extinguisher that is able to put out many different fires such as those that are suitable for combustibles, flammable liquids, oil, paints, gases, combustible metals, electrical fires and chip pan fires.
- Sound Proofing
Sound proofing a safe room is important as the intruder in your home should not be able to hear you or any of the noises that you make. The first way you can sound proof the room is by thinking about your wall hangings. If you have dry wall, tile and plaster then it will amplify sounds, so you should add soft surfaces like thick blankets, tapestries or quilts to make this room quieter.
You can also think about adding items to dampen the vibrations of machinery like appliances like your generator by placing them on dense foam rubber. A cheap method that is also functional is adding a bookcase as books are able to create mass, which will be able to absorb sounds.
Here are 5 Places in Your House You Can Turn Into Safe Rooms.