How to Safeguard Your Home Against Terrorism

With current events surrounding the fundamentalist terrorists that planned to attack Fort Dix, Americans are probably starting to perk up and realize that we could face a local threat of terrorist activity at any time. They spent an entire year surveying a military base and were one step away from carrying it out. All they needed were the weapons and they would have breached one of the hardest venues to enter and effectively disrupt.

Could that have been your neighborhood? Do you live near something like a military base, chemical plant or other significant American structure? And how would you know what to look for if someone like them wanted to invade your neighborhood?

As a former basic security worker for the military I've had plenty of experience studying these types of activities and came to the conclusion that you can do a few things around the house that can make you less of a target and more secure should an unfortunate event be carried out against you or your town.

1. Survey and attack your own home. Do a couple of drive bys at your house and think to yourself, "How would I break in?" Drive by at least 5 or 6 times real slow, during the day and night, and look for weaknesses like too-high bushes near the windows, unlocked windows and doors, dark spots near entry ways. Touch each and every window, door and lock on your house.

Then try to break in without breaking anything. Do you have a second floor? What's the fastest way to get up there? Terrorists like to take hostages and make demands as quickly as they can. If you find all the weak spots in your home and secure them, this makes you a harder target.

2. Know how to get out or be safe. Your family should have a code word and planned route to get out your house should something happen. The more you practice this like a fire drill, the less chance you'll panic and better chance of you being safe. I know of one guy who has a steel door built in his home and has a cell phone in the safe room dedicated solely to making emergency calls. It really doesn't cost as much as you would think to do a little home bulking up.

I would also consider getting a shelter-in-place box. It helps you barricade and protect your home against a chemical attack. Details of how to put one together can be found here, but you basically seal up your room for 2 to 4 hours should there be some adverse chemical action going on outside your door.

3. Get to know yourself and your family. Most of the political assassinations that have taken place overseas in Turkey occurred on the street as a politician would be at a stoplight. It was easy for assassins to get there because they studied the politicians' traveling routes and routines. They knew where he would be and how he would get there the same time every day.

Are you the same way? What about your family? Do you leave the same time every morning, take the same way to work, eat at the same restaurants with the same people and take the same way home? If you do, you should consider varying these activities. It doesn't mean stop enjoying your life; it just means enjoy it different ways every time.

4. Don't be naked. Sometimes terrorists put together small pieces of a puzzle to create the big picture. They may look in cars for certain access badges, ask someone else about how to get into a specific building, and ask another person how many people they know that have access to that building. Put it together and a terrorist has a working invasion plan. If you work for a government agency or a place that is of high profile and significance, be careful about what you say in public. Look at what you leave out in your vehicles for passer-bys to see. I used to tell my coworkers not to leave their military uniforms in their cars. If they had to pick up dry cleaning, they should put them in the trunk or go straight home.

Taking these few extra measures can help secure yourself against a terrorist plan or at least make it harder for a terrorist to carry out one. Unfortunately we don't live in a country full of friendlies. Don't make it easy for the enemy to get you.