ADT® Authorized Dealer Serving Joplin & Surrounding Areas

Home Safety Checklist For Joplin

Keeping safe in your residence should be your topmost responsibility. But are you missing some useful safety components? Use this home safety checklist for Joplin and see where your home can use greater attention.

This guide starts with a few whole-home safety ideas, and then we delve down to specific room ideas. Then, call (417) 233-4713 or send in the form below to talk to a security professional.

Whole Home Safety Checklist

Whole Home Safety Checklist for Joplin

While you may want to take a individual room method for home safety in Joplin, there are a few methods that work for the entire house approach. These components can sync together through a wireless hub, and oftentimes work off other things. You can also control all your home safety devices with a mobile app, like ADT Control:

  • Monitored Home Security System: All your windows and doors should have a sensor that warns you and your family to intrusion. As an alarm goes off, your monitoring team responds to the alert and quickly calls emergency personnel.

  • Smart Bulbs For Most Rooms: Sure, you can program your smart lighting so your home is more eco-conscience. But smart lights can also allow you to keep safe during an emergency. Make your smart bulbs flip on when a sensor trips to shoo off burglars or light your way to a safe area.

  • Smart Thermostat: Likewise, a smart thermostat in Joplin could save you between 10%-15% in energy costs. But it also can turn on the exhaust fan if you have a fire.

  • Monitored Fire Alarms: It’s code that you will have a fire alarm on each level of your house. You can improve your fire readiness by installing a monitored fire alarm that looks for both smoke and heat, and alerts your round-the-clock monitoring agents when it detects a fire.

  • Smart Locks: Every door that utilizes a deadbolt can be made safer with a smart door lock. Now you can set codes to friends and family and receive notifications to your smartphone when your locks are activated. Your locks can even automatically turn off, allowing you to quickly flee the house if you have an emergency.

Family Room Safety Checklist

Living Room/Family Room Safety Checklist For Joplin

You’ll spend a lot of time in your family room, so it can be the perfect room to kick off your home safety makeover. Electronics, like a big screen or video games, typically sit in your family room, making it a popular area for robbers. Begin with placing a motion detector or indoor security camera in your room, then try some of these suggestions:

  • Motion Sensors: By putting in motion sensors, you’ll hear a shrieking siren if they sense suspicious movement within your family room. You’ll want motion sensors that filter out pets or you’ll see your sirens go off each time your pet comes in for a midnight stroll.

  • Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera gives you an eye on your family room. View real-time feeds of the area so you can find out what’s going on through the mobile app. Or speak with your family in the room with the two-way talk feature.

  • Surge Protector/Cord Maintenance: Safeguard expensive electronics and stop overtaxing your circuits with a surge protector. For added comfort, use a smart plug with surge protection included.

  • Entertainment Center Bolted To The Wall: If you have babies or toddlers, you’ll want to attach your heavy furniture and entertainment center to your wall. This is especially important if your family room has carpeting that could make heavy objects extra unstable.

  • Special Locks For Sliding Doors: If your living room uses a sliding door that leads to a backyard, deck, or screened-in porch, you probably know that the lock is fairly worthless. Put in a custom lock, like a bottom bar or small locks that are located on the bottom and top of the opening.

Kitchen Safety Checklist

Kitchen Safety Checklist For Joplin

The kitchen has many items that can add comfort and safety to your house. Many of these things should be easy to add and can be purchased from the a retail store:

  • Fire Extinguisher: Fire can happen from an overfilled pot or a faulty burner. Always have a fire extinguisher at hand for any stove or oven mishaps.

  • GFCI Box On Each Outlet: A GFCI outlet should be installed everywhere they’re close to water to ward off a deadly shock. That means the plugs around your sink and kitchen counter. For 30 years, it’s been standard to have one circuit interrupter outlet per circuit. But for simplicity’s sake, you’ll want to use a separate GFCI per outlet.

  • Monitored CO Detector: A CO detector is recommended for spaces that employ gas for the oven and range. If your gas lines leak, the CO detector will emit a high-decibel sound and call your monitoring agent.

  • Clorox Wipes Or Spray: The most overlooked safety problem in the kitchen is the invisible bacteria and contamination that comes with uncooked meat and dairy. Always store disinfectant wipes or spray to scrub off your counters before and after cooking.

  • Refrigerator Alarm: The food items in your fridge need to remain at a constant temperature to be safe to eat. If you accidently leave the fridge or freezer door open too long, then an alarm beep will tell you to close the door. Some fridges come with this installed, some do not, and you’ll have to get an external alarm from online.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Bathroom Safety Checklist For Joplin

Just because you may not have a lot of room in your bathroom, you will still have safety hazards. From water problems to medicine care, here are some safety ideas for your bathroom:

  • Flood Sensors: A leaking toilet or bathtub can cause extensive water damage. Find leaks early with a flood detector and save yourself from redoing the whole bathroom.

  • Textured Bath Mats: A fall in the bathroom can be painful, causing bumps, gashed heads, or broken bones. Or steer clear from these hazards with a non-slip bathroom mat for after your bath or shower.

  • Textured Bathtub Strips: Likewise, a tub basin can be a slippery area to be on. Make sure each tub has some textured stickers so your feet and toes have a bumpy patch to grip.

  • Medicine Door Latch: If you have little toddlers or a family member with memory complications, you need to take extra attention regarding prescription medicine. Hide away your bottles by using a medicine cabinet with a locking latch.

  • Circuit Interrupter Outlet: Just like the kitchen, you need to also put in a grounded circuit interrupter outlet on every bathroom receptacle. This will stop the flow of the electric current if water splashes on them or there’s an unusual surge from an electric razor or hair dryer.

Child's Bedroom Safety Checklist

Kid’s Bedroom Safety Checklist For Joplin

A child’s bedroom should pair safety with simplicity. If their window coverings or other items are safe but difficult to operate, then your children may try dangerous activities -- like shimmying up a bookshelf -- to touch them. Here are some simple, yet safe, ideas:

  • Cord-Free Window Treatments: Safety agencies have designated window treatment cords a secret problem for both children and pets. Use motorized shades that you can easily manage via remote control. Or go state-of-the-art and pair your motorized coverings to your ADT smart hub so they can raise without anyone’s help when the sun comes up, and go down in the evening for extra privacy.

  • Indoor Security Camera: An indoor security camera sitting on your child’s desk or dresser can behave like an HD baby monitor that you can view from your phone. And when they want you, they can use the 2-way talk feature that comes with the camera.

  • Outlet Plug Covers: While every outlet should have covers on them to protect your small children, this is doubly important in a child’s bedroom. It’s the one place in your home where your toddler will most likely hang out solo without constant adult supervision.

  • Window Safety Ladder: If you use bedrooms on an upper floor, then you will want to have a window escape ladder. These will help your children get out of their room when the stairway or ground floor are on fire. Make sure to practice how to unfurl them one or two times a year.

  • Toy Box Or Low Shelves: It’s weird to think about a toy chest as a safety component, but you’ll see the light if you’ve ever walked on a building block in your socked feet. A clean floor gives your child a quick escape during an emergency.

Master Bedroom Safety Checklist

Main Bedroom Safety Checklist For Joplin

Your main bedroom should be your calm space, so let your safety components make life easier when you experience an emergency event. After all, being jerked awake by a wailing alarm can be confusing.

  • Smart Hub Touchscreen: Having a touchscreen on your nightstand lets you see what’s going on without jumping out of bed. You could alternatively log into your ADT smartphone app. However, the touchscreen is often easier to control to use when you’re yawning and confused.

  • Device Charging Station: We depend on our smartphones for so many things now GPS, internet searches, social media, and sometimes even phones. But, a dead phone in the middle of the night cuts us off from reaching help if during an emergency. To keep it nice and ready, a charging cord or station becomes an essential.

  • Smart Lights Or Nightlights: A small light can calm you when you’re jolted awake from an alarm or unexpected sounds. If you have trouble falling asleep with an outlet light, use a smart bulb in your bedroom and hall. Then you can have light simply with a mobile device or voice command.

  • Fireproof Safe: Store your essential papers like birth certificates, medical information, or a bankbook in a fireproof lockbox. Your safe can be a large one that sits out of the way or a small handheld safe that you can carry on your way out during a fire or break-in.

  • Heat Sensor: The drawback with bedrooms is that they tend to run too warm or be cold since they sit across the house from the thermostat. A temperature sensor will communicate to your smart thermostat so you should have a nice, relaxing sleep at a wonderful temperature.

Garage Safety Checklist

Basement/Garage Safety Checklist For Joplin

Most safety issues in the basement or garage have to do with your water heater or HVAC system. Seeing issues at the source can stop more devastating disasters in the future. So, as you take a look around your garage or basement, check over these crucial items:

  • Water Sensor Or Sump Pump Alarm: Placing a flood sensor by your water heater and sump pump drain can stop you from finding a lake when you step into your basement or garage. It’s much better than sorting through a bunch of soggy storage boxes.

  • Carbon Monoxide Detector: It’s beneficial to have a CO alarm in a place where a natural gas leak can happen. If you employ gas heat, you’ll want to hang a detector in the same area as your inbound pipes.

  • WiFi Water Shutoff Valve: If your water detector finds a hot water leak or a burst pipe, then you need to cut off the main water pipe at once. With a remote shutoff valve, you can turn off your water flow from any mobile device. That’s perfect when you’re on vacation and see a flood sensor text on your phone.

  • Garage Door Sensor: Leaving the garage up leads to all sorts of headaches. You can lose a bunch of HVAC energy through that open door, and critters or thieves can just walk in. A sensor will alert you to a forgotten garage door and lets you lower it through the app.

  • Temperature Sensor: A heat alarm in your garage or basement is essential if you fret about freezing pipes. The heat in these rooms can be drastically different than the rest of the home, so you will need to maintain a closer eye on the temp through your mobile app.

Outside perimeter checklist

Outside Perimeter Safety Checklist for Joplin

Your yard, drive, and front walk are just as imperative to defend as the inside of your house. Try this checklist to defend your perimeter:

  • Outdoor Security Camera: You can hang outdoor security cameras to notify you about late night movement in your yard. These cameras come in handy in areas where you might not have a window -- like around a cellar or by the garage door.

  • Low Shrubbery: Overgrown foliage can offer some privacy, but they also block you seeing into the yard. Don’t provide potential intruders an area to hide. Plus, tall bushes, shrubs or greenery too close to your house can jam up gutters and summon pests.

  • ADT Signage: One of the largest discouragements for a thief is advertising to would-be rogues that you have a state-of-the-art ADT security system. An ADT yard stick by the stoop and a window sticker will alert lurkers that they might want to keep walking to an easier target.

  • Motion Activated Porch Light Fixtures: Light is the greatest enemy to people who lurk in the shadows. Motion-triggered flood lights on your deck, patio, or garage can shoo lurkers away. Flood lights also help you see the walk when you come to the house on those dark, winter nights.

Contact Secure24 Alarm Systems To Help You With Your Home Safety Checklist for Joplin

While Secure24 Alarm Systems can’t deliver each household item on your Joplin home safety checklist, we can bring you a state-of-the-art home security. With everything from alarms to thermostats, we can customize the best system for your house’s needs. Just call (417) 233-4713 and talk to a professional or complete the form below. Or personalize your own system with our Security System Designer.