The Safe Room I'd Set Up for Any Senior Living Alone (And the Mistake That Traps People)

The best safe room is the one you're already in, set up so help can reach you and you can get out. Plus the mistake that traps people. Mike Brennan here. Thirty-five years with a badge, starting in auto theft, then burglary, then running a property crime unit, which meant a lot of mornings hearing what people did in the dark the night before. In this video I walk you through eight decisions, in the order I'd make them: picking the room (usually your bedroom, not the most hidden spot in the house), slowing down the door with a wedge or a door security bar, keeping your phone where you sleep and knowing whether you can text 911 where you live, a small box within reach, how officers and paramedics get in, the mistake that traps people (a room you can't get out of in a fire), who should know your plan, and a daylight practice run. Start tonight with ten minutes: move your phone charger to your nightstand, set a door wedge against the wall beside your bedroom door (out of your walking path), and test the smoke alarm nearest your bed if you can reach it from the floor. Tomorrow, in daylight, make sure your bedroom window opens all the way. If you worry about someone who lives alone, call them and go through those four things together. In the comments, type the number of a decision you'd already made before watching, or a zero. The number is all I need, so please keep your room, your address and who lives with you to yourself. Fire safety comes first: a safe room must have a window that opens from the inside without a tool, a working smoke alarm, and nothing that needs a key to get out. If you smell smoke or see fire, get out and stay out. If you're upstairs and can't get out safely, keep the bedroom door shut, call 911, and wait at the window where firefighters can see you. If you can safely leave the house when you hear an intruder, leaving and calling from a neighbor's or your car beats any room. Never confront anyone, and wait for the 911 dispatcher to confirm officers are inside before you open your door, unless there's smoke or fire. Never practice climbing an escape ladder, and don't stand on chairs to reach a smoke alarm; ask someone to help. Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Victimization During Household Burglary" (Shannan Catalano, September 2010); Federal Communications Commission, "Text to 911: What You Need To Know"; UL Fire Safety Research Institute, "Close Before You Doze" campaign (reported November 2018); National Fire Protection Association guidance on home escape planning and smoke alarms in every bedroom. I'm Mike Brennan. Door, phone, window. Those three make a safe room. #MikeBrennan #HomeSecurity #SafeRoom #SeniorSafety #RetiredDetective #LivingAlone #BurglaryPrevention #HomeSafety #FireSafety #SeniorsLivingAlone #CrimePrevention #Text911 #SafetyTips #ProtectYourParents