Safe Room Information
Safe rooms, sometimes referred to as panic rooms, are hideaways in your house
where you can quickly escape to if an intruder forces his way into the house. In
storm-ridden areas, safe rooms can also refer to rooms built with protection
from high winds in mind. For the purpose of this article, we will discuss safe
rooms from a security point of view.
When planning a safe room for your house, it is important to select a spot
not only that you can access quickly but that you can do so in a manner
that won't alert the intruder. A good choice is to make the safe room
accessible from the master bedroom. Most burglars try to choose times when
you're not at home to break in, but in lieu of that, night is the next
most popular time. Once inside, there should be a phone so you can call
the police. In addition to keeping a landline telephone inside, you should
keep a charged cell phone incase the intruder has cut the phone line. It's
also a good idea to keep a first aid kit and fire extinguisher inside.
It is important that a safe room be constructed soundly incase an intruder
finds it and tries to force his way in. Some people choose to hide the
entrance behind a bookcase or some such in order to camouflage the
entrance, but it should still be very sturdy. A safe room should have a
solid metal-core door with a double cylinder deadlock that locks from the
insider as soon as you enter. (Store the key in the master bedroom so it's
easily accessible to you in an emergency.) The safe room should be well-ventilated
incase you're forced to remain inside for a while.
Source: The Personal Security Handbook