How to set up a Safe Room

A safe room is a place in the home that family members can escape to in the event of a break-in. It can easily be set up as part of your home security system. A room that is properly organised will provide temporary shelter in the event of a home invasion and give you time to call for help.

Trellidor's guide to setting up a Safe Room

• Choose a room with as few windows as possible. The bathroom is often the best place, as it usually has only one window to secure, and also has a toilet and running water. Alternatively, you could cordon off your bedroom area with security gates, folding security on selected windows and fixed burglar guards on the rest.
• Protect the door with a high quality sliding security barrier fitted inside the room or passage. This is especially important if you only have hollow core internal doors that could easily be kicked open.
• Fit sliding security barriers to the windows. These will be an escape route or used to shout out for help, or to sound an air horn to attract neighbours' attention.
• Keep a spare set of keys for the door and window security barriers inside the safe room and easily accessible.
• Have a panic button fitted at child-level in this room, or make sure a portable one is left here permanently.
• Keep the supplies you'd need in an emergency in a cupboard or on a shelf in the room.
• Emergency supplies include a mobile phone and charger (some have battery chargers available now); a first aid kit; a torch (keep a fresh supply of batteries); water and food; defensive weapons such as pepper spray. If a family member is on regular medication or is inclined to have panic attacks, keep supplies of these medicines in the emergency supply kit.
• Have emergency numbers stored in the mobile phone. In South Africa, the S.A. Police Services recommend you use the SAPS Emergency line 10111. Add your armed response service, a neighbour and/or relative, ambulance service, fire department and local police station.
• Develop a family plan for emergencies and practise it without unnecessarily scaring the children. Part of this plan should include the instruction to never play with the emergency supplies in the safe room.
• In an emergency, try to escape first. If this is impossible, lock yourselves in the safe room, phone the police and your security company and sit it out. Do not come out of the room until help arrives, unless there is an opportunity for someone to escape through the window and get help.

Remember, a safe room is only useful if you stay aware of what is going on around your home and are not caught off guard by criminal intrusion. Keep your security barriers closed and locked at all times, particularly if there has been a surge of crime in your area. The noise of someone trying to break through the barriers will alert you, and give you enough warning to escape to the safe room and summon help.