Two recent newspaper headlines cite increases in suburban residential burglaries:
“Police Investigating Residential Burglaries in Park Ridge” and
“Vernon Hills Police Investigate String of Residential Burglaries”
The Park Ridge news story stated, “Police are investigating a series of recent residential burglaries in which entry was gained through unlocked windows in the middle of the day. In one of the incidents, a couple was home at the time two men broke into their house and stole jewelry.”
The Vernon Hills police reported, “In almost all of these cases, a rear door was left unlocked. While it is often a forgotten step in a person’s nighttime routine, diligently locking all doors and windows before going to bed is the number one way to prevent these types of crimes.”
News stories like these may lead people to think that the primary reason to invest in a safe would be to protect their valuables against burglaries. However, other recent headlines from Chicago suburbs underline the importance of fire-rated safes:
In April, a south suburban Oak Forest home burned to the ground as the result of an explosion.
Two homes exploded, and more than fifty were damaged, in far northwest suburban Marengo, in June.
Another home was destroyed in an explosion in Libertyville in July.
Homes in Elmhurst, Naperville and Lombard were damaged by fires caused by lightning within the past five months.
The National Fire Protection Association reports that there are as many as 400,000 house fires every year in the United States. With our most valued possessions at risk, the old adage, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” is good advice. According to the NFPA’s Home Structure Fires report, (authored by Marty Ahrens, issued in September, 2016), cooking equipment was the leading cause of home structure fires. Heating equipment, electrical distribution and lighting equipment were next, followed by intentionally set fires, then, fires caused by smoking materials.
Only 19% of reported lightning fires occurred in homes, but these accounted for 68% of the direct property damage. Fires account for devastating losses, but the tragedy can be mitigated if important papers and possessions are protected in a fire rated safe. Story after story on the safe manufacturers’ websites quote portions of letters from homeowners who lost everything in a house fire… EXCEPT the contents of their safe.
A wide selection of American Security and Gardall safes are displayed in Anderson Lock’s showroom, arranged for comparison-shopping. Included are fire and burglary rated safes, media safes, gun safes, wall safes, and depository safes.
Gardall’s new jewelry safe, the JS1718-W-C, (shown above) is worth a visit to Anderson Lock to appreciate all its features!
Ten wooden compartments for necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, watches and any other jewelry, are fit into a beautiful, compact (17” x 18” x 13”) safe. When the combination (or electronic) lock retracts the three one-inch bolts, and the solid steel door is opened, a motion-sensor LED light turns on. Whether your jewelry is expensive or heirloom, a secure, fireproof safe provides the best protection.
Take precautions to prevent burglaries and structure fires, then consider one of our many safes to protect key valuables as your last line of defense, just in case.