Thursday, February 6, 2014

A "Safe" Decision

You may notice that this blog does not contain any ads.  I do have an amazon link as it is nice to sometimes get an idea of a product that I am referring to, but I will never resort to splashing ads all over my page because the endstate of this project is not to make money.  What I will do is endorse a company or product that I feel strongly about and you will notice that I have done so a few times throughout my blog.  Today I would like to tell you about Authority Safes
Authority Safes is an e-commerce safe supplier based out of Elkhart, Indiana.  They have been in business for only 5 years yet have received numerous awards, including a constant "A" rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for each of the 4 years they have been a member.  Their customer service is impeccable and the level of company transparency they present, especially for being an e-commerce store, is a rarity.  They have a by-name listing of their team,  some with photos, posted on their website as well as a Live Chat option.  The biggest concern I usually have about an e-commerce company is trust, and as with any product or company I mention in this blog, I would not be endorsing them if I didn't trust them.  Their BBB rating, along with their openness and commitment to customer service, has put me at ease.  But what's great customer service without a great product?
Authority Safes has a wide variety of safes for a wide variety of needs, including safes for your home and your business.  If you are in the market for any type of safe begin your search with Authority Safes.

Having said that, lets talk about why we need safes in the first place.
 
It's pretty obvious that we purchase safes because we want to protect something of value.  And as we know different people consider different things valuable.  It is a subjective term.  So the first question you need to answer is what is it you want to protect?  Do you want to protect your jewelry from theft, or your kids from your firearms?  In staying with the spirit of this blog, I am going to talk about safes and how they relate to personal security.  If you want advice on the different kinds of safes, their ratings, and which one is right for you, contact Authority Safes.

When you have something in your home of value, the first thing you need to know is that it could potentially make you a target.  This is where we digress back into risk mitigation, and this is where safes come into play.  They should be part of your security plan to mitigate the risk of somebody taking, or attempting to take, whatever it is you are trying to protect.
A safe in and of itself is not enough.  If I take a safe, put it outside in an empty lot, it is probably not going to last very long.  Regardless of how heavy it is.  You can Google plenty of videos of people wrapping chains around ATM machines and driving off with them.  Get the thought out of your head that a safe is the end all be all.  You still need to be smart. 
So the next thing you need to be aware of, and try to minimize, is who knows about what you have in your home or office.  Understand that when you wear your collection of Tiffany jewelry, people are going to take notice.  If you host house parties, know who your guests are and be aware of the unaccompanied access they have to your house.  Be aware that some of your guests may have family members or friends that you personally would never let into your home, but because your guest couldn't stop talking about all of the cool guns you had you have now become a target to his drug addicted son.  Once you have begun to implement that simple step, your next step is to choose a safe.
When choosing a safe, you need to identify the personal value of what it is that you are protecting.  This will help you establish the kind of safe you need.  I don't really care about my passports, so I have a relatively cheap fireproof safe that I keep them in.  Now, if one those passports held a memory that I cherished I may want to protect it better.  The value of the item(s) only you can decide.  A professional can help you with finding the right safe in order to properly protect that item(s).
While choosing a home security safe, keep in mind our discussion about minimizing who is aware of what you have.  What I mean by that is the presence of a safe usually signals the presence of something valuable.  If I can see your giant gun safe in your living room from the street you are advertising to everyone who passes by that you probably have some delicious guns in there.  Hide it!  And if you do need a big ol' gun safe, consider spending a little bit more and make a closet type room specifically to hide your safe.  That way, when your kids' friends come over they aren't telling everyone that Jimmy's daddy has a bunch of guns in his huge vault downstairs.  It will just be another room in the house with a locked door. 
Once you have chosen a safe, and if you do not already have one, you should discuss with a security professional on your need for a home security system.  Those passports I spoke of probably do not rate a $50 a month alarm monitoring fee.  But a vault full of guns, that may be a different story.  Every situation is different and each case needs to be looked at individually.  Just ensure that you do at least consider it.
The one thing I will go into a little more detail on right now is the small gun safes designed to be accessed quickly.  These usually hold one pistol, open quickly, and are fairly portable.  If you have kids it's a no brainer.  You need the safe to store your weapon while you sleep.  However, if you plan on putting the gun you are going to use to protect you and your family into a locked box, you need to ensure you keep it near you and that you practice opening it.  And I don't mean while you are watching your favorite t.v. show.  I mean setting an alarm for 0243, and as soon as that alarm goes off you attempt to access your gun as fast as you can.  Do it until it is second nature.  I have three small kids of my own and pretty soon I will need to securely store my loaded firearm at night as well.  I have already begun looking and will be contacting Authority Safes when I feel my current plan is no longer viable.  There is a much higher chance of my kids getting ahold of my gun than someone breaking in to my home.
        
In conclusion, if you have something you need to protect or secure look into getting a safe.  And when you look into getting a safe, start with Authority Safes.  They are professionals, friendly, and can guide you in the right direction.  They carry a wide variety of brands, including Mesa Safes which is a great manufacturer and has a full line of safes for any need.  Not only does Authority Safes carry over a dozen brands, they are an authorized dealer for each one which means better and faster solutions.  Simple and straight forward. 


If you have any questions or comments, as always, let me know.