More than 25 years ago, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC)—and McGruff the Crime Dog—designated October Crime Prevention Month. The month-long commemoration reflects the adage that prevention pays off. NCPC strongly believes that everyone can do something to prevent crime, from helping police identify crime problems to starting a Neighborhood Watch program or taking commonsense steps to protect their homes and property.

Crime Prevention month is a good time to evaluate the safety and security of our homes and our families—something that everyone can do to help prevent crime. We’ve all worried about the security of our homes at one time or another…Could an intruder possibly get in? Would your family ever be a victim of burglary or home invasion?

The truth is that most burglars get into homes the same way anyone does—through windows or doors. So taking several commonsense precautions can help keep our homes, and families, safer. For instance, keep windows and doors locked at all times. Don’t have shrubs in front of windows and doors, as they can shield would-be intruders.

Some people may need to take more drastic steps as well. If windows and doors are old, don’t operate or lock properly, or are easy to bypass even when they are locked, maybe it’s time to replace those windows and doors with newer, more secure models. Perhaps even consider laminated glass products that make it virtually impossible for anyone to get through.

For more window and doors security tips, visit http://www.gorell.com/pages/gorell_mcgruff.htm.

You've been thinking about finally replacing some or all of your home's windows for a couple of years now. It never seems to be the right time; the economy is collapsing, the economy is at the bottom, the economy is recovering really slowly, and now there's the question on the politics and the election coming up - there is always some reason to put it off. The only problem with that is you're throwing money out your windows by way of your heating and cooling bills. Your family is uncomfortable, hot and sweaty in the summer, and chilly and catching colds in the winter. Some say you're paying for new windows whether or not you get them.

Well the time is now. The economy in the building products and renovation industry is still in the bucket. Prices are low, professional window dealers and installers are hungry and want to give you a great product at a great price. Capacity is wide open, you can get top of the line, highly energy efficient vinyl replacement windows in weeks, not months, right now. Prices are as competitive as I've seen them in years, and the features and benefits available are unprecedented.

While the market is down like this, I'd suggest you look at really upgrading your window purchase. At least consider significant added protection along with great energy saving performance by adding Armor Glass Plus featuring Low Emissivity glass combined with laminated glass in one unit. Laminated glass is featured in windows designed for hurricane protection but they offer much more. Laminated glass protects your drapes and furnishings from fading better than any other alternative. Laminated glass makes your home secure from attempted break ins. That's not to say it is impenetrable, but you would have to find a very dedicated and persistent burglar to get through it, having watched some really burly guys smash it again and again with a baseball bat with no possibility of entrance. And laminated glass is what is used in windows designed for sound control, like they use around airports around the country.

So if you're finally going to investigate new windows, at least take a look at the Armor Glass Plus option. It isn't inexpensive, but it is a great value for what it offers you and your family. Remember a burglar alarm requires you first to turn it on (which most people seldom do) and to pay a monthly fee for monitoring. Then all it will tell you is that someone HAS ALREADY broken into your home. You heard me - someone is IN YOUR HOME!

But Armor Glass Plus has no monthly fee, it's protecting your family 24/7 and your home even when you're away, and it keeps those intruders outside your home. All the while offering all those other benefits. Is there really a price you can put on your family's safety and comfort?

Those of us with young kids, like myself, know that toddlers can get into trouble anywhere they go. They also have absolutely no concept of fear, or concern for their safety—which leaves us parents watching every move they make and executing many last-minute “saves.” So, when we find a product or a service that helps make our kids a little safer—and gives us one less thing to worry about—it’s pretty much a no-brainer, right?

There’s now a feature like this for replacement windows, called “Window Operating Control Devices” or WOCDs. Have you ever feared that your child may accidentally fall from a second- or third-story window in your home? Been amazed (and terrified!) by how easily your little one could open your windows? That’s what WOCDs help protect against—these tragic accidental falls.

Basically, a WOCD is a ventilation limit latch that is “always on,” which makes it less likely that a child could open a window on his or her own and accidentally fall out. They’re a bright red color and they always stick out—allowing the window to open only a few inches. They must actually be operated to open the sash more than four inches—unlike standard vent latches, which can be toggled on or off. Overall, WOCDs are pretty effective, and they’re a lot prettier than installing bars on your windows to keep your kids in!

So if you’re a parent of a young child, WOCDs might be something to consider for your home—just one more little way you can gain some extra peace of mind (and maybe a whole minute to yourself!).

This week is the ‘unofficial’ start of hurricane season. Many homeowners along the coast look to hurricane windows with protective laminated glass to keep them safe and secure.

But laminated glass isn’t just great for hurricanes. Laminated glass has many benefits to offer than just hurricane protection. This super strong glass has five very strong benefits for homeowners. Laminated glass is considered safety glass. When this type of glass breaks, it creates the visual look of a spider web. Although the glass breaks, it stays attached to the PVB interlayer. Here is an example.... http://www.hurricane-window.com/pages/miami-dade-county-approved.htm

Laminated glass is also security glass. With certain types of laminated glass such as Gorell’s Armor Glass Plus, a ‘would be burglar’ can hit the glass over and over with a baseball bat, and after awhile, they just give up. Here is a quick video showing the effectiveness. Click on the baseball video http://www.gorell.com/pages/armor_glass_plus.htm

Laminated glass also is a great UV protector. It blocks up to 99.5 % of the UV rays that fade carpets and upholstery. In fact, laminated glass is so effective at stopping fading, that some of our country’s most important documents are protected by it, including the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution.

This type of glass also offers great sound reduction from outside noises. Because of the laminated glass make up, the glass helps absorb and deaden sound waves. This helps reduce the amount of noise coming into your house.

And finally if you have a laminated glass unit insulated like Armor Glass Plus (http://www.gorell.com/pages/armor_glass_plus.htm), it comes combined with a high performance glass coating, SolarControl Max. This gives you energy savings and comfort.

So, when you are looking at replacing your windows, consider laminated glass as part of your package. Today, laminated glass like Armor Glass Plus, does a lot more than just protect homes from hurricanes!

Blue skies, warm sunshine, a summer breeze. This time of year is great in many ways. Everyone wants to enjoy the outdoors after being cooped inside during the winter months—whether you can actually be outside, or just enjoy the summer “smell” from inside your home.

Many parents, however, can’t fully appreciate the summer breezes because they fear that open windows are a hazard to their young children. And in fact, that’s true in many instances. We’ve all heard the terrible news stories about children falling from upper-story windows and getting injured or even killed.

Luckily, with today’s technology, windows can serve both functions—allow homeowners to ventilate their homes and protect their children. Consumers simply need to look for a safety feature called “limit latches” or “ventilation latches.” This feature, usually offered on double-hung and sliding window models, lets homeowners open their windows several inches—and then prevents kids from opening the windows any further. Nothing is ever as good as a parent’s watchful eye, but windows with ventilation or limit latches can put parents a bit more at ease and help ensure children are safer in their homes.

This week the National Safety Council celebrated National Window Safety Week. This week serves as a reminder of the importance of year-round window safety and fall-prevention.

As spring arrives, we start opening our windows to let in some fresh air. So, this is the perfect time of the year to evaluate the safety of our homes as well.

Here are some simple window safety tips to consider.

Tip #1 - Make sure your windows aren't painted or nailed shut so you can get out in an emergency.

Tip #2: Keep furniture or anything children can climb on away from windows to lessen the chance of a fall.

Tip #3: Consider having softer bushes or extra mulch below your child's 2nd story bedroom window. It could save a life.

Tip #4: Insect screens keep out bugs, they don't prevent falls. If your window had ventilation limit latches, use them.

Tip #5: Don't install window A/C units in a child's bedroom. The window might be needed in case of an emergency.

Windows and doors play a vital role in home safety and security. They help prevent intruders from breaking into homes, and can serve as escape routes in the event of a fire or other emergency. However, homeowners—particularly parents of young children—also need to be aware that windows can pose a risk of very serious injury should someone fall from an open window or into a door or window in the home.

That’s why every year, the National Safety Council celebrates National Window Safety Week during the first full week of April—this year that’s April 3-9! National Window Safety Week is designed to heighten awareness of what homeowners can do to help keep their homes and families safer from the risk of accidental falls or injuries in the home, especially when windows are open.

Of course homeowners should be cognizant of window and door safety all year long! When considering new windows, homeowners should thoroughly research the safety and security benefits of the products they’re considering. For instance, have the products passed ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) structural forced-entry tests? What type of frames and locking hardware do the windows feature? And what about the glass? Today’s technology allows homeowners to select windows and doors with laminated glass—like the glass used in auto windshields—that are specially designed for enhanced safety and security.

The bottom line is that keeping homes and families safe and secure is important to everyone—so homeowners should keep safety and security in mind when researching new windows and doors for their homes.

Doing some research on the security aspects of windows, I see that lots of manufacturers say their windows are superb for security purposes. You have to wonder how many of these claims are advertising fluff versus accurate statements that can be backed up. To say anything about a window being a strong product that's effective for security purposes, a manufacturer should have had the specific window tested to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Specification F588-97, which measures forced-entry resistance.

Some windows are made specifically for security, using laminated glass like the glass in automotive windshields. Laminated glass may "crack" when struck with a sharp or heavy object, but a heavy-duty plastic interlayer sandwiched between the glass planes helps keep intruders or their burglar tools from actually getting through the glass.

Other types of glass are less resistant to intrusion. Many people think tempered glass is ideal for security purposes. It's actually a glass made for safety reasons—so it's pretty easy to get through, but it breaks into small pieces (not shards) that are less likely to injure someone. I experienced this personally just recently. I was carrying a small TV cabinet with glass panels from our house to our car and tripped on our driveway. The cabinet broke into lots of pieces and all the glass panels shattered. I instinctively extended my arms and hands as I fell, and my hands landed right on the glass. I got just a few very small cuts, but it would have been much worse had that glass not been tempered!

The name for standard or regular glass is "annealed." It typically breaks into dangerous, jagged “shards” when broken. There is actually some play in annealed glass as well. It will "bend" a little before breaking. I heard from a co-worker a week ago that an attempt was made by an intruder to break into her sister's home through the windows. The guy used his foot—wearing a steel-toed boot—to try to break the glass to get in. The glass didn't break, and his shoe prints on the glass even led to his arrest!

I was sure the glass in the windows—which are Gorell windows by the way—was laminated security glass, or possibly tempered. Remarkably, it was regular annealed glass. Not that annealed glass should ever be recommended for security purposes (laminated glass is, of course), but it does go to show you that a well-made, tough window that meets tests for strength can be somewhat effective at least keeping the bad guys out. One last thing—please don’t try this at home (i.e., putting your foot through a window to see how strong it is!).

No area in a home is more vulnerable to intrusion than windows and doors. FBI statistics show that 93 percent of break-ins occur through windows and doors. So it’s not surprising that, when researching windows and doors, many homeowners are thinking about security. These homeowners may come across references to “laminated glass” as a good choice for high-risk areas. But most people aren’t familiar with laminated glass and have always considered tempered glass the “safe” choice. So what’s the difference?

Tempered glass is actually designed to minimize injury rather than prevent entry. It shatters into tens of thousands of pieces when hit. Tempered glass keeps people safer from injury or being cut by glass—such as in a car accident—but doesn’t stop intruders from breaking the glass and getting in. In fact, a sharp-edged object will break the glass’ ”surface tension” and shatter tempered glass without any impact and with very little noise.

Laminated glass is much harder for would-be burglars to penetrate. A laminated glass system usually consists of one composite pane made up of a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer sandwiched by two sheets of glass—and then another pane of standard glass. That special PVB interlayer is what keeps the glass from being penetrated. There are different thicknesses of PVB interlayers. Thicker interlayers (such as .060 or .090) will provide much more protection than thinner interlayers (.030 size, for example). In tests, windows and doors with thicker interlayers have withstood more than 30 blows from a baseball bat before a hole the size of a quarter appears. The glass will shatter – but the PVB won’t break, so no one can get through.

Tempered glass is a good choice in some situations—such as patio doors, or very large windows with big expanses of glass—because it’s safe when broken (often a concern of homeowners with kids). But for home security, to help prevent intrusions, laminated glass is more effective.

More than 25 years ago, the National Crime Prevention Council—and McGruff the Crime Dog—designated October Crime Prevention Month. That makes this a good time to think about the safety and security of our homes, our schools and our communities.

We all worry about how safe our families—and our possessions—are. We all wonder, at least occasionally, whether an intruder could possibly get into our homes. When it comes to home invasion, most burglars get in through windows and doors. So what can be done to keep homes more secure against break-ins? There are common-sense things you should do—like keep your windows and doors locked, and remove shrubs and trees from in front of your windows so possible intruders don’t have any hiding spots. But, depending on the home, maybe more drastic measures should be considered—like replacing old, un-secure windows or doors with newer, laminated glass models.

More ideas for making homes more intruder-resistant can be found on NCPC’s web site at http://www.ncpc.org/topics/home-and-neighborhood-safety . Or see Gorell’s “10 Window & Door Security Tips” at http://www.gorell.com/pages/gorell_mcgruff.htm .