Keep the season festive: Explore tips to improve safety during the holidays

Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas parties, and sharing quality time with family are several of the activities we look forward to during the holidays. It’s a time for celebration, but the season also includes more safety risks. Thankfully, following some basic guidelines and using a modern security system at your Helena property can help ensure safety during the holidays.

Leaving town? Deter burglaries at your Helena home with modern video cameras and automation

Venturing out to spend time with relatives is a holiday tradition, but leaving your Helena house unoccupied increases the risk of break-ins. But there is a solution. Modern home security systems allow you to keep tabs on your house regardless of where you are with the latest surveillance. You are able to access real-time feeds from your cameras through the home security app on your smartphone.

Top surveillance devices take an active approach to protecting your home. If an individual gets within range, cameras will beam a light or produce a sound to frighten them away. Here are serveral other ways you can avoid intrustions when you’re out: 

• Set lights to activate at various moments to make your home look inhabited
• Confirm that your home security signage is in clear view
• Go to your home security app to ensure doors are secured and your system armed
• Don’t announce on social platforms that you’re traveling

Protect against Chrismastime porch pirates in Helena

For countless families, the holidays include a constant wave of packages to the front door. Don’t entice prowlers by allowing them to sit on your stoop. Alternatively, get an immediate notification to your smartphone whenever a package shows up so you can grab it. 

If possible, schedule deliveries for when you know you’ll be home. Alternatively, ask a neighbor to collect them. You can turn off your alarm and open your door from your smartphone. If somebody is at your door, you can speak to them through your video doorbell’s 2-way talk function. 

Practice accepted fire safety during the holidays in your Helena home 

Christmas trees, candles, homemade meals, and decorative lights are a part of the holidays, but they also heighten your risk of fires. Here are some tips for how to circumvent them:

• Cooking fires increase during the holidays, notably at Thanksgiving. Avoid turning your back on an active stovetop. Keep children away to prevent burns. Be sure to adhere to manufacturer guidelines when cooking with fryers.
• Water Christmas trees and keep them away from fireplaces and candles. Be mindful that trees grow more combustible as they dehydrate.
• Don’t overload electrical outlets with extension cords and lights. Improper connections and older outlets are known to spark and may lead to fires.
• Burning candles are enchanting but also hazardous around decorations and trees. Place them carefully and always extinguish flames when leaving an area.

Monitored fire alarms are a fantastic way to enhance your protection. When safety devices like CO detectors and fire alarms connect to your property’s security, you and your 24-7 monitoring specialists will be alerted whenever an alarm trips, whether you’re home or away.

Stay safe during the holidays with a Vivint smart home in Helena

Find all the tools you need to remain safe during the holidays and all year round from Vivint. Our Helena home security systems offer innovative features like video cameras with active deterrence, custom automation, and monitored environmental alarms. Contact us at (406) 926-5388 and give your household the gift of better security this holiday season.