June is National Safety Month and that means I always like to take some time to ensure my house and family are ready for the unexpected. With kids out of school and vacations being planned, safety may not be at the top of a family’s mind. But it should be! A few simple precautions can ensure that families are safe at home and on the road. Master Lock, the makers of my very favourite security products, have five tips to help families stay safe this summer.
- Prepare for the Unexpected – With summer camps, vacations and outdoor play dates, accidents are bound to happen. Technology today makes it easier than ever to ensure you’re never waiting in line at an urgent care clinic without your child’s insurance information. Store digital copies of your family’s important medical and identification information in the free and secure Master Lock Vault for easy access from your smartphone on the go. In addition to providing online storage for critical, sensitive documents, the app offers password and lock combination storage at a 256-bit SSL encrypted connection – the highest grade browser security available – providing peace of mind against cyber security threats.
- Keep Vehicles Protected – Summer is the perfect time of year to explore the outdoors with camp-outs, hikes, road-trips and more. If these explorations involve an attached RV or trailer, make sure to add an extra layer of security with the Master Lock 1469DAT Heavy Duty Receiver Lock, which resists picking and prying to avoid possible theft. Also, if your adventures include a bike ride, make sure to secure your bikes in-between your excursions with the Master Lock 8195D Bike Lock.
- Designate a Family Meeting Spot – With summer festivals, fairs and trips to unfamiliar places, it’s important to designate a meeting spot whenever you’re away from home in case anyone gets lost. Whether you are at a carnival, park or away on vacation, always come up with a plan of where to meet. This will give you peace of mind in case someone in your family is separated from the group.
- Secure Vacation Home Keys – Summer brings a booming vacation home rental market. Whether you are vacationing in a rental or plan to have tenants in your rental unit, it’s important to implement best safety practices in your “home away from home.” While enjoying time away from your vacation hotel room or rental unit, keep your room key on you at all times. For those renting out their vacation properties or for local real estate agents, ensure the rental keys are securely stored by utilizing a lock box, such as the Master Lock 5422D Portable Key Safe. Users can opt to personalize their lock box with the Master Lock 5422LZ Push Button Portable Lock Box; Personalized Laser Engraved, which can be customized with contact information or a real estate agent’s logo.
- Protect Valuables and Important Documents – It’s important to protect your most valuable documents and keepsakes on a regular basis – but especially when you are away from your home. The compact and versatile SentrySafe 1200 Privacy Lock Chest helps keep your family’s most important documents, media and valuables protected, offering peace of mind knowing these items are locked and secure. The fire-protected safe is the perfect place to keep birth certificates, passports, social security cards and other items that are irreplaceable.
To help your family travel safe this summer, Master Lock has a fantastic giveaway that you won’t want to miss! One lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader is going to win a SentrySafe 1200 Privacy Lock Chest and a Master Lock 8195D Bike Lock, a $50 total value, to let you hit the road this summer with your gear safely secured! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about which of these five tips is your favourite.
Personally, I love using the SentrySafe 1200 Privacy Lock Chest for those longer trips my family sometimes makes. While I do have a smaller personal safe, it just isn’t big enough for all the gear I want to keep secure when my whole family is travelling together. This handy lock chest is the perfect solution, with room for passports, insurance paperwork, wallets, electronics and more! But whether you’re heading on a long adventure this summer or enjoying a staycation, Master Lock has products that will help you have a secure and fun-filled summer!
Jeannie says
I think the tip on Protecting Valuables and Important Documents is very important. With so much identity theft out there now, it’s best to keep documents safe.
Ryan B says
Designate a Family Meeting Spot ~ Family tradition from the start. The guys go an do what they want and the ladies go and do what the want to do, and we all know where to meet and when.
Silvia D says
they are all great tips.. but one i really can relate to is…Prepare for the Unexpected.
Debbie White Beattie says
I think Protect Valuables and Important Documents is for me the best tip
Lynda Cook says
I like #4 Secure Vacation Home Keys, I love the lock box for keys, much better than leaving a key under the mat! but they are all awesome and great tips!!
Florence C says
Protect Valuables and Important Documents is a great tip.
Amy Stackhouse says
1. Prepare for the Unexpected
After the fires in Fort Mac, it really forced my husband and I to reassess some of our so-called emergency planning!
Donnas says
I like tip #3. I still remember, when I was a little girl, going to watch fireworks with my family and getting separated from them. It was a scary experience.
Carolle H says
My favorite is #5
Joanne Frank says
always prepare for the unexpected .
Rosanne Robinson says
All of these tips are helpful reminders – and my favourite is to Protect Valuables and Important Documents.
Soozle says
I like the tip to Prepare for the Unexpected – you never really know what is in store!
Robyn L says
#3 Designate a Family Meeting Spot; very good advice as there seems to be someone who gets interested in something and wonders a little further than expected and then you worry.
Maria says
My favorite tip is to prepare for the unexpected
yvonne says
I appreciate tip #5 – Protect Valuables and Important Documents. The most priceless belongings I have are my family photos.
Cheryl says
My favourite tip was 5) protect valuables and documents, often we forget about certain documents that have lots of personal info on it! Those need to be locked up
NickyJ says
Designate a Family Meeting Spot.. very good tip
Jay M says
#5. Despite just having both of our cars broken into last week, what was taken wasn’t nearly as important as all of our official documents. Would love to have a fire proof safe. Also I have another tip. We had a USB stick stolen out of our car. Luckily we were just using it for music for the car, but I’m super glad we didn’t have anything important or personal on it.
Jody D says
#5- a small safety case for the cottage papers and valuables would be great!
Tara Betterley says
I like the Protecting Valuables and Important Documents! This is a must. I have a chest that is fire resistant so that I can keep my wills, passports, banking information, life insurance etc in them so, that in the event of an emergency, they are all in one spot. It was worth the investment!
Victoria K says
I like the tip Prepare for the Unexpected the best.
Julie says
I love the Designating a family meeting spot tip! That is something I can really use and put into practice!
christine w says
My favourite tip is designate a family meeting spot. I used to wander away quite a bit as a kid.
Stephanie LaPlante says
My favorite tip is Protect Valuables and Important Documents. Always been a concern of mine.
Louise Gilbert says
Protect Valuables and Important Documents are my favorite tips
Angela September says
definitely having a meeting spot is very important to our family!
jan says
My new bike needs a new lock! Very timely.
Elizabeth Matthiesen says
The one I like best is the Prepare for the Unexpected tip. Thinking of Ft McMurray and how quickly they had to evacuate I doubt many of them had all this info immediately to hand – I know that I wouldn’t have had mine. This would be the ideal solution in such cases.
dave says
I think Protect Valuables and Important Documents
nicky says
I like the tip of designating a family meeting spot whenever we’re out at events. Especially since the kids don’t have cell phones!
lori butler says
i like the prepare for the un expected, cause you just never know
Sherry K says
Designate a meeting spot is such a good idea
ivy pluchinsky says
Protect Valuables and Important Documents is very important!
Sandi Tymchuk says
I like the common-sense but so useful tip–designate a meeting spot whenever you’re away from home in case anyone gets lost.
Josh S says
Designate a Family Meeting Spot – So important! It is just too easy for somebody to wander off or get distracted and suddenly become separated from the rest of the family. This is a great tip and one we always try to remember to do.
K Yee says
My favourite tip is to “Designate a Family Meeting Spot”. My husband and I do this even when shopping at the local mall.
Athena says
Designate a family meeting spot. We do this and it’s very comforting to have a plan.
Victoria Ess says
I think the Prepare for the Unexpected tip is really useful!
tammy ta says
My favourite out of these is to plan for a family meeting spot.
Dianne G. says
#3 – Designate a Family Meeting Spot is my favourite. We always used to do this with the kids when we went to the Calgary Stampede as it is so large you could wander for hours and not find a lost child. There was a clock tower that rose above everything and that was always our spot as the kids could see it wherever they might be on the grounds.
Tina L. says
My favourite tip is Protect Valuables and Important Documents
Shirley says
My favourite tip is Prepare for the Unexpected.
Cara W says
My favourite tip is #1 Prepare for the Unexpected. It’s always a good idea to keep an electronic copy of important documents safe as well.
Kim K says
I love the tip to protect valuables and important documents using a SentrySafe 1200 Privacy Lock Chest.
Doreen Lamoureux says
They are all great tips but the most valuable is to Protect Valuables and Important Documents . While at home and while away.
Erika Letson says
My favourite of the tips is to Keep Vehicles Protected! We’ve had our car broken into before and some things were taken, so this one is important to me!
Joanne Elford says
Protect Valuables and Important Documents is very important for me. I keep a lot of original documents at home. The SentrySafe 1200 Privacy Lock Chest would be a great asset.
Debbie Bashford says
protecting important documents and valuables is at the top of my list, I like that it is fireproof
Julie F says
Protect Valuables and Important Documents is the my favourite as I always worry about our passports!
DebP says
The protection of valuable and documents is a real concern. We’ve always ensured that ours are theft and fire proof when we’re travelling.