Custom Home Security: Panic Rooms

The 2002 movie Panic Room with Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart increased public awareness of the importance of home safety; specifically, it raised the question as to whether a panic room (aka, a safe room) should be considered a necessary addition to a home. Realistically, most families do not have the resources to add to or modify their homes for a room as elaborate as that in the movie. However, it’s a good idea for families to create and practice “panic plans” that include clear directions for how to respond – and where to go – if certain emergency situations arise. Remember, a panic room is only intended to be a short-term solution until help arrives.

What room should be the “panic room”?

The answer will depend on how your home is laid out, and where the danger appears. In a burglary situation, the room should not have more than one point of entry from the home and should have a method of contacting help (usually your security keypad) and a secure lock. If possible, it may also be wise to choose a room that’s on the first floor and/or has a route out of the home (like a fire escape) or a window near neighbors or a public area where screams and commotion would attract attention. It can be important to have a “Plan B” – like a bathroom near a phone or a different room – in case the robber enters through and is occupying the safe room.

What should be kept in the panic room?

Although a panic room is intended to be a short-term solution, you should plan to store items that could be helpful for a period of hours or, at most, a day or so. First aid supplies, a rope ladder for a second- or third-floor building, batteries, a siren or other method of alerting the outside world to danger, a blanket, crucial medications, important phone numbers, and water bottles are all potential options.

How can a family prepare for a home invasion?

Practice makes perfect. In the same way you prepare your children for confrontation by strangers or for a fire, you should teach them what to do if a burglar enters your home (and yes, adults should complete drills too!). Have them practice looking for danger and running quietly to the safe room from every room in the home so that they can acclimate themselves no matter where they are when the threat happens. Show them how the locks work in case you’re not able to get to the room with them. Give them a password that will let them know it’s safe to open the door to let another person in or that the threat has passed. Teach them to use the keypad and dial 9-1-1 and other important phone numbers on practice telephones. While preparing them for emergency, try to use appropriate language that will emphasize urgency without adding unnecessary fear (call it a “safe room” instead of a “panic room,” for example).

Is it worthwhile to build a real, separate panic room?

Although there are clearly exceptions, many burglars are interested in money or property and less interested in harming you. If you and your family are actively trying to stay out of their way by evacuating to a panic room – instead of confronting or threatening them – they are less likely to pursue and attack you if they do not feel a need to protect themselves or their identity. But, this said, there’s always the possibility that the person who breaks into your home has other intentions or will feel threatened by your presence or knowledge of their identity. If you have ample resources, if you feel threatened by a specific individual or group, or if you want to protect your family from less likely yet unpredictable circumstances, you should ask your security company for more information about custom options like panic rooms.