Concentric Circles of Security

 I made a statement the other day to a friend of mine who is a Border Patrol agent.  He questioned what I meant and it occurred to me others may benefit from the answer.

We were talking about home security and I mentioned that I had concentric rings of security at my home.  He asked what that was and I explained.

We have a six foot perimeter fence around our property.  The weak areas are augmented with barbed wire.  The front gate is unclimbable and there is a way to fortify it so that a vehicle will not be able to get through it.  Then there is a 2^nd gate that creates a kill zone.  After the second gate there is a fighting position hidden behind a fortified object that is defensible.  There are kill zones at various places on the perimeter with several alerting devices all around the perimeter.  Between the gate and the house there are many obstacles to a walking man or a vehicle.  Finally there is the house.  The doors are fortified beyond a standard door.  The windows also.  Inside the house is a safe room with a fortified door.  Inside the room is a phone, and guns and ammo. 

Concentric security is really layers of security.  They overlap and as you pass from one ring to another the security level increases.  I think the last ring should always involve a firearm.  Regardless of the size of the family member or their strength, a firearm is an equalizer.  So by this logic it tends to reason that all family members should be trained in how to use a gun.

The first ring is usually the weakest and made to slow down an attacker.

 

For the average homeowner, the second concentric ring is the exterior of your home. Do you have security cameras? Do you have lights or motion-sensors? Do you have an alarm sign in your front yard? Do you have an alarm sign sticker on your sliding glass door into your home from your deck?

Continuing with the second ring, is your front door locked? Do you have a solid deadbolt? Do you close your garage door even when you’re at home? Are all of your windows locked?

The third ring of security for your home is your “safe room.” In other words, if someone jumps your fence and kicks down your front door, where do you go with your family?

Do you have a room that everyone can huddle in that has a cell phone to call police and, more importantly, has a firearm that can be used to protect your family?

Remember, as a criminal passes through each ring of security it’s supposed to get tougher on them to accomplish their task (whatever task that might be.)

So, if their task is a home invasion and they’ve jumped the fence, kicked in your front door, and are about to kick in the bedroom where you and your family are hiding, then in that room you need to be prepared to meet them with force.

After all, if they bash down the bedroom door and your wife and kids are there but you’re unprepared, you may have just let your whole family get murdered. (It may sound harsh, but it’s true.)

This is why, in my opinion, the final ring of security should always include a firearm. The firearm is the great equalizer and it’s the only thing that gives the 18-year-old girl a chance against the 32-year-old, 200-pound, knife-wielding rapist.

Of course, the final ring of security can also include a solid wood door for your safe room to help you avoid having to use a firearm in self-defense, which should be everyone’s goal, (ADD-avoid, deter, de-escalate)

Avoid if you can, but be prepared to fight back if you have no choice.

So, if you’ve never given thought to the concentric rings of security and how it applies to your own home, give it some thought today. Think about how many layers of defense you have, and how you plan to stop a criminal if, heaven forbid, they make it through every single layer and are standing in front of you and your loved ones.

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn