You Hear Glass Breaking: What Happens Next?

It’s one of the scariest sounds you can hear in the middle of the night: Breaking glass. It can mean many things but it’s easy to assume the worst. Is there somebody trying to get into your home?

And whether you’re home alone or your family is there, this is a terrifying situation. There’s no way to know what the intruder has in mind when entering your house at night. Alarm systems can be the difference between an unfortunate and a tragic incident, but there are also actions you can take to give yourself a better chance of remaining safe.

So what do you do? How do you protect yourself and anyone else in your home?

Verify If There’s an Intruder

There are many possible reasons for your window breaking. Some of them are nefarious — people breaking in, vandals, and so on. However, there are also other reasons that don’t pose any immediate threat — perhaps the wind broke off a tree branch and it hit your window.

Listen very carefully after the initial breaking of glass. Do you hear any movement? Are people speaking? The broken glass will often continue to make noise if someone is moving across it. Paying close attention will let you know pretty quickly if there’s a continuing situation in your home.

Contact NCA to learn more about the available alarm systems in Nashville, TN.

Call the Authorities

Grab your phone and call 911 if you decide the situation is ongoing. Stay on the line with the operator and answer their questions. They will not only help you figure out what is going on, but tell you what you should be doing in the meantime. It’s going to take a little bit for the police to arrive. You’re going to need to take care of yourself for a little while.

The sooner you call the authorities, the sooner help will arrive. This is why it’s important to do this as soon as you feel a threat is in your home.

Lock Your Door If Possible

You need to focus on keeping yourself safe. Does your bedroom have a lock? If so, lock it. Put as much distance between yourself and the disturbance as possible. The goal is to allow time for the police to arrive.

Communicate to others in the home that something is going on. Text messages are the best way to do this as it won’t alert the intruders to your whereabouts. Ideally, you’ll have a plan in place with your family if a situation like this were to occur. Get everyone to a safe place and stay put.

Stay Quiet

It might be tempting to confront the intruders but you don’t know what they have in mind. It’s best to remain out of sight until the police arrive and tell you it is safe to come out of your hiding spot. Speak quietly when on the phone with 911. Don’t shout at your intruders to go away.

However, there is something you can do if you have your car keys in the room with you. Does  your car have a key fob with an alert or panic button? If so, press it. This can rattle the intruders and cause them to leave.

Arm Yourself

Find something near you that you can use to defend yourself against an attacker should the situation escalate. This doesn’t need to be a firearm. It can be anything from a baseball bat to a frying pan. Anything you have lying around that can give the intruder a reason to stay out of your personal space will be helpful.

Stay Calm

Above all, it’s essential you don’t panic throughout the situation. This leads to rash decisions that can put you in danger. Having a plan beforehand will give you the confidence you might need to get through the tense situation without panicking.

Take deep breaths. Tell yourself and anybody else around you that it’s going to be okay. The ability to keep a clear mind will help you should you need to make any in-the-moment decisions.

Prepare Beforehand

The best way to navigate these difficult situations is to set yourself up for success beforehand. There are plenty of options for alarm systems to protect your Nashville home. NCA offers glass break detectors, which are the most direct method of addressing this issue. These sensors trigger an alarm when a window is broken. This sends a notification to the 24/7 alarm monitoring center which will get the authorities moving once an emergency is confirmed.

Alarm systems and a personal action plan will help keep those in your Nashville home safe, even when you hear glass breaking in the middle of the night.

Contact NCA today and get a free quote on various alarm systems for your Nashville home.