Do You Feel Safe at Your Self-Storage Facility?

By Amy Campbell

A couple of nights ago, my daughter and I were watching TV in our living room when we heard several noises that sounded very much like gunshots. The rapid blastsfour or five in a rowsounded way too close for comfort. Being that we live a fairly safe neighborhood, hearing something like that is not something Im used to. Prior to moving into our current home, we lived in a neighborhood where police helicopters, sirens and the occasional gunshot noise were much more common.

Needless to say, I was startled. I jumped up,nade sure all the doors were locked and peeked out the window. When nothing happened after 10 minutes or sono sirens, no neighbors emerging from their homesI figured it was likely some pranksters letting off fireworks or some other anomaly.

The bombings on Monday at the Boston Marathon are a chilly reminder that being safethe feeling and the literal senseis not always attainable. While this kind of tragedy, which killed three and injured more than 170, doesnt happen with regularity, it does happen. And it can happen anywhere. So those gunshot-like sounds I heard so close to my front door could have actually been the real deal. More than likely, you or someone you know has been near, involved or in some way affected by an act of violence. So its up to us as individuals to learn how to keep ourselves safe at home, at work and in public places.

Most self-storage operators consider their facilities a safe environment for themselves and tenants. After all, the majority of todays facilities are outfitted with access-controlled fencing, video surveillance, wireless-unit alarms, and a number of other high-tech bells and whistles. Yet, an angry customer who spirals out of control, a criminal using a facility to store illegal items, or any number of other scenarios can lead an operator to feel unsafe at his job, or home if he lives on site.

In a recent thread on Self-Storage Talk, we asked operators if theyve ever feared for their safety at work. See what they have to say about what prompted the fear and how they handled it.

While there is no surefire way to insolate yourself from the baddies of the world, there are steps you can take to be safer at home, at work and in public. Heres some advice from the National Crime Prevention Council on workplace safety. The website also offers advice on a slew of other safety topics including cell phones, the Web and disaster preparedness. And heres a short video featuring a former secret service agent with tips for keeping safe in a crowd.

There are also dozens of great articles on the ISS archives on ways to keep yourself and your tenants safe at your facility. The Self-Storage Security topics page has information on everything from cameras to locks. Youll also find these great articles in the ISS archives:

What safety or security measures do you take to stay protected? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below, on Self-Storage Talk or send me an e-mail, [email protected].