Kelowna is rapidly growing into a ‘big’ city. It seems like we hear about another planned high rise or apartment building every time we turn on local television or pick up a news paper. More than ever, people from all over the country and all walks of life are choosing to make Kelowna home and with a city as impressive as ours, who can blame them?
But a growing city will have its share of big city problems. Break-ins and burglaries to homes and businesses in and around our city have increased dramatically over the last couple of years.
I read a stat recently that in 80% of all burglaries, access is gained by breaking the glass in a door or a window. So, what can we do to help protect our homes and businesses from potential invasions? We can install alarm systems but often, opportunistic ‘smash and grab’ intruders are in and out within seconds, completely ignoring alarms. But if we install a quality security film along with an alarm, the glass when smashed will be held together and in its frame, making it much harder for an opportunistic intruder to gain access. The extra time and effort that it takes to get through the filmed glass will often deter these intruders.
Clear security films when installed correctly, make no visual difference to the appearance of the glass and are often applied to storefronts, ground level windows and doors or on any glass that has the potential to be an easy access point to the building. The film is bonded to the inside of the glass and then edge sealed to the frames with a special structural sealant. Tinted and reflective security films are also available. Many insurance companies will give premium discounts when security films are installed.
Unfortunately, dealing with the risk of potential break-ins and burglaries within our city seems to be an ever-increasing issue and this disturbing trend shows no signs of slowing down. All we can do is try to make it as difficult as possible for intruders to gain access to our homes or workplaces. The addition of security film provides a cost-effective option when increased building security is required.
