Home Hardening
Your home is the first line of the household's readiness. Most homes were never hardened on purpose: the work is ordinary, and the household can do it.
Why this pillar matters
Most homes were hardened by accident (a lock here, a light there) never systematically. Entry points, lighting, detection, and a place to shelter are separate layers that work together, and each is ordinary work a household can do in a week. The assessment shows which layers exist; the practice teaches the household to build the rest, and refers to a licensed professional where one is warranted.
What we evaluate
The five specific areas assessed within this pillar.
Entry points and lighting
Access control: door hardware, lock grade, entry point consistency
Monitoring: camera coverage, blind spots, 24/7 professional monitoring
Safe room or shelter-in-place designation, hardening, and supplies
Whether a licensed professional has ever looked at the home, and whether the findings were acted on
What your score means
After completing the questionnaire, your Home Hardening score falls into one of five bands. Here is what each level indicates.
Critical (0–19)
Your home has not been hardened. The basics (entry points, lighting, detectors, a place to shelter) need attention now.
At Risk (20–39)
Some basics exist, but the home has never been hardened systematically for a long disruption.
Developing (40–59)
Good foundations, with gaps: detection, entry points, or a shelter space is incomplete.
Prepared (60–79)
Most of the fundamentals of your home's protection are in place and largely current. The remaining distance is proof: layers tested rather than owned, and the quiet edges of the property held to the same standard as the front door.
Resilient (80–100)
A well-hardened home: layered, tested, and maintained on a schedule.
Free resources for this area
- Free smoke alarm installation (American Red Cross)
The Red Cross installs free smoke alarms and walks through a home fire escape plan; request a visit from this page.
redcross.org - National Neighborhood Watch
How to start or join a neighborhood watch, and how to ask your local police or sheriff for a free home security check.
nnw.org - U.S. Fire Administration: home fire safety
Plain guidance on smoke alarms, cooking, heating and escape plans.
usfa.fema.gov - Georgia 811
Call or click before any digging; utilities are marked at no charge.
georgia811.com
Free Assessment
See where you stand across all eight pillars.
The 40-question assessment is free, takes about 12 minutes, and delivers a scored report to your inbox immediately.
Take the Assessment