Safe room
Construction Techniques:
– Basic safe rooms have solid-core doors with deadbolts and reinforced ceilings.
– More expensive safe rooms use steel, Kevlar, or bullet-resistant fiberglass for reinforcement.
– Safe rooms on concrete slabs or basements can have concrete walls.
– Steel grillwork is used by the U.S. State Department in high-crime areas.
– Storm safe rooms must withstand high winds and flying debris.
Features:
– Safe rooms may have communication equipment and security systems.
– Basic safe rooms are stocked with emergency items like flashlights and first-aid kits.
– High-end safe rooms may include gun closets and biodefense air-filtration systems.
– Safe rooms can be hidden behind household features like mirrors and bookcases.
– Panic buttons in safe rooms can lock down the entire house.
Citadel on Ships:
– Warships have central citadels with armor protection and filtered air systems.
Anti-Piracy:
– Safe rooms on ships, called citadels, are used as a countermeasure against piracy.
– Crew can retreat to the safe room, disable ship systems remotely, and resist physical attacks.
– Safe rooms deny pirates access to the crew for hostage-taking.
– In 2010, 342 seafarers were kept safe in a citadel during pirate attacks.
– Safe rooms have been effective in defending ships against piracy threats.
See Also:
– Blast shelters, bomb shelters, and fallout shelters are related structures.
– Merkhav Mugan and panic rooms are also used for protection.
– Preppers and retreats are associated with survivalism.
– Storm cellars provide protection during severe weather.
A safe room or panic room is a fortified room that is installed in a private residence or business to provide a safe shelter, or hiding place, for the inhabitants in the event of a break in, home invasion, tornado, terror attack, or other threat. Safe rooms usually contain communications equipment, so that law enforcement authorities can be contacted.