home safety and emergency planning Springtime is an opportunity to make sure your home is safe and you are prepared for emergencies. Take the time to complete the following tasks to ensure you are ready: • If your home is equipped with an alarm, make sure the alarm is in proper working order. Contact your alarm company and update your key holder information with current cell phone and work phone numbers. Post the alarm company sign near the front of the home as a deterrent to would be criminals. • Take a look at your home from the street. Are the address numbers clearly visible both day and night? Make sure the numbers are well lit and not obstructed by trees or shrubs. • Have a family emergency plan. Practice safe exits in the event of a fire or natural disaster. Arrange for meeting places in the neighborhood to meet if evacuation is required. • Have an emergency radio and flashlight with batteries at hand. • Practice makes perfect and in the event of an emergency, practice will ensure a quick and calm exit to safety. • For more safety ideas contact Lt. Thomas Wetzel at 216.464.2343 to arrange for a residential security and safety survey. deer management free mobile app The City of Beachwood and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife have been working together to address issues pertaining to the deer population. Note: • Deer look for easy sources of food. To protect your garden, install a 3–4 foot barrier (vinyl, hardware cloth, etc.) with the first foot of the barrier underground to keep the small critters out like raccoons, skunks, and groundhogs. On the corners of the garden install posts that reach 7 feet off the ground. You can then run a single wire at 7 feet. Periodically hang ribbon (or aluminum pie pans to scare off the birds) to act as a visual to the deer. Deer have bad depth perception and they will not jump between the hard fence and the top wire. • Various sprays deter deer from eating plants. Cayenne pepper can also be used by spraying plants with some water and then generously dusting them with the pepper. The hotter you make the plant the less likely the deer will eat it. • Choose plants that tend to be less palatable. Note: if a deer is hungry enough, there is no plant that it “will never eat.” If you are concerned about deer damage on your property call the Division of Wildlife at 330.644.2293. Often times they can identify the reason over the phone as to why the technique is not working and can give site-specific advice to help alleviate the deer problems. For more information visit www.wildohio.com. Council Update 30 Beachwood Buzz n April 2015