On the front lines, we all experience situations that many may be blissfully unaware of the dangers or simply may not have considered situations and thought out responses for dealing with a situation. Knowledge is power, so to that end, and for the on-site staff's awareness, let's put all of our safety tips here in one place. I'm going to copy some posts from another thread here to get the ball rolling.

SAFETY REMINDER! To all of the ladies out there in Storage Land, your safety is first and foremost. Even if you are working alone, NEVER let anyone know that you are alone.

Use your cell or the office line, a radio or anything that works for you. BEFORE you show a unit to anyone (especially the creepy sort) phone or radio anyone or even a machine if you are alone. Just say something like, "I have a customer. I'm going to go show him a 7x10 in building #6 and 10x10 in building #4, back in a few minutes. Oh and dear, could we go out for dinner tonight? Okay dear, thanks!"

Then ask for their ID and leave it on your office counter top! If they balk, don't show them a unit! Stay in the office.

Once you are at the unit, unlock and open the door, but NEVER step inside the unit. You should always stay outside of the unit door for your safety, especially with the strange ones.
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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!


Something else to remember. Never get in a customers car. It doesn't matter if it is a current tenant, or a new tenant. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman. Never, never.
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Bob Taylor (Astro)
Blue Ridge Self Storage
Cashiers, NC

Yes, those tips are all excellent, although in the begining, I will admit I did them both...I've learned though, nothing came of doing the wrong thing, BUT I won't ever do them again. Another tip for woman living alone on the property or even in general anywhere. leave a pair of men's work-boots by your front and / or back door......tip from law enforcement.....makes whomever may be coming up to your door a little more hesitant thinking a male resides there with you.............
finallyfoundit

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
twitter.com/CochraneStorage

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
I am not an attorney, just an experienced manager who is willing to share what I have learned. Your thoughts, practices or opinions may vary and neither of us may be right.

This was just sent to me from a friend. Thought I would pass it on.

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you. Did you know this? I didn't. I never really thought of it before. I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.

Wasp Spray - A receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. It also works on snakes and mice!
Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

Please be safe.

Thanks for posting this! I'm sometimes concerned for my 20 yr old dtr as she works part-time sometimes at other facilities in not as good areas of the city as her regular asst. mgr position at my old facility. She does have pepper spray on her keychain but sometimes when you realize you need to use it ... like you say they have to be really close for it to be effective.

Great info!

Pat
High Point, NC

Did you see the story about Jack Hannah & the grizzly bear encounter? Even with his bear pepper spray and being a professional animal handler, it took him three attempts to get the bear to back away. He finally got the spray to the bear as it got closer and when it was about 10 feet away!

I like the wasp spray idea a lot. I am allergic to the stings, but even I'm brave enough (with the epi-pen nearby ) to use wasp spray. It works at close range and with the expanding foaming action... what a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing SMSSId!

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Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California
twitter.com/CochraneStorage

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
I am not an attorney, just an experienced manager who is willing to share what I have learned. Your thoughts, practices or opinions may vary and neither of us may be right.

Not to come off as rude, but you can have all of the tools you want and still be just as unprotected. (This coming from a guy who carries a pocket stunner.)
If you're married, or have kids who need to get active, I suggest doing self-defense training. If you can afford dojo fees, all the better. The reasoning behind this is that the only actions that don't get telegraphed to the attacker (which gives them time to defend) are going to be ones you've done millions of times. They become instinct, and help to alleviate the flight reaction so that you can think your way through the situation more clearly. Imagine somebody swinging a baseball bat at you. Most people would back up, which is simply the worst thing to do as it puts you into the bat's sweet spot. Step into the person instead. Stop the hands and the spin at the point of least mass. Then turn and run like heck before they can recoil! (which is why it must be trained instinct. Even I would rather tuck into a ball at that point) My sister-in-law favors Krav Maga (she was successfully able to use it to get away from a 500+ man who had her by the arm. She's about 185. ). If you're looking for quick and efficient, it's a great place to start.
The great thing now, unlike when I was a child, is that there is a good deal of great material available in libraries, bookstores, and on youtube regarding effective self-defense. Most important personal suggestion I could make is to not limit yourself to one style, but pick and choose what will work for you. If you're not flexable, favoring kicks may not be smart, etc...

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

Ian, you’re absolutely right about the tools and knowing some self defense. All any one of them is just a part of your personal arsenal. Everybody has a different set of values and fears. What is good for one person may not necessarily work for another. When I was young I studied self defense and loved it, however, my wife is a fan of fear and flight. I never could get her interested in S/D.

Gina6k’s SAFETY REMINDER! is a great example of how to defuse a problem before it becomes an issue.

Maybe one of these days the software guys will have a device with a panic button the manager can carry around kind of like a auto-key clicker. Just another brain f@#$t

Had one when I worked at a gas station!

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Consistency- It's only a virtue if you're not a screwup

If your in California just get a Taser Gun. You don't need a permit. Go to the store, watch a tutorial on how to use it, pay for it and your done