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• Lighting
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• Electrical Actions

• Initial Checking
• Safety Equipment
• Individual Actions

• Internet Software
• Individual Actions

• ICE

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Internet Safety

The internet has become part of the fabric of society in a relatively short period of time. As the internet crosses borders, but police tend not to, criminals have seized the chance to develop software they can use against an individual from anywhere in the world.

The good news is that the criminal (can also be known as a hacker) is either going after a specific target like a bank or sending software to attack/ get into unprotected computers. Therefore if you take steps to protect your computer, then you will become a very small target.

There are three main types of software you need to protect your computer:

• Firewall

• Anti-virus

• Anti-Spyware/Malware/Adware

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Fire Extinguishers

There are three main types of fire extinguisher - Powder, Water & Foam. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, using a water based fire extinguisher on a chip pan fire will make the fire far worse as the burning oil will spread.

Therefore I would recommend reading the FIRE KILLS website to ensure you are fully aware of which fire extinguishers to have around the house.

When you buy a fire extinguisher make sure that conforms to BS EN 3 part 5 "Portable Fire Extinguishers - Specification and supplementary tests" and you understand the colour coding.

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Firewall

Windows XP & Vista come with a basic firewall but it is always best to have a second firewall working. The next bit of good news is that it is possible to get a free firewall from Zone Alarm which is relatively easy to use. The link can be found on the right.

Fire blankets and Extinguishers require to be sited in a good position if it is to be of use when the time comes. One example would be in the kitchen clearly visable and away from potential fire sources e.g. cooker.

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Anti-virus

Anti-virus software generally scans your computer to find any virus’s that have found their way onto your hard drive. More modern and costly software use real-time scanning to check data as it is being downloaded onto your computers [Though you should still scan your computer each week].

A free anti-virus software can be found from AVG (link on the right) which performs better than some well known brands which cost a fair bit of money. The free AVG software does not do real-time scanning so remember to set the scheduling feature.

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Anti-Spyware/ Malware/ Adware

Some criminals/ hackers use software to open ‘back doors’ on your computer to take control of it at their will or scan your hard drive for personal details.

Not all anti-virus software checks for these types of software programmes and therefore it is worth having an anti-spyware software to counter the potential threat.

The good news is there is software to help you protect your computer which don’t cost, including Microsoft Defender, Spybot: Search & Destroy and Ad-aware (links on the right).

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Complete Packages

It is possible to purchase software packages which carry out real-time scanning and integrate all the systems mentioned above. Most Anti-virus comparisons websites rate the following software as the leaders in their field:

• Kaspersky

• Bitdefender

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64-bit Software

It is possible to get Windows XP 64-bit & Windows Vista 64-bit Operating Systems. These are the new versions of the standard 32-bit software. However the 64-bit versions which can require 64-bit equivalent software. As the 64-bit Operating Software is fairly new, the software that is 64-bit equivalent is hard to come by (believe me I know). However there is a growing list which can be found at the ‘3dvelocity’ website.