Hook, when I say we are going to practice, I explain why, and then we practice. We have practiced fire drills successfully, no issues. A car hit our house one time and I said, fire drill, need you outside of the house in 10 seconds. Kid(s) were out in pretty close to 10 seconds.
Aphdmansoc, great and very helpful questions. Will take them in turn - help me think through it. I do also agree I hope to never use this plan, but I'm with you: need to have a plan and practice the plan.
1. It's complicated/detailed plan: it really has only 3 main elements and 2 branches. 1. The wife goes to the closet, 2. I go get the kid(s), 4. I bring them to the closet. B1. We stay put if I see BGs from upstairs, B2. The kid(s) go to the neighbors if BGs are attacking my wife bc bringing them to the closet would be bad.
We will have to actually break the plan down into each step and practice each scenario/path of the outcome logic.
2. The BG getting the kid(s) first is more likely in a daytime attack. At night, in addition to the alarm, there is 1 60 pound husky and 1 90 pound Greyhound. Even if somebody got past the alarm without setting it off, the dogs would go apesh$t if someone came in. I'm not saying they'd protect us, just that they would bark like crazy. All of these houses are laid out with master bedroom downstairs so that's where they will most likely head first - to subdue the owners.
If they DO get to the kid(s) first, my current thinking is we have to de-escalate the situation while we wait for the police. Chances of the child(ren)being killed increases if I do not de-escalate verbally. Even if submitting increases chance I will be killed. If the alarm didnt go off and they get to the kid(s) first, I'm still hoping my wife is making it to the closet and making the cell phone call. If that doesn't work, well I'm out of luck. Any plan is out the window once its defeated 3 layers deep. Short of us all sleeping together in a steel fortress, which would get old, not sure what else to plan. Any input?
3. Do we get reception with a cell phone from inside closet? Yes, 4G, 4 bars. We live in an area of strong coverage, so good there.
4. Child(ren) is/are young but he/she/they walk and talk and are athletic. Still at the age where the kid(s) obey, particularly when scared.
5. Hearing protection: there are earmuffs in the closet, my wife should put them on. I dont want the kid(s) wearing ear protection bc the alarm is still going off and I want him/her/them to hear me when I come up for them.
6. Back up gun: AWESOME idea. I dont want to waste time getting to the kid(s) so I would need to put the one gun in a keypad activated gunvault upstairs, and one w me. Alternative is I could put the 12 ga in a big bureau, but then i'd have to put locks on it and I don't want to be messing w locks if there's an invader.
7. Being on same page w wife as to what to do if kid(s) taken or being threatened: I absolutely agree. Do you have any ideas or theories?
8. The problem i thought of with me just saying "It's me with the kid(s) don't shoot" is the alarm is still going off at this point, the dogs are going to be running all over barking like crazy, the wife may have fired an AR-15 or a 12 ga, she may have thought to put on ear protection, I may have had to fire so my hearing may be impaired... hearing may not be a reliable sense at this point for anyone. So I came up with the towel idea as a visible symbol of 'don't shoot.'
That's another tough one to solve. Only thing I can think is we have to practice that part of the plan many many times.