You have some cases of simple inconvenience where calling a locksmith makes sense. Simply call him up and follow the steps to get back inside the home. In other cases, you could face several hours locked outside the home or stranded miles away.

For those situations, you may want to type on your phone, “Locksmith near me.” This ensures the locksmith will respond quickly. That said, you have some cases where it makes more sense to call 911.

Locked a Small Child in the Car?

Let’s say that you have a small child locked in the car. The child has no way of knowing how to unlock the doors. Especially on a hot day, you can’t afford to wait for a locksmith to arrive at the scene.

The average parked car can reach up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit causing heatstroke, which kills an average of 39 children every year. Call 911!

You might be wondering to yourself, “Why not break a window?” You have one problem with this. Your child is inside the car, and the shards of glass from the broken window could injure him.

It makes more sense to call 911 in these situations. That said, you have to pay close attention to your child. If you notice anything wrong, break a window carefully and get inside as fast as possible. You should only do this as a last resort.

Someone’s in Distress

Let’s say that you have noticed someone in distress, and you can’t simply open the home door to reach them. You looked through the window to find them sick, injured or unconscious.

Call 911. They understand how to deal with situations like this more than what a locksmith does. If the person needs medical attention, 911 could save their life. Meanwhile, calling the police instead of a locksmith, when every second is critical, could mean the difference between life and death.

Someone Burglarized Your Home

Locksmiths don’t want to go to a home that was recently burglarized, especially if the police were never called. You want to check to see that the criminal doesn’t still lurk within the home.

Police search of the property can ensure its safety. After you have had a police officer scan the property, you have documentation of a burglary to speak with your home insurance agent.

Once you have spoken with your home insurance agent, you might Google, “Locksmith near me,” to come and analyze the property to increase its security.

The biggest issue with burglars is that once they have stolen from your home, they often hit your property multiple times. They do this because they feel more comfortable with it. If you don’t up your security, you could face multiple break-ins.

Children Locked in the House

Depending on the age of the child, being locked inside the home can be more dangerous than if they were locked inside of a car. You have far more things that could get your child into trouble.

Let’s say that you don’t know the age of the children locked inside. You might call 911 just for safety. It ensures that no one gets hurt. In a lot of cases, this might not even apply, but with especially young children, they can get into trouble fast without the care of an adult.

Fire inside the Home

If you have a fire inside the home, even a small one, you should call 911 first. Fires can accelerate fast, and they can get out of control before you can smother the flames.

You don’t want your home to burn down while waiting for a locksmith. Let’s say that you left the oven on inside the home, but you locked yourself out.

Emergencies Where Bodily Harm is at Risk

Any time that you have an emergency locksmith where bodily harm might be the consequence, you will want to call 911 over a locksmith. This situation requires the attention of the police, rather than a locksmith.

You can’t afford to risk bodily harm to anyone. In cases where bodily harm could be the result, the 911 operator can also dispatch an ambulance with haste. Where seconds mean the difference between life and death, if you can even conceive of the situation as dangerous, call 911, not a locksmith. Locksmiths don’t handle emergencies like that.

What Kind of Emergencies Do Locksmiths Handle?

You might Google, “Locksmith near me” and call a locksmith if you have a situation where bodily harm isn’t a strong possibility. For example, you locked yourself out of your car, you locked yourself out of your business or you locked yourself out of your home.

Situations like this do require an immediate response, but no threat to one’s safety exists. Because of that, you could call a locksmith.

At Star Locksmith in Philadelphia, we have expert technicians equipped to handle most situations where someone has locked themselves out. That said, we implore you to call 911 when someone might get hurt.

As locksmiths, we don’t have the knowledge to handle situations like that. That requires the special care and attention of a police officer or an ambulance technician. We can’t do anything about safety for someone’s health.

Cost of Locksmith Services

Cost of locksmith is the first thing on the minds of individuals who need help with a lock or key issue at their home, business, or with the vehicle. We all live with budgets and want to ensure the best price for all of the services and items we need.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all price for locksmith services, however. That’s because a myriad of factors impact the costs of the job.

Active Measures: How to Respond to a Break-in

Burglaries rob you of more than your valuables. The psychological toll runs the full spectrum of emotions from feeling guilty about not taking enough precautions to feeling anger, mistrust and fear.

Those with depression, anxiety and insomnia could have worsened symptoms after a burglary. Because of that, Star Locksmith Philadelphia has decided to show you how to properly respond to a burglary.