Smoke Alarms
Installation
Install smoke alarms in each sleeping room and at a point centrally located in the corridor giving access to each bedroom hallway. Make sure to install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement.
Test Often
Test your smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries once a year, or when the alarm is “chirping”, indicating that the battery is low. If you are hearing impaired, use tested and approved smoke alarms that trigger a strobe light.
Learn More
The American Red Cross and its partners have launched an initiative that aims to reduce deaths and injuries caused by home fires by 25% in five years with the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign.
10 Simple Home Fire Safety Tips
- Practice smoke-alarm maintenance for a simple, effective way to reduce home fire deaths.
- A simple reminder form the International Association of Fire Chiefs and Energizer Max® brand batteries: When you change your clocks, change the battery in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. This can help save lives.
- Test your smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are working and replace smoke alarms according to manufacturer recommendations.
- Have at least one working smoke alarm on each level of your home.
- Plan, discuss and practice a fire escape route with your family.
- Do not rely on your sense of smell to alert you that you and your family are in danger of being trapped during a fire.
- Be sure not to ignore the chirping sound your smoke alarm makes when maintenance is required.
- Keep fire-starting materials away from children, including lighters, matches, cigarettes, cigars and pipes.
- Use flashlights rather than candles to light your home during power outages.
- Space heaters need space. Portable space heaters need a three-foot (one meter) clearance from anything that can burn and should always be turned off and unplugged when leaving the room or going to sleep.
For additional information, please click here for a Carbon Monoxide Detector & Smoke Alarm Handout.