Every home, apartment, and place of business should have smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are meant to provide you and others enough time to get out in case of a fire. Not having smoke detectors is not only dangerous but goes against state regulations. There are several tips that we recommend following to ensure everyone’s safety during a fire.
- Replace batteries – Replace batteries as soon as they start chirping, or once a year. You never want to find yourself in a situation where there’s a fire and your smoke detectors fail because of old batteries.
- Test – It is important to test your smoke detectors monthly to ensure that they are functioning properly and that the batteries are still working.
- No borrowing – It is never a good idea to take the batteries out of your smoke detectors, even if you know you will replace them after you’re finished borrowing them. There’s a chance you will forget or put off for a time replacing the batteries.
- Clean – Smoke detectors need to be regularly cleaned by vacuuming or wiping them down. The smoke detectors manufacturer will provide exact directions for this.
- Replace – Most smoke detectors are only good for 10 years. Once you reach 10 years they need to be replaced with newer ones.
Smoke detectors can save lives and your home by alerting you early enough to get out and call the fire department. It is also important to do regular fire drills with your family. You want to make sure that everyone in your home knows what to do in case of a fire.