Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors have become such a common feature in our homes that we often take them for granted but they help alert households to developing fires, giving people precious time to escape. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke alarms were present in three-quarters (74 percent) of the reported home fires in 2014–2018. Additionally, the risk of dying in home fires is 55 percent lower in homes with working smoke alarms than in homes with no alarms or none that worked. The most common reason for smoke alarm failure during a fire emergency is a missing, dead or improperly installed battery.

Home fires often happen when people are asleep. The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms will detect smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors will detect the presence of CO gas in the air. CO is a poisonous, deadly, odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas often referred to as the “invisible killer.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year, at least 430 people die in the U.S. from accidental CO poisoning, and approximately 50,000 people visit emergency rooms due to accidental CO poisoning. Just like smoke alarms, CO detectors should be placed in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. Smoke alarms and CO detectors save lives. Their proper installation and maintenance are vital in reducing fire deaths and injuries. 

While changing clocks this weekend, spring forward towards a safer household. Keep your family safe by following these simple ways to protect your home from fire:

• Make sure your smoke alarms and (CO) detectors are in working order: Check and replace the batteries in all your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors twice a year when you change your clocks (fall backward, spring forward).
• Do your smoke alarms and (CO) detectors need to be replaced? For the best protection, be sure to any smoke alarms in your home that are older than 10 years and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors older than 5 years.
• Change all the batteries in the home: Change all the batteries in all electronics around the home such as clocks, thermostats, irrigation, outdoor lighting, phone accessories, and flashlights.
• Check inside the home and outside storage areas for hazardous materials: Store flammable products properly and away from children. Designate a cool, dark indoor or outside storage area and properly discard any products or materials that are outdated, no longer in use or in poor condition.
• Practicing your fire escape plan is vital when every second counts: Review your family fire escape plan with everyone in your household. It’s important to know at least two ways out of every room, making sure all the doors and windows are clear and open easily. Practice your plan twice a year to make sure that everyone will know what to do in case of an emergency.
• Get or replace your fire extinguisher: Always keep an ABC-rated home fire extinguisher nearby in case of an emergency, and make sure every member of your household knows how to use it properly.
• Review your family's emergency preparedness kit: Check to see what needs to be replaced or included in your home disaster supply kit.

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