Fire Safety – What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family
Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month – practice safety in numbers to ensure your family’s super prepared too!
October is Fire Prevention Month, a good time to go through the list of important reminders to make sure your family is prepared in case of an emergency. We’re teaming up with our friends at First Alert to encourage everyone to practice “safety in numbers” and ensure you are “super prepared” when it comes to whole home safety.
Fire Safety Planning
Table of Contents
Home and fire safety is important for your whole family to be aware of and prepared for in the event of an emergency. It’s important to have a plan in place so everyone knows what to do.
Did you know that according to the NFPA*, in 2016 there were 352,000 home fires, and 3 out of 5 fire deaths occurred in homes without smoke alarms. Those numbers are alarming! The number-one leading cause of house fires is unattended cooking.
Fire Safety 101
So how can you protect yourself and your family?
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every level, including the basement and inside and outside every sleep area. Smoke alarms provide early warning if there is a fire in your home. Be sure to test alarms regularly and replace the batteries every 6 months. I set a reminder on my calendar so that we don’t forget. Make sure you have an escape route planned out, just in case anything ever happens.
Best Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
To eliminate the need to replace batteries, upgrade to First Alert’s 10-year sealed battery alarms. Alarms don’t last forever, remember to replace every 5 to 10 years (depending on the model. )
Plan and practice an escape route with your family so that if there is an emergency everyone knows how to get out and where to meet up. Also a good idea to set a calendar date periodically to review your family emergency plan and go over the drill.
Carbon Monoxide Safety
Carbon monoxide is the #1 cause of accidental death! CO is invisible tasteless and odorless that can be produced from any fuel burning device. CO alarms are important to have in your home because they detect this poisonous gas and provide early warning. Unfortunately, 40% of homes do not have a single CO alarm. It’s a good time to check yours and make sure they are installed on every level and working properly.
How We’re Making Sure Our Family is “Super Prepared”
we’ve installed First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of our home
we’ve tested our alarms and set calendar reminders to replace the batteries every 6 months
we’ve created a family emergency plan so everyone knows what to do and where to go in case of an emergency
Nothing is more important than safety! Make sure you are prepared for emergencies and go over the importance of Fire Prevention with your family.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Misty Nelson is a mom blogger, digital media influencer, published writer and TV spokesmodel. She is an ambassador for Oprah Magazine, Disney, and the NFL FanStyle Council. She's appeared in print and television campaigns for Disney World, PANDORA, Ponds Beauty, NYDJ, Lands End and Target. Her work is featured on ScaryMommy.com, TODAY.com, PopSugar, Better Homes & Garden and the Washington Post.