In our first blog of the month, we are going to talk about fire safety, specifically smoke detectors. Naturally, doing all you can to prevent a fire is the most important part of fire safety, and being alerted to one as quickly as possible is essential. Smoke detectors are designed to immediately sound an alarm at the slightest hint of smoke, making them a vital part of any home. But how many smoke detectors should a home have?
The number of smoke detectors needed in a home largely depends on its size. However, a good general rule, is that you need at least one smoke detector fitted on every livable floor of the home, including the garage and basement. It is also a good idea to fit one in each occupied bedroom for extra safety.
Remember that, for a smoke detector to quickly alert you to a fire, it needs to be working optimally. Schedule a time every month to go through the home and test each smoke alarm. Check that none of them require batteries. It is never a good idea to disconnect a smoke detector for any reason. There is a tendency to do this in the kitchen when the alarm goes off from our cooking, but it is all too easy to forget to reconnect it, rendering it useless.
Why not perform a fire drill from time to time? It is important that the entire household would know just what to do in the event of a house fire. Taking the time to do this is worth the effort and may help to save lives.