Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month! Help ensure your home and family are ready for the unexpected by installing smoke & CO alarms and having fire extinguishers!
Living in California means we think about fires a lot. Whether it’s having too many appliances on at once or brush fire, it can be overwhelming and our home has had close encounters with emergencies. I love planning and being prepared so as October is Fire Prevention Month it’s a perfect time to go over this and how you too can be prepared.
The First Alert smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and fire extinguishers give me such peace of mind. I have a full house with my family and dogs which makes it more important that we’re all on the same page and know where our alarms are and where to quickly grab a fire extinguisher in case of an emergency.
Did you know smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every level and in every bedroom or that alarms need to be tested regularly and replaced at least every 10 years? These are things I had no idea about nor did I think of checking them ever so often. Here are some things I did to prepare my home that can be useful for you!
Make a Checklist
Make sure to pick up First Alert products online or at Lowe’s to make sure your home is equipped with reliable safety products. Find them here. Once that’s done, it’s time to create your fire safety checklist.
No matter what, make a checklist to keep you organized, and understand what needs to be done. Checklists are important to me because I don’t want to just assume I will remember to do something.
In my checklist, I have points anyone in my house can follow. The first important thing is to install smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in every level and every room. We’re using the First Alert Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with 10-year Sealed Battery. My family loves to huddle and hang out together in one room so it’s easy to forget other rooms, which makes it even more important to install because we can be alerted if something happens. Don’t forget to test your alarms! I made this a point on my checklist because it’s easy to just install and think you’re done. But testing will let you know if it’s properly working.
I’m calling myself out. I had no idea I had to check and change the batteries every 6 months. Once wildfire season starts in California, I would do a haphazard of supplies but never thought to check the most important things like the alarms. Also, there is an option to upgrade to 10-year sealed battery alarms to eliminate battery replacements for a decade! This First Alert Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarm has a 10-year sealed battery which adds peace of mind but I will still test it regularly.
My home has people of all ages so having an emergency plan in place to make sure we all follow is a must on my checklist. When creating the emergency plan I think about the places we spend more time in and the closest exits but I also think about what if an emergency happens at night. For my plan, we will head out the door and meet at our front neighbor’s home. Once we’re there and counted, we will call 911. It’s important to practice the plan twice a year, but I started to remind my family every so often at the dinner table of what they would do to keep them refreshed.
Yes, You Need a Fire Extinguisher
If you want to catch an emergency before it gets big, you need a fire extinguisher. A fire extinguisher should be placed on every level of your house common places like the kitchen. They can also be placed in other areas including the laundry room, garage, and by the grill. We’re using the First Alert Kitchen Fire Extinguisher, and I really appreciate the small size, so I can easily store it in a kitchen cabinet closeby.
Using a fire extinguisher can seem scary but there is an easy acronym to remember: P.A.S.S.
- P – Pull the pin
- A- Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire
- S- Squeeze the trigger
- S- Sweep from side to size
I mentioned before on the blog that I’ve been cooking a lot more, and with Thanksgiving and the holidays coming, we will be spending more time in the kitchen. Having a fire extinguisher close by is a must.
Make sure to get more information on Fire Prevention Month and check out First Alert! I learned so much and I’m much more cautious. Did you know that 3 out of 5 home fires deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms or that unattended cooking is the #1 cause of fires? There is so much to be aware of. Create your safety checklist and update your safety products to keep your home safe.
