Smoke Alarms, Carbon Monoxide Detectors, and Fire Extinguishers

03/24/2023

Why do they matter?

Installing and maintaining carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, and fire extinguishers in your home can make the difference between life and death because they will alert you when toxic fumes and dangerous fires are present and help you put out a fire.

What do I need to know?

• According to the National Fire Protection Association, 60 percent of home fire deaths happen when smoke alarms don’t work correctly due to dead batteries or lack of periodic cleaning and testing. Thirty-eight percent of home fire deaths happen in homes without smoke alarms.
• The risk of dying in a home fire is reduced by half in homes with working smoke alarms.
• Carbon monoxide is known as an invisible killer because it is an odorless, colorless gas created when the fuels we use around our homes (charcoal, coal, gasoline, wood, kerosene, methane, natural gas, propane, and oil) burn incompletely.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning often occurs during power outages after natural disasters when portable generators are not adequately ventilated or placed incorrectly, such as in the garage or too near a porch or soffit vent.
• Cars running inside a garage can produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.

Where do I start?

Smoke Alarms

• Place smoke alarms on the ceiling or high on your walls inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area and on every level of your home. Ensure that your alarms are interconnected so that when one alerts, all alert.
• Test your alarms monthly, and change the batteries at least every six months. If your smoke alarms get power from your home’s electrical system (hardwired), make sure the backup battery is replaced at least once a year so your alarms will work during a power outage.
• Clean your alarms with a soft vacuum brush and compressed air every month. Never use water or cleaning chemicals on your device.
• Read the manufacturer's specifications to determine your alarm’s expiration date as even though the batteries may still work, the sensors may not.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups on every level of your home to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• Place your carbon monoxide detectors at least five feet above the floor on walls or ceilings as carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air and may combine with warm, rising air.
• Identify potential sources for carbon monoxide and make sure you have adequate ventilation. Focus on charcoal grills, clothes dryers, fireplaces, gas cooktops, home heating systems, kerosene space heaters, portable generators, or vehicles running in enclosed spaces like garages.
• Test your detectors every month, and change the batteries at least every six months.
• Clean your detectors with a soft vacuum brush and compressed air every month. Never use water or cleaning chemicals on your device.
• Read the manufacturer's specifications to determine the expiration date for your detectors.

Fire Extinguishers

• Keep fire extinguishers on hand and ensure everyone in your home knows how to use them.
• Place your extinguishers near potential fire ignition zones in the kitchen and your outdoor grill.
• Remember that fire extinguishers can lose their charge over time, so check its gauge to ensure it is still operable.

More Resources:

• Ready. Home Fires.
• Ready. Practice Your Home Fires Escape Plan.