Friendly Reminder: Test Your Smoke Alarms

9/3/2020 (Permalink)

In 2018, there were 379,600 residential building fires according to FEMA*. A house fire can happen to any of us. It can be a devastating loss, cost thousands of dollars and potentially very deadly. As a proactive measure, we install smoke alarms in our homes. But how many of us forget to test them to confirm they are working properly?

A few quick tips**:

• Test your smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.

• Replace batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps”, the battery is low and should be replaced right away.

• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

Remember this: Smoke alarms play a vital role in saving lives, and when properly installed, can reduce the risk of fire injury in half**.

*Resource: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/res_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf

**Resource: The National Fire Protection Association