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!
What do you know about fire prevention? October is Fire Prevention Month and I will be the first person to admit, my family has not been safe in our house since we moved in. There was only one smoke alarm on the second floor and it was not functioning properly, so it was removed. We thought during our home inspection there were other smoke alarms pointed out, but we were wrong.
One of the most frightening thoughts as a new homeowner (and a parent) is not being safe in your house. Can you believe our new home had only ONE smoke alarm and zero carbon monoxide detectors installed during home inspection? In honor of Fire Prevention Month, it’s important to bring awareness to the scary reality that over 100 million homes in the US (ours included) are not protected with smoke alarms.
What does your family know about Fire Prevention?
Fire Prevention Month raises awareness about fire safety and home safety – it is a whole family affair and not just a topic for Mom and Dad to discuss. Annabelle came home from school last week inquiring the place of our smoke alarms and CO detectors, as well as our escape plan for emergencies. Her questions prompted an important conversation about what we should do if there was ever a fire in our home.
First Alert sent our family a Fire Safety kit to explore and inspire conversations about fire prevention in our home. After looking for the Fire Safety workbook, we planned an escape route with a meeting place. We also went over important tips like, “Don’t hide!” and “Crawl under the smoke” in the case of a fire.
Annabelle was surprised that she should escape her room if she woke in the night during a fire instead of hiding in her closet. I was so happy we had a conversation about fire prevention and safety with our four year old. You’re never too young to learn about the reality of a house fire.
Always Plan and Practice an Escape Route with Your Family
Our family went over all of the exits in our home and planned to meet in front of the house at the big tree if we are ever separated during an emergency. I remember making the big tree in front of my parents’ house our meeting place as well.
If there is an emergency, your family will know how to get out of the house and where to meet.
We’ve installed smoke alarms and CO detectors on every floor in our house. Alarms don’t last forever, so remember to replace smoke alarms every 5 to 10 years. We have smoke alarms with built in CO detectors that last 10 years!
Want to know a scary true story?
One of my first grade students lost his entire family from carbon monoxide poisoning. The little boy, only 6 years old, was confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life due to brain damage, as he was asleep in the home too when the carbon monoxide poisoning occurred. Carbon Monoxide safety is so important and something many families do not think about.
FACT: CO is invisible, tasteless, and odorless.
FACT: CO can be produced from any fuel burning device.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is the #1 cause of accidental deaths in the United States. Don’t put your family at risk – install CO alarms to detect this poisonous gas and provide early warning for everyone in your household as well.
In honor of Fire Prevention Month this October, First Alert and its Super Prepared Family are encouraging everyone to practice “safety in numbers” to ensure you are “super prepared” when it comes to whole home safety. Were it not for my campaign with First Alert, we would not have realized the shocking truth that we did not a have single fire alarm installed in our house. Now we have fire alarms on every floor and in every major room, as well as carbon monoxide detectors on each floor. We have plans for fire emergencies and I can sleep soundly at night knowing we are prepared for anything.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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