Sometimes it feels like it was a lifetime ago and then I go looking for something and it hits me. My house burned down and we lost everything. Everything I owned previously to 2007 sits in a tub out in the shed. It can’t come inside because it reeks of smoke and is damaged. They are photos and scrapbooks from years ago I can’t bear to part with but can’t really keep either.
Since that day I’ve become very proactive about making sure our safety is always top priority. Instead of just battery operated smoke and carbon alarms we also have some that are lined into our electrical and security system. If one faults the other should still be active and vise versa. Luckily for us our house burned when no one was home but what if we were home? What if we were sleeping?
Daylight Savings just ended which means everyone should have just changed the batteries their detectors. Another thing most people don’t know is that most detectors only have a life span of 5-7 years. We just bought and replaced all our detectors in our home. Now I know my family has the best chance of survival in the case something should ever go wrong again.
Another thing I do twice a year is update and go through our emergency kits, especially in the fall. I don’t want things expiring down there so I check all dates. If it has less then a year of life left it goes to the appropriate area in the house for use. This could be food, medical supplies, or batteries. Sometimes if I really need something and we’re out I’ve been known to “borrow” from the stash and forget to replenish. This is a great time to make sure you didn’t have too many forgetful moments.
Many of my emergency items are from Energizer. They are not just batteries. They are so much more! For instance we all have these awesome Weather Ready 4 LED Flashlights in our nightstands. They are really great because they take all different kinds of batteries so in a real emergency you can always use what you have on hand. We once lost power for a week and we had to sleep with flashlights. It just made sense to keep one there since you can never predict when an emergency happens. Now, no matter what happens you know that we will all be able to see when disaster strikes!
Right now one (1) Mom Spotted readers has the opportunity to win an Energizer Safety Pack including everything shown above. To enter use the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck!
Contest ends 12.9.13 at 11:59pm. For Official Giveaway Rules click here.
Thank you for the reminder – very helpful post!
last time I checked my smoke alarms it was beginning of November
Never pour an accelerant on a slow-burning fire… I check my smoke detectors monthly
A fire safety tip is don’t use multiple extension cords attached to one another. I checked my smoke alarms when the time changed.
Our smoke alarms were just checked the other day.
we check our with the time change
Practice firedrills and have a central meeting place. Batteries were changed when time changed
Most smoke detectors have a lifespan of 5-7 years. We change our smoke detector batteries with the time changes.
i checked my batteries when the time changed. Make sure you know you escape route in case of a fire.
No towels on the stove. I don’t check mine often enough.
we like to check the kitchen alarm about once a month- by letting unused oil smoke to see if it goes off and is working
Fire safety tip- Turn Christmas tree lights off when you leave the house. We recently moved into this home and have not yet checked the smoke alarms, so we need to soon!
We change/check the alarm batteries in OCT. I also make sure to clean the lint trap in the clothes dryer and periodically clean out the accumulated lint in the vent
Have multiple escape routes. We changed our batteries last week.
We changed our batteries a few months ago. My tip: Never leave a candle burning unattended.
My fire tip is to have an escape plan and be sure all electrical cords are in good condition before using. I changed my smoke alarm batteries last month.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
Make sure to hae escape routes in case of fires. We change our batteries when they start chirping.
I’m pretty sure we have extension cords attached to each other- not good! We haven’t checked the batteries in a long time, I needed that reminder!
STOP, DROP, and ROll—-I changed batteries and checked fire alarm when time changed a couple of weeks ago.
this is a safety tip I just learned, more to do with batteries (vs fire)- keep them out of reach of children, since if they eat them, it can burn their esophagus…and we just checked 🙂
Good to remind everyone!
Make sure that you check your smoke alarms and keep extra batteries on hand.
Share a FIRE safety tip you’ve learned & tell
worst case?..stop frop and roll..prevention is harder because you have to work at it and follow instructions
Store a good working fire escape ladder near a window if you live in a multi-floor home, and know how to use it. We last changed our batteries when they died.
What comes to mind for me is stop, drop & roll from when I was in school. I have detectors that are hard wired with back-up batteries. The batteries will beep when they need to be changed.
I learned to always have a plan with the family to meet outside of the house in case of a fire. We changed our batteries when we changed the clocks
change the batteries the same holiday every year like thanksgiving.
We selected a “in case of fire” meeting place outside our home. We changed our smoke detector batteries when the time changed.
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com
find a common meeting spot outside of the house. i don’t remember when the last time i checked the smoke alarms
With Christmas coming up, one thing I’ve learned it to make sure to keep the tree well watered. We check our smoke detectors twice a year when we change our clocks 🙂
We have a fire extiguisher in our kitchen. We checked our fire alarms a few weeks ago.
The best thing to do when there’s smoke drop to the floor away from smoke to breathe better and maybe see where you’re going. I haven’t checked alarms in a while but do have new ones about to put up. Newer.
We have just relocated & the lesson learned from your post, set a meeting spot. We will be doing this tomorrow morning for sure.
We have a fire plan in place and we changed our batteries in the spring.
fire extinguisher in the kitchen, i changed the batteries for all of them about 4 months ago.
We checked our alarms the end of August. Practice fire drills and have a pre-assigned meeting place.
A good fire safety tip is to have more that one exit planned. I’ve never checked my alarms. I just wait until the alarm goes off.
I learned to always unplug appliances. You can never be safe enough
After my so s house fire last year… Keep pets and cell, purse near you at night in awe you have to grab and run! That night puppy slept in bed with them thank goodness.
We just checked them & changed the batteries a couple weeks ago. I learned that you should also clean your alarms.
I learned that smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years and I need to do that.
i also need to change my batteries.
I learned to stay low to the ground to avoid smoke and we did check our smoke detectors last month
We inform the family of alternate escapes and the last time we checked out smoke detectors was in October.
I learned that smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years and I replaced it.
Another great prize!
we change our batteries every 4 months. I learned to stay low when there is smoke.
I learned you should change your batteries when the time changes…and we do!
Everybody should meet in a designated spot. It’s been at least two years since we changed batteries. Eek!
Could use the alarm in the garage, all the rest are brand new. And do yourself a big favor and scan those damaged photos and try to save what you can. Even a few photos would be a triumph!
I learned that smoke detectors should be replaced every ten years
we dont have any amoke detectors in our home. Me n my 2 kids. I know they are important but expensive.
i learned that keeping the doors shut can help slow down spread of fire
I learned that smoke detectors are only good for ten years
Stop drop and roll.
I checked them a year ago when I upgraded my systems. My alarms are wired so it is different this time around.
i checked my smoke alarms about a month ago. i’ve learned that alarms are great, but maybe not enough so i bought fire extinguishers when they were on sale and put one in every bedroom, in the kitchen and the basement.
So sorry to hear of your loss, how devastating. I learned that smoke detectors only have a 5 – 7 year life span! I know mine are older than that! We just changed batteries in all of ours and we also had one installed with our security system.
I checked my smoke alarms when the time changed. We have fire extinguishers in several spots in the house and have a meeting spot in the event of fire.
if there is a fire use a towel or something else to touch doorknobs, they get really hot
Daylight savings time!
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com
I learned that you should change the batteries in your smoke detectors when the time changes- I have not checked mine in a long time. 🙁 Need to do that
never leave witha candle burning!!! dur!
And we checked our last month
use flameless candles!! I check mine when they beep
Always keep walkways clear in case you have to try to get out of the house.I checked my detectors when the time changed.
Teach the children young how to escape the house. Emergencies can happen in any room. We checked ours with the daylight hour change.
Never leave candles unattended and always have your escape route accessible. I change the batteries twice a year when the time changes.
I learned to use flameless candles. I check my batteries about once a year.
I change my bateries when its thetime change. I never leave candles unattended, I usually burn andels when the weather gets cooler or I just finsihed cleaning.
The very first safety tip I ever learned was in Elementary School. Firefighters came out to give a presentation and the words “STOP! DROP! and ROLL” have never left my mind!
One tip is to use flameless candles. The last time we checked ours was 6 months ago.
Fire safety tip: Have a plan. Everybody should know how to get out, and where to meet up. We changed batteries with the time change.
Have two ways out of the house and checked mine two months ago.
I just checked the batteries when the clocks changed at the beginning of November. My fire tip is to always know at least two ways out of the house.
I live in an upstairs apartment, and most of my life, that’s the type of apartment that I’ve lived in, so I always have fire safety ladders ready and available just in case. Thanks for the chance to win!
Fire safety tip is to have a family escape plan that the family has practiced. We changed batteries with the time change.
Blow the candles out when leaving a room. Check & Replace Batteries every 6 months
you need to have a place to meet incase of a fire, I changed my batteries when the time changed
I change the batteries twice a year when the time changes.
PASS
P – Pull the pin.
A – Aim low at the base of the fire.
S – Squeeze the lever above the handle.
S – Sweep from side to side. Move toward the fire, aiming low at its base. Sweep until all flames are extinguished. Watch for re-igniting.
The P-A-S-S technique for fire extinguisher use:
To have exit plans in place in case of a fire
Make sure you have a safety exit plan in place, and that the whole family is familiar with it.
We changed the batteries in the alarms when the time change happened.
have a fire escape plan!
Be careful with candles is my best fire safety tip. Checked my smoke detector batteries at daylight savings time.
flameless candles are the best and its been almost a year.
Keep electric heaters away from walls and furniture
Last checked batteries this fall
I checked my batteries when I changed clocks during daylight savings. Do not place cords and wires under rugs, over nails or in high traffic areas.
Never leave a candle unattended. I had a family member loose everything because of a candle.
We checked our batteries when we got a new smoke detector 2 months ago.
Use flameless candles if you have kids. I changed the batteries during daylight savings
A couple of weeks ago!