Be A Super Prepared Family With First Alert

October is an important month for a lot of reasons. One of the most important is Fire Prevention. October 8-14th is Fire Prevention Week, but we were in Peru that week on our mission trip. I had reached out to our small fire station to see if we could have them come talk to our little neighborhood, but I think they're so small it wasn't possible. I did get to work with First Alert to help spread awareness about home fire safety.

Fire prevention is important no matter where you live or the kind of house you live in. I don't know about you, but I was taught to change the batteries every time we start or end Daylight Savings. Did you know that you should be doing a weekly test of your smoke detectors?! I had NO clue. That is, I didn't until I read the instructions that came along with our First Alert Fire Prevention Kit.

This weekend, Fred and I switched out a couple of our basic smoke detectors that came with the house for the new ones we received from First Alert. It's incredibly important to be a Super Prepared Family! One of my biggest concerns is having a third story bedroom. It's incredibly high up and I worry that with my son living up there he would have a hard time escaping if he didn't have enough notice. One of the purchases that I want to make is for a Three Story Escape Ladder. That will give me a bit of a peace of mind.

Until then, we started off by installing the 10-Year Atom Smoke & Fire Alarm. This was installed at the bottom of the 3rd floor stares right above my overflowing bookshelves. Ok, tell me I'm not alone when I thought all smoke detectors were big and round?! This Atom is a micro-design with a ten year battery. TEN year, people! Can you believe we've been in this house and already had our alarms going off at 3am! SO miserable, especially when you can't figure out where the heck the chirp is coming from. "This unit has an advanced smoke entry system with a photoelectric sensor that will detect regular and slow, smoldering fires and reduce false alarms that result from cooking and shower steam."

We also switched out the master bedroom and living room detectors. In the living room, because it's next to the kitchen, we added the 10-Year Dual Sensor Smoke & Fire Alarm. What really grabbed me, because I really don't grasp how quick fire can spread, is reading "Fast flaming fires spread quickly and leave minutes; maybe seconds; to react. Slow smoldering fires burn long and can unknowingly fill the home with smoke causing smoke inhalation." I think we always have this sense that we'll have plenty of time to get out if there's a fire. This is a good location for our home because it detects slow smoldering and fast flaming fires.

The one in our bedroom is the 10-Year Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm. While smoke & fire are something that are always a concern, carbon monoxide freaks me out. It's an odorless killer. I remember when I had a house build in Minnesota years ago. Our friends gave us a Carbon Monoxide detector as a house warming gift! I felt like having one of these in the bedroom was the best option. We put the 10-Year Alarm Life Carbon Monoxide Alarm on the main floor, and having this combo in our bedroom gave me an added level of security.

Speaking of the carbon monoxide alarm, I decided that instead of attaching it to the wall (for now) I'd put it on our entryway table. It's really such a small, versatile detector you really don't even realize it's there. I like that it gives the reading of the room temperature that it's in. All of these detectors can go for 10 yrs without needing a battery change! Gotta love that feature. When any of them come to the end of the life, an alarm signals for it to be replaced.

It's incredibly important for every family to be a Super Prepared Family! We're doing that by talking with the boys about escape routes from the house and where we should meet if we ever have an emergency. You can also use fun activity sheets and watch these videos to help your family!

Be sure you take some time before the end of the month to check your detectors batteries and if it's time, replace those with one of the detectors you've read about here! Be safe out there.