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Smoke alarms are an important safety device that you should have in your home. Since the regular use of smoke alarms in the 70s, the National Fire Protection Association reports that the 'home fire death rate has been reduced by half.'
There have been recent reports that smoke alarms may not wake up younger children, including news reports that have shown children sleeping soundly while smoke alarms are going off.
Other reports have shown that children under age 15 often sleep through smoke alarms.
To anyone who has had to carry a child to bed who has fallen asleep in the car or on the couch, or who has trouble waking their child for school, it shouldn't be a surprise that most kids are hard to wake up and that they will sleep through almost anything.
While more research needs to be done to maybe make smoke alarms more effective at waking up these children, that doesn't mean that it is not important to have a working smoke alarm in your house.
However, in addition to smoke alarms, it is important to have a fire escape plan, that includes making sure that all younger children wake up and get out of the house.
If a smoke alarm goes off in your house, do you know what to do? Do you know what other family members will do and whether or not your kids will wake up?
A home fire drill and fire escape plan can help you prepare for a fire in your home and can help make sure that all family members get out safely.
Your fire escape plan should include:
- a drawing of your home that shows where the smoke alarms are and two ways to get out of each living area.
- a meeting place outside your home where all family members will get together in case of a fire
- an agreement on who will wake up any children who might not respond to a smoke alarm
Home fire drills should be practiced at least twice a year to make sure that everyone knows how to get out of their house or apartment safely.
Also make sure that any guests, babysitters, and other caregivers know what to do in case of a fire in your home.
Other Fire Safety Tips:
- According to the National Fire Protection Association, you should "install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home (including the basement) and outside each sleeping area. If you sleep with the door closed, NFPA recommends installing smoke alarms inside the room."
- Replace smoke alarm batteries at least once a year.
- Replace smoke alarms at least every 10 years.
- Test your smoke alarm each month and clean it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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