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I'm sick and tired of seeing people die in a house fire on the news and hearing that they did not have a smoke detector. People, there are perfectly good smoke detectors you can buy in the store for $9.95. You pop in a 9volt battery, hammer a nail in the wall near the ceiling, and hang up the smoke detector. It really is just that easy. Elderly living alone can't do this so if you have a relative who is elderly and lives alone, go do it for them. If they have a smoke detector, test it and ensure the battery is changed. If the house has more than one floor, get more smoke detectors, one for each floor. If you have money to spend, pay to have a system installed so that if one smoke detector goes off, they all go off. Do you have natural gas, propane, or a fireplace (wood or gas) in the home? They have cheap carbonmonoxide detectors, some of which also double as a smoke alarm. I see these home fires and I think to myself, "bet they had enough money to buy video game systems, video games, stereos, rims, etc but never seem to have enough for a cheap $10 smoke detector.
I agree whole heartedly that everyone should have a smoke detector/s of some sort in the home. Even a cheap $10 one is better than none at all. I, though, highly recommend a much more reliable one even if it costs a grand or two to install. It may be expensive at first, but can you honestly put a price on your life or the lives of your loved ones? Plus if you purchase a system that can be installed wirelessly, you can easily take it with you if you should move. Another plus is, having smoke detectors can often times reduce your home owners/renters insurance. Another plus, plus is having a more expensive smoke dectector system can also add value to your home if you should sell your home, much like a good lawn sprinkler system.
We paid a couple of grand for ours which also has the ability to add security alarms as well. (which we did eventually add) Ours can be hard wired or used wirelessly. I have slept so much better knowing that my family is that much safer. We can also get a subscription with one of those monitering companies that will call the fire dept., or ambulance, or police for you depending on which alarm has been set off.
I know I'm guilty of not doing this myself, but we should also all practice how to get out of the house quickly and safely in the event of a fire. Everyone should have at least two escape plans/routes and both should be practiced. Even if you've lived in your home for 30+ years and you think you know it like the back of your hand. When it is filled with smoke, flames and toxins it is easy to get disorianted and forget where you are in the home and where the exits are.
Also, be aware that if you are renting, many areas require your landlord to furnish smoke detectors and check them to make certain they are working. He should be more than willing to pay for them, anyway, regardless of the law.
We had a disaster averted by a smoke alarm on January 10, 2006 when a small heater had a surge and melted its cord. It set the carpet on fire in my son's room where the heater was, and the alarm woke him a couple of minutes later while the carpet was still smoldering but before flames started.
We got it put out, but the damage was still over $2000. Fortunately, everyone came through OK.
I promise you, that siren may be annoying, but it will make a believer out of you. DO IT TODAY!
Also, be aware that if you are renting, many areas require your landlord to furnish smoke detectors and check them to make certain they are working.
We had a disaster averted by our smole alarm on January 10, 2006 when a small heater had a surge and melted its cord. It set the carpet on fire in my son's room where the heater was, and the alarm woke him a couple of minutes later while the carpet was still smoldering but before flames started.
We got it put out, but the damage was still over $2000. Fortunately, everyone came through OK.
I promise you, that siren may be annoying, but it will make a believer out of you.
Education can be expensive, but this time we got off light.
I'll lay odds we won't forget the lesson, though. We change our batteries on New Year's Day and check them every three months.
Dave may have saved a few lives tonight. Kudos to him for a timely reminder.
You know, now that the topic is up, I believe I'm going to go get a few extra smoke detectors and make sure our rental house has enough of them (I know there are at least 2). Our renters have a 4-year old girl. The last thing anybody needs is for anything to go wrong there!
Our smoke detector was dead recently, so we took it down to replace the battery... forgot to replace it for about a week, coincidentally the same week we had a small grease fire in the kitchen! Luckily we were right there to react, and had a fire extinguisher on hand - but needless to say, I bought a new battery and put it back up the next day. Oh, but now it seems to be hyper-sensitive, and goes off every time we cook! Oy vey.
The smoke detectors I have make a loud annoying beeping noise when the batteries need to be changed and it won't stop until they are changed.. I thought all detectors were like that.
Our smoke detectors here are hard-wired, but in the past, we used daylight savings time as a reminder to check smoke detector batteries. Fortunately, my cooking serves to test our smoke detectors several times a year
Also, check with your city or county- some offer detectors at no charge.
Our smoke detectors here are hard-wired, but in the past, we used daylight savings time as a reminder to check smoke detector batteries. Fortunately, my cooking serves to test our smoke detectors several times a year
Also, check with your city or county- some offer detectors at no charge.
You should also check with your local fire dept. as well. Sometimes they even will give you a smoke detector for little to no charge. They can also educate you as to what off the shelf detectors work the best.
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Oh, but now it seems to be hyper-sensitive, and goes off every time we cook! Oy vey.
