October is Fire Prevention Month – Are You Prepared?
This is a partnered post with First Alert for Fire Prevention Month. All opinions are mine.
Can you believe that it’s already October and that 2017 is almost over? Not only is October the time for Halloween, costumes and candy, but it’s also Fire Prevention Month. House fires are definitely scary and real! Not long ago, we had a fire in our garage and it was so scary. We were all in the house and heard a loud boom coming from the garage. When we opened the door from the house to the garage, our back wall in the garage was in flames. Fortunately, we were able to get the fire out before it spread, but it was definitely a scary thing to experience!
Thanks to First Alert, we received a Fire Prevention Kit, which included the following:
- 10-Year Atom Smoke & Fire Alarm (MSRP: $39.99)
- 10-Year Dual Sensor Smoke & Fire Alarm (MSRP: $49.95)
- 10-Year Alarm Life Carbon Monoxide Alarm (MSRP: $59.95)
- 10-Year Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm (MSRP: $49.99)
- Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray (MSRP: $19.99)
With October being Fire Prevention Month, First Alert is encouraging everyone to unleash their own super powers with the “Super Prepared Family” to help spread awareness about home fire safety. What is the Super Prepared Family?
Effective fire suppression for data centers is critical because these centers contain the servers necessary to store your data in a secure environment. Learn more about the purpose of a fire suppression system in a data centre on MEP Fire’s website. Additionally, if you’re a property owner in Florida and your house’s or current space’s fire alarm system and/or water-based fire protection system such as a sprinkler system is inoperational, you are required by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Florida Statute to implement a fire watch should that system become impaired. You may seek expert help from professional Fire Watch Services in Hallandale.
The Super Prepared Family
From the outside, they may look like a typical family, but each family member has a special “super safety power” and plays an important role in helping ensure their family and home are protected.
Max Safety, the dad, is super-tall. Using his long arms, he’s able to easily install smoke and CO alarms throughout the home. Able to reach great heights, he’s also responsible for testing the family’s alarms and replacing their batteries when needed. In fact, he checks each month to ensure every alarm is in proper working order. Because alarms do not last forever, Max makes sure to replace alarms every 10 years to help ensure his family is protected.
Mom Audrey Safety is a super-smart planner. She stays informed of the latest recommendations from the NFPA to ensure her family is super prepared. She has a complete safety checklist and makes sure she follows it with help from everyone in the family home. Items on her checklist include testing alarms, keeping track of expiration dates and replacing alarms as needed, ensuring alarms are installed on every level, and planning and practicing her family’s escape route. With Audrey, nothing falls through the cracks, which is why other annual items such as professionally servicing the furnace and ensuring dryer vents are clean also make the checklist.
Their daughter, Valerie Safety, is super-organized. She draws out the family’s fire escape plan, reviews it with the entire family and ensures that they practice it regularly together and include pets. Fire can spread through a home rapidly, so by creating their escape plan and practicing it regularly, the Super Prepared Family can get to safety quickly and calmly. Valerie makes sure the family practices their escape plan at least twice a year.
Younger son Alex and the family dog Buddy are the super-navigators. They know the importance of getting out and staying out of the home if there is an emergency, and waiting in their pre-determined meeting spot away from the home until the firefighters say the home is clear to re-enter. Alex knows to immediately call 911 once they are safely out of the home.
How to Become a Super Prepared Family
Fortunately, advances in fireproof boxes (get more info here) have made it even easier to protect your belongings in case of fire. If alarms are due for replacement, consider upgrading your level of protection with First Alert smoke and CO alarms containing 10-year sealed batteries, which offer tamper-proof, hassle-free protection while eliminating the need to replace batteries for the life of the alarms.
The NFPA recommends equipping homes with fire alarm system installation of both types of smoke detection –photoelectric and ionization. Consider your home’s specific needs regarding placement, making sure to install alarms in the basement, in or just outside every bedroom area and placing CO alarms on every level of the home. A variety of smoke alarms, including combination and 10-year battery powered models, are available to meet specific needs and local requirements. In case a fire damaged your property, look for a commercial fire damage restoration company to help clean and repair the property or conduct fire deodorization. You may also check if your insurance will cover the costs.
The Super Prepared Family know the importance of kitchen safety, too, as cooking equipment is the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries.** It is important to place a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in other parts of the home where fires may occur. Additionally, they outfit upstairs bedrooms with escape ladders in case a secondary safe exit is ever needed in an emergency.
“Fire Prevention Month is an ideal time to take the time to discuss and practice whole home safety.” added Wey. “In addition, take time this month to thank your local fire departments for all they do to keep your community safe. They’re the true superheroes of fire safety!”
To see the Super Prepared Family in action and obtain information and other resources regarding 10-year alarms, alarm laws in your state, as well as tips for protecting your family from smoke, fire and carbon monoxide, visit www.firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth.
We are definitely on our way to becoming a Super Prepared Family! Having October as Fire Prevention Month is a great way to remind us to update our alarms throughout our home, as well as prepare our family with fire escape plan reminders and more!
Is your family on the way to being a Super Prepared Family?
[wl_faceted_search]
I make sure that we are prepared and have an escape plan to make sure that we get out safely. It is so important to make sure to have a plan with all the family members.
My father in law used to be a volunteer fire fighter, oh the stories he could tell, it’s very scary and real everyone.
My husband was a firefighter for 20 years, so we are prepared. It makes me feel better to have him in the house.
We are definitely super prepared. We have smoke detectors all over the house. We also have a to-go bag packed with important meds and documents, and an escape rout that we’ve practiced.
I had no idea. Our fire alarm was honky so my hubby changed it completely so we have a brand new one. Luckily we have cement walls, so I feel pretty safe, but I am always prepared, fire extinguishers in several corners of our home! Thanks for the reminder!
These infographics are a great way to teach the kids all about fire safety. They’re also excellent reminders for us adults, as well. Thanks!
I had no idea OCTOBER was fire prevention month. I feel like EVERY month should be because all months are equally as susceptible!
Living in an apartment building you are given a ton of information on what to do if a fire should happen so I’ve never felt the need to create a fire plan. But I do ensure that all my photos are backed up online and I know what I would grab if I could, if there was a fire.
I like to think I am prepared. I tend to panic at things like this.
I think it’s a great idea to be as prepared as possible. With the cooler temperatures, people are using wood stoves, fireplaces, space heaters. All have the potential for disaster. Thank you for sharing this post!
We have smoke alarms all over the house so I feel safe in that way. It is so important to keep these updated so I have to check out those new models. I also need to get new extinguishers in the house
It is so important to be prepared for fire for sure. I love that you are reminding people to be aware of fire prevention month. Great tips!
When it comes to fire safety, you can never be over prepared. My grandpa was a firefighter and we often got lectures in fire safety. Having working smoke alarms on each floor was always his number one tip.
Thanks so much for this important reminder! We have a family fire escape plan, but have not practiced it in quite some time. A refresher is definitely a good idea.
I honestly worry about fires all the time. I do check and make sure all my smoke alarms are always working. It is so important.
I had no idea that October was fire prevention month but how awesome, it is something everyone needs to be prepared for and make sure they have working alarms and of course escape routes incase the worst happens.
I definitely want to avoid any potential fire trouble. Taking some precautions by installing good smoke alarms is important.
We are not as prepared as we should be. We have smoke detectors but we should have some sort of fire safe with our important papers in it.
We’re coming into summer here. A timely reminder!
Thank you for the timely reminder. We are all so busy with preparations for the holidays but we tend to forget to check our smoke and fire alarms. We are going to do that this week. I am also going to check our fire extinguishers. They’ve been sitting in their place for the longest time, they might already have expired.
Having fire alarms that work is so important. So is having a fire safety plan. My family actually lost a few members to a tragic house fire, so we are extra careful.
It’s really important that we know when to update the fire alarms at home. You can never be too safe especially when it comes to these things!
Many people don’t realize how important to have just the extra few minutes of warming from the fire detectors. It’s literally life or death in many situations. Thank you for the great reminder and information.
We keep our alarms up to date. Had a friend who’s house burnt down a few years back so I don’t mess around with it.
After my kids had a few assemblies at school with the fire department, they made sure to get us all better prepared! it’s so important!
Fire safety is so important. We have a fire drill once a month to keep everyone on their toes. I say we are well on our way to being a Super Prepared Family.
This is a great reminder for everyone! We’ve had some crazy wildfires out here in California these last few months – it’s quite scary!
This is a great reminder for everyone. Being prepared is really important especially for this kind of situation.
We just moved into a new house and I have no idea if the smoke detectors even work! I totally need to check them ASAP!
Fire safety is incredibly important! While I have never experienced a fire, my mom did when two of my oldest siblings were really young. It was one of the most devastating experiences for her!
We all have to be prepaed just in case. This was an informative post and a reminder to have all the tools we need to prevent a future fire in home.
This information is super important for families to know! These are excellent tips, I will be sharing!
I love this post. You just reminded me that we need to update our plan. It’s been a few years since we went through it.
This is super important information for families! We all should be prepared in case of emergency.
It’s scary that around this time of year is when you hear about more and more terrible blazes. Great that you posted this!!!
Oh gosh, that sounds like such a scary experience. I know we have all the tools but overall, I should double check to make sure my family is ready to handle something like that.
Thank you for this reminder to be prepared for issues like this. It truly can happen at any time and every time it will catch us off guard.
Being prepared for the unexpected is so important. Having a plan and even practicing can make a difference in life or death.
Our fire alarms are always up and running, and when they aren’t they make noises letting us know it is time for new batteries. It’s good to have a plan of evacuation should you have a house fire. You never know what can happen, especially after hearing the sad stories out of California.
These are all great tips and great product recommendations. I try to make sure we include our kids in testing out the smoke alarms too.
I didn’t realize it was fire prevention month so thanks for the reminder. We probably aren’t prepared but we will need to come up with a good plan!
It is so important to be prepared for emergencies. Educating and being ready is necessary esp when it comes to fire.
Great info! We are on our way thanks to my Kiddies school for sending home a project where they had to design an escape route in case of fire including a designated meet up place.
I think one can’t be prepared enough for disasters like these. I love how the Super prepared family cover all the aspects of fire safety.
Oddly as I’m reading your post I’m also watching the news about a massive fire in NYC. Fire safety in our homes in so important and especially so with all the hazards that come with the holiday season.
Such great advise in this article! Thank you!