Fire Safety

October is National Fire Safety Month.  Sure, it's less glamorous than talking about womens' breasts (and I will in no way try to minimize the incredible importance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is also October).  But, I learned a few things recently that might shock you.

1. Statistically speaking, every family will have a fire where they will need to call the fire department at least once in their lifetime.
2. The amount of time estimated that you will have to escape your home safely in the event of a fire is 1-2 minutes.
3. A standard smoke alarm needs to be replaced every 10 years or so

We're more than halfway through October, so do the following:

1. Make sure you have a smoke detector on every floor of your home, outside every sleeping area and in every bedroom.
2. Splurge and buy some new batteries for those detectors - If the detector is > 10 years old, replace it
3. Make sure your entire family is aware of your outside meeting place, in the event of a fire
4. Consider a safety ladder for any bedrooms on the second floor or higher (show the kids how to use it too)

We also recently installed a series of heat detectors in our home.  These are mechanical devices that sort of look like old school bells.  They have an alloy switch that melts at a specific temp (I think 113 degrees F) and sets off the alarm, which is loud and runs for 5 minutes.  These bad boys are meant to detect heat from a fire.  Some fires burn really hot, but give off little smoke. 

Whatever you do in your home, make sure you stay safe.