This is a sponsored post on behalf of First Alert. All opinions are mine alone.
I like to think of myself as a prepared mom. Whether we’re at a school function, sports event or on a family vacation, I’m always prepared with what may come our way. But am I prepared for those unexpected events such as a fire? I want my family to be super prepared for all those unexpected life events. Since October is Fire Prevention Month I thought it would be the perfect time to share all of my tips with you and how we can prepared in the event of a house fire.
First Alert is the most trusted brand in home safety. They are well known for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and other fire safety products. So, I was excited they sent me their Fire Prevention Kit which includes:
- 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)
The SA3210 is great overall protection because it has both types of smoke sensors recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The P1010 is a nice addition to your home’s safety, ideal for the bedroom. The PRC710 provides both smoke and CO safety.The CO710 is a nice table-top addition, and can be easily added to any room.
It’s the perfect fire prevention kit for us to be a super prepared family. Here’s my tips on how to be prepared for unexpected house fires.
Install, Replace and Test Alarms. It’s important to have enough smoke alarms in your home. You should have smoke alarms installed inside every sleep room as well as outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. You should test all smoke alarms at least once per month.
Have a Safety Checklist. It is so important to have a safety checklist so everyone in your home can be prepared. First Alert offers excellent plans on their website for fire safety.
Plan a Fire Escape Route. Draw a map of your home by using the grid on First Alert’s website with all members of your household, marking two exits from each room and a path to the outside from each exit. It’s important you also teach your children a plan for exiting the home on their own.
Have a Meeting Place. Always have a place to meet outside, away from a fire, so everyone in your family can be accounted for and you can easily see if someone is missing.
I encourage you all to unleash your own super powers with the “Super Prepared Family” to help spread awareness about home fire safety.
Alarms do not last forever; smoke alarms and newer carbon monoxide alarms last for 10-years. When alarms are due for replacement, upgrading your level of protection with devices 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.
When considering alarm replacement, it is important to consider each home’s specific needs to make sure the home is properly equipped throughout the home with both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. A variety of smoke alarms, including combination and 10-year battery powered models, are available to meet specific needs and local legislation requirements.
Fire Prevention Month is a great time to do a home safety checklist (if you don’t already have one). Items on a good safety checklist include testing alarm functionality, keeping track of expiration dates and replacing alarms as needed, ensuring alarms are installed on every level, and planning and practicing your family’s escape route. Other annual items such as professionally servicing the furnace and ensuring dryer vents are clean also should make the checklist.
A critical component of fire safety is having, and practicing, an escape plan with your family. According to new research from First Alert, only 27 percent of families have included a meeting spot in their fire escape plans. When creating a plan with your family, make sure you can identify two ways out of each room – which can include windows and doors – and make sure everyone in the home understands the plan. This is something that older children can help create – it is fun to get the whole family involved!
How are you a super prepared family in fire safety? Comment below and share with us!
37 responses to “How to Be a Super Prepared Family in Fire Safety”
Always good to have a plan. Since there is only me and my fur baby here I have not given it a lot of consideration.
Always good to have a plan. Since there is only me and the fur baby here I have not given it a lot of consideration
We make sure to check our fire alarms on the first of each month. This way, we don’t forget.
We are super prepared by having drills and a location to meet if we have to leave separately and we test our detectors twice a year! There are some things we could do better!
With all the recent natural catastrophes, I’ve become more and more aware of just what needs to be done to keep my family (including my four-legged babies) safe. My daughter was lucky enough to get out of Florida before Hurricane Irma hit and she was lucky, too, that the duplex she rents had minimal damage and no flooding. We have friends who not long ago had a fire in their house (from a self-cleaning oven that overheated) and lost not only everything in their kitchen, but their dog from the smoke. You never know, and you have to be prepared.
Some very good points
This makes me realize we do not have anything in place in case there is a fire. Actually reading this with my children upstairs makes me want go and hug them. I will be speaking to them and my husband about a plan.
So glad to hear this, Elicia! Always important to be prepared 🙂
What a great post and so important to get the word out about home safety. We do need to have plans and I need to go over this with my kids now that we have moved.
These are all super useful tools to be prepared for fires! I really need to get some of that Tundra spray!
Sounds like you have a good plan for safety. It pays to be prepared.
These are great tips for being prepared in a fire.
Great tips! How do you remember to test alarms every month though?!? I am horrible about remembering to test them!
About 11 years ago my husband and I woke up to our house on fire. Luckily, we were able to get out unharmed. It was so overwhelming and scary to lose everything, what wasn’t ruined by the fire was destroyed by the water damage. I think having a fire safety plan is a very important step that most people don’t really think to take because we don’t think it will happen to us.
What great safety tips and what a lot of great safety products to help keep everyone safe. This would be a great time to sit my grandchildren down and ask them if they know what to do if there is a fire. Thanks for the great tips….
We have a fire escape route in place and hopefully we never have to use it.
We try to be prepared but we just have the smoke alarms. Thank you for sharing.
This would be great you can never be to careful when it comes to fire
Great tips!
We have to be prepared in case of emergency fire. Thanks you for sharing such amazing tips and tools.
I routinely check the alarms in the house and practice what to do if there was a fire.
Just replaced batteries in our smoke alarms
This is a one story house, sprawling, with multiple exits. The ones at most risk of course are the children, and their rooms are between the main entry and the additional living room. Aside from the windows in their rooms, the living room has both large windows and a door out to the deck. The children have had age appropriate training about getting out of the house in any way possible. Smoke detectors are throughout the house, along with fire extinguishers. We are planning to use some outdated ones to train the almost 9 year old how to use one.
I showed the family the best way to get out of the house in case of a fire. Stay low and if you can’t get to the door find something to bust out a window and go out that way. Every one is to meet out in front far enough to be safe to see if everyone has made it out. Always make sure the batters are good in the smoke alarms and we always know where the kids are while we are in the house just in case of an emergency just like this.
Thanks for sharing. Learned a lot from this post
We have fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors as well as a family plan on where to meet and how to contact each other.
Family comes first and I will do anything and everything to protect them.
Thanks for this, I just found TWO expired extinguishers!!!!!
Oh my goodness! So glad we could give you a reminder. It’s something that’s so important but so easy to forget to check. I am thinking setting a reminder on my phone. When I change the batteries, set the reminder to check them at a later date. Otherwise, I forget everything!
Great safety advice. Hope it is never needed. Good to know.
We are prepared by having fire extinguishers in kitchen basement and other criitical roomsl Also several smoke alarms and CO detectors. Everyone knows what they are supposed to do in the event of a fire.
The video is very helpful. Now more than ever fire awareness needs to be spread!
I’m not prepared. After reading this blog, I have ideas and I’m going to get on it!
Thank you for the article. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
I love great advice that this article has. We only have fire alarms, we should have more preparation but we don’t. Thanks for the tips!
always better to be prepared! Thanks
I really appreciate these tips. We need to plan better. I have to face my fears and discuss this with my family. I think no one wants to talk about such a scary thing, but we need to have a plan. Thanks for putting this foremost in my mind so i can face it and we can be prepared.