Introduction

A good rule of thumb to remember with smoke detectors is to change the batteries at daylight savings time, twice a year. If your smoke detector starts chirping or beeping off and on, it's time to change the batteries.

While most homes today have smoke alarms, not all are in working condition because the batteries have been removed or are depleted. Encourage people to develop a regular routine and change the batteries in their smoke alarms at the same time they change their clocks. It's really a very simple thing but it can make a life or death difference.

Families also need to develop a plan for quick evacuation in case of fire, including multiple exit routes from a home and a meeting place at a safe distance outside a home.

Further, smoke alarms should be:

-- Installed on every level of a home, the basement included;
-- Tested once a month and never disabled, even temporarily;
-- Replaced every 10 years and if possible, installed with long-life batteries that last that long.

If you or someone in your home is deaf or hard of hearing, an alarm combining flashing lights or vibration with sound should be considered.

Further, if you are building a new home, an automatic fire alarm sprinkler system should be considered.

Sprinklers and smoke alarms together cut the risk of death from a house fire by 82 percent compared with having neither. Smoke alarms themselves have cut fire deaths in half over the past 30 years.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step One

Make sure your detector runs on batteries and is not just hard-wired to the electricity in your home. 

Step Two

Take the top off the detector and follow the manufacturer's instructions for changing the batteries.

Step Three

Replace the whole detector if it is a detector that runs on a 10-year lithium battery.

Tips & Warnings

• Test your smoke detector once a month.
• Buy a few extra batteries when you purchase your detector so that you always have some on hand. It's easy to put this important, life-saving task on hold.
• Replace all smoke detectors after 10 years.
• You may want to consider purchasing a combination smoke/carbon monoxide detector, which costs more money but is well worth it.
• If a smoke detector goes off in your home, you literally have seconds to respond. There is absolutely no time to gather possessions, pets and possibly even one another. Your best response is to leave the home immediately, gather at your prearranged meeting place and call 911 from a neighbor's home.
• Avoid getting any paint or dust on your smoke detector.
• Make sure that the smoke detector you choose has been tested by an independent testing laboratory.

This is a great way to stay in touch with past clients - send them a postcard or an email with a reminder to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. They will be grateful for the reminder and they get to hear from you at least twice a year!