Whole Home Safety with First Alert

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post.

Did you know that October is Fire Prevention Month?

It is the perfect time to have a family meeting and make a plan to help be prepared for emergencies. Having regular talks about fire safety will help your children and loved ones know how to best respond in an emergency situation. First Alert provides reliable protection you can trust and is available at Lowe’s. We used their Whole Home Safety Checklist activity to get the whole family involved! You draw out a map of your home and then mark off with stickers where the smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and fire extinguishers are located in your home and identify where they are needed.

First Alert has an easy way for us to remember where smoke and CO alarms should be installed: “every level, every bedroom.” They should also be tested regularly, batteries replaced every six months, and alarms themselves replaced at least every 10 years. First Alert also offers 10-year sealed battery alarms that eliminate the need for battery replacements and low-battery chirps. Some sobering statistics from the National Fire Protection Association said that three out of five home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. It is important to make sure you add 10-Year Sealed Battery Combination Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms to your home and test your alarms regularly. Make sure you don’t remove your alarms or remove the batteries without replacing them. There have been times where our smoke alarm has gone off in the middle of the night because the batteries need to be replaced. My husband will take the batteries out quickly to avoid waking the children up and put new batteries in as soon as possible. I never want to be without that protection!

Our church has a conference twice a year where we get to hear uplifting messages from leaders in our church. It is a weekend we all look forward to and the perfect time and reminder for us to plan and practice our emergency escape plan and check our batteries every six months.

Do you have a designated outside meeting spot for your family? We do!  

When creating your family’s emergency escape  plan, remember to discuss: 

• Two ways out of each room in your home (ie: door and window) 
• An outdoor meeting spot that is a safe distance from your house (mailbox, neighbors home, etc.) 
• How  to call 911 once you are all safely out of your home and at the designated meeting spot

I learned something new from First Alert, did you know this? Fire extinguishers should also be on every level of the home and in common places like the kitchen, laundry room, garage, and by an outdoor grill. I mistakenly thought that one fire extinguisher in the house was enough! It makes sense to keep them within arm’s reach because if a fire does start, you don’t want to have to go running around looking for it but be able to grab it quickly. Since the number one cause of home fires is unattended cooking, it is definitely important to keep multiple fire extinguishers in your home.          

Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? If not, here’s an easy way to remember: P.A.S.S. 

P – Pull the pin 

A – Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire 

S – Squeeze the trigger  

S – Sweep from side to side  

This October, during Fire Prevention Month, gather together as a family to create a home safety plan and help protect your loved ones with First Alert’s reliable protection! 

As part of Fire Prevention  Month, @loweshomeimprovement wants to #buildthanks for first responders, doctors and nurses with a 10% discount Oct. 22-24. Register for this special offer at Lowes.com/firstresponders.