To Have or NOT to Have

THAT is the question. I am talking about none other than smoke alarms.

In a recent survey, 96% of all Americans who were questioned about whether or not they had smoke alarms in their homes, claimed that they did.

In a 4-year time period from 2005 to 2009, it was proven that having operable smoke alarms make a big difference in fire-related deaths. Two-thirds of the deaths occured in homes WITHOUT working smoke alarms. As for the deaths in the other third, one fourth of them had smoke alarms with dead batteries in them so they could not work. Many people replace their batteries twice a year. We have been replacing ours each time that we have time changes. A lot of fire professionals recommend that we change our batteries in smoke alarms every month. To be on the safe side, we are going to start doing this also.

Make sure that there is a minimum of one alarm on EVERY floor of your home.

Make sure that you post them high on your walls or on the ceiling. Remember that heat and smoke rise.

DO NOT post them around windows, air ducts or doors. Any air draft could cause a malfunction of your alarm.

Place one in the hallway next to each bedroom.

If you want to use an electric alarm that is wired directly into your home's electric current, hire a licensed electrician. Keep in mind that if your electricity is disconnected, your alarm will not work. In that case, I would recommend that battery-operated detectors be in use also.

There are different kinds of alarms available. They include the buzzer type, vibration and flashing lights kinds. If someone in your home has problems with their hearing, make sure you have the buzzer and at least one of the other two kinds.

I definitely recommend that every home have as many alarms as needed. Most are not that expensive. Besides, would you rather save the money that you would spend on an alarm in your pocket or would you prefer to save a life?

The choice is yours. Make the right one.

VLE-B