Smoke Alarms

Properly placed and working smoke alarms double the likelihood of survival of a house fire. Help keep every loved one safe by learning how to install and maintain smoke alarms.

Smoke Alarm Tips

• Alarms should be replaced every eight to 10 years, and for smoke alarms that use traditional batteries, batteries should be changed once a year.
• Smoke alarms should be tested every month.
• Install smoke alarms on every level, in every sleeping area and outside every bedroom of the building.
• Ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms are better at detecting different kinds of potentially fatal fires. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends every household be equipped with both kinds of alarms, or dual-sensor alarms.

Resources for Homeowners

• Home safety checklist
• Smoke alarm safety
• Smoke alarm placement

Fire Safety for Children, Older Adults

The National Fire Prevention Association has many materials to help keep you and those you love safe from fires. Visit nfpa.org for more tips like these:

For Children

• Make sure children know that when a smoke alarm sounds, they should stop what they are doing, choose the best way out of a room, get outside quickly and go to the outside meeting place.
• Teach children not to touch matches or lighters, and be a good example by not treating them like toys around children. They may imitate you.

See more at SparkySchoolhouse.org

For Older Adults

• Install interconnected smoke alarms and consider buying a strobe alarm or bed-shaking alarm.
• If you smoke, smoke outside. Never smoke in bed or smoke if oxygen is used in the home.

See Remembering When program for more

Alternative Heating

Space heaters and other forms of alternative heating can be a helpful way to keep homes warmer during the winter, but they can also be extremely dangerous. Follow these safety tips:

• Keep at least three feet of space between a space heater and other objects at all times.
• Only one space heater should be plugged into each electrical outlet.
• Appliances such as ovens should never be used for heating because they can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Any alternative-heating source needs to be turned off before you go to bed or leave the home.

Discover more heating safety tips

Cooking

Across the United States, fire departments respond to more than 470 residential cooking fires each day. Practicing cooking safety can be the difference between a finished meal and a fire:

• Never leave the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food.
• Move items away from the stovetop that could catch fire such as oven mitts, utensils, towels and food packages.
• Never operate a stovetop or stove when drowsy or after consuming alcohol.
• Deep fryers should never be used on wooden decks or in garages, and meat must be completely thawed before being placed in a deep fryer.

2019 Indiana Kitchen Fires Statistics
Discover more cooking safety tips

Escaping Fire

During a fire, the situation can become life-threatening in less than two minutes, making every second valuable. Escaping a fire quickly and safely should be everyone’s main priority. Prepare yourself in the event of a fire:

• Identify two ways out of every room and practice escaping from each room during the day and night.
• Close doors to keep the fire from spreading.
• Never go back into a fire to save people or pets. Instead, prepare to alert firefighters about individuals still inside.
• Make sure everyone in the household knows when and how to call emergency telephone numbers.

Six Steps to Practicing Your Escape Plan
Discover more fire-escape safety tips