It’s Daylight Savings Time – Check Your Smoke Alarm Batteries and 9 Other Home Safety Tips

Now that Daylight Savings Time has begun for most of the country, it’s a good remind to check your smoke alarms and other home safety systems.

Fire Alarms

According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) your chances of surviving a home fire increase significantly when your smoke alarms actually work so here are 3 tips to make sure of that:

• Every level of your home should have one smoke alarm, including the basement level. Install them outside the sleeping areas. Also, make sure you have carbon monoxide sensors as well, which are required by law in many states.
• Estimates say up to 1/3 of all smoke alarms don’t actually work so check yours for fresh batteries. Most take 9 volt batteries and should be replaced in spring and fall, usually when the time changes happen.
• FEMA suggests replacing smoke alarms every 10 years. When choosing a new model, look for one that offers both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensors. The ionization alarms are tripped during fast-moving, flaming fires. The photoelectric alarms work better in smoky, smoldering fires. First Alert offers this type of alarm at affordable prices.

Home Security

Most home burglaries occur when a thief walks right through the front door in the middle of the day, according to the Bureau of Justice. Here are four tips on how to keep your home safer:

• Use deadbolt locks on your doors and make sure your windows are locked too.
• Motion sensor lighting on your walkways and driveways can deter a thief.
• RadioShack offers “do it yourself” security kits for your home that allow you to customize the sirens, entry points and mores. The kits offer 5 door sensors and a wireless motion detector.
• You might also consider a fingerprint entry system on your garage door for extra security. This ensures only specific people can gain entry to your home.

Severe Weather Planning

As we’ve seen in the past several weeks, severe weather strikes no matter what season it is. Is your family prepared for the worst? Here are three tips to help you make sure you are prepared for bad weather scenarios:

• Discuss safe rooms and an escape plan with your family before the worst hits.
• A weather radio with NOAA technology gives you an 8-minute head start to the public alarm systems so you can relocate your family and your pets to a safe location.

Put together a weather safety kit including the following items:

• Flashlight
• Portable power for your electronic devices
• An emergency radio
• Walkie talkies
• Bottled water
• Dry goods for a food supply

Have your child pick a favorite toy, game or special item to put in the kit to keep them busy while you wait out the storms. Having extra batteries around is also always a good tip.

To find out more about what you can do to keep your family safe, please visit the RadioShack website at www.radioshack.com for more information.

Marijo Tinlin is the Editor in Chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of the new book about patriotism and teaching our children to love this country called “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American.”  It features 13 interviews with patriotic Americans including Ed Meese, Erick Erickson and Jackie Gingrich Cushman. It’s available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.