Everyone
should
be
prepared,
in
the
event
of
a
house
fire.
Almost
all
house
fires
start
at
night
while
people
are
sleeping,
so
it
is
important
to
have
a
warning
system
that
will
wake
you
in
the
event
of
a
deadly
fire.
Smoke
detectors
save
lives.
The
U.S.
government
recommends
that
every
household
have
several
working
detectors
installed
in
case
of
emergencies.
Just
make
sure
you
have
at
least
one.
Your
safety
is
in
your
hands.
Every
general
hardware
and
home
supply
store
carries
battery
operated
smoke
detectors
and
carbon
monoxide
detectors
for
carbon
monoxide
detection.
Most
of
these
are
powered
by
9-volt
batteries.
Read
the
back
of
the
box
to
be
sure
you
know
which
type
of
batteries
you
need
to
buy.
Purchase
enough
to
cover
each
level
of
your
home.
Install
an
alarm
inside
many
different
areas
of
your
house.
Some
communities
have
a
service
where
the
fire
department
will
come
to
your
home
and
install
the
alarms
for
you.
This
service
is
very
handy
for
the
elderly
and
for
those
unable
to
move
easily
on
their
own.
Once
your
smoke
detectors
are
hung,
they
are
ready.
However,
the
batteries
should
be
replaced
every
year,
because
you
would
not
want
to
have
old
batteries
installed,
just
in
case
of
a
fire.
If
you
have
a
home-maintenance
list,
then
it
is
a
good
idea
to
put
replacing
the
alarm
batteries,
in
both
detectors
for
smoke
and
carbon
monoxide
detectors,
on
the
list
so
that
you
remember
to
change
them.
After
ten
years,
the
whole
alarm
should
be
replaced.
Even
the
smallest
amount
of
smoke
can
cause
smoke
detectors
to
go
off;
so
many
times
it
will
go
off
during
cooking.
Just
fan
the
smoke
away,
and
it
will
be
fine.
Take
comfort
from
the
fact
that
it
will
be
sure
to
go
off
in
a
real
emergency.
Your
smoke
detectors
should
last
a
long
time.
Record
when
you
bought
them
so
you
will
know
when
it
is
time
to
replace
the
units.
Testing
the
alarms
once
a
month
is
a
also
a
good
safety
practice.
Another
good
thing
to
do
in
conjunction
with
your
alarm
is
to
create
a
fire
plan
with
your
family
and
also
a
plan
in
case
your
carbon
monoxide
detectors
go
off.
Perhaps
even
have
two
way
radios
that
the
family
can
use
to
contact
each
other,
in
case
of
separation.
The
more
prepared
you
are
for
a
home
emergency,
the
batter
chances
you
and
your
family
will
have
of
surviving.