Take Action!
Put smoke alarms on every floor of your home.
Use long-life smoke alarms if possible. These alarms use lithium batteries and last longer than regular smoke alarms. They also have a “hush button” so you can stop the alarm quickly if there’s a false alarm.
If you use regular smoke alarms, replace the batteries every year. (Tip: Change smoke alarm batteries when you change your clock back from Daylight Savings Time in the fall.) Follow these other tips on smoke alarms:
- Test your smoke alarms once a month by pushing the test button.
- Put smoke alarms in each bedroom and on the ceiling outside bedroom doors. If people sleep in other rooms of the house, put smoke alarms inside and outside of these rooms, too.
- Don’t forget to put a smoke alarm in the basement.
- Replace your smoke alarm if it doesn’t work when tested or if it’s more than 10 years old.
- Dust or vacuum smoke alarms when you change the batteries.
Get more tips on smoke alarms.
