This Home Safety Quiz and post is sponsored by Kidde but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays are quickly approaching, there seems to be an endless list of things to do to get ready. Between the holiday shopping and the holiday baking and the holiday decorating…I’m not sure we’ll have much time left over for anything else.
As wonderful as the holiday season is for food and family, there’s something else that really should make it on everyone’s holiday-prep to-do list. As the weather turns colder, the fire places are lit, the candles and pulled out, the trees are strung with lights, and the heating appliances are turned up to toasty. While it’s wonderful to enjoy the seasonal smells of candles and get warm and cozy next to the space heater or a fire, the risks of a home fire or carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are dramatically increased. The National Fire Protection Association reports most home fires and CO poisonings occur in winter.
How safe is YOUR home? Are you ready for a warm, cozy and SAFE winter? Take this home safety quiz to find out.
Home Safety Quiz
1- One in four older homes needs to update fire safety equipment. How old are your alarms?
- Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. Replace CO alarms every five to 10 years, based on the model.
- Purchase an alarm with a 10-year sealed lithium battery, such as Kidde Worry-Free smoke and CO alarms, to receive hassle-free protection for a decade –no need to change a battery or hear a low battery chirp. Available nationwide at retailers like The Home Depot and Walmart, each alarm installed will save you $40 over its life in battery costs.
2 – Seventy-five percent of homeowners don’t know where to install smoke alarms. Do you have one on every floor, and inside/outside all bedrooms?
- Choose alarms with room-specific features, such as an LED light in the hallway, or a voice notification for the bedroom.
- Place a CO alarm near sleeping areas and on each floor. Keep them 10 feet away from fuel-burning appliances.
3 – Do your alarms incorporate the newest features and technology?
- A sealed-in 10-year lithium battery continuously powers the alarm for 10 years. It’s tamper-proof and can’t be removed.
- A digital display shows the level of CO in the air and updates the reading every 15 seconds.
- An intelligent multi-sensor responds faster to real fires and CO, plus it reduces nuisance alarms like those commonly caused by cooking.
An end-of-life warning lets you know when to replace your alarms.
4 – Do you need other safety products?
- Fire extinguisher – place one within reach in rooms where fires often begin: kitchen, garage, bedroom, living area
- Escape ladder – place in second and third-floor rooms as an alternative escape route
5 – Have you developed a family escape plan?
- Practice it regularly. Know two ways out of every room and who will assist children and loved ones with mobility/health issues.
6 – Do your children know their address and how to dial 911?
- Post your home address and emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator.
7 – Are your appliances and chimney winter-ready?
- Have a professional inspect fuel-burning appliances to ensure they function properly and that they vent outside.
- Have a professional clean or inspect fireplaces annually. Birds and small animals can make nests and leaves can build up on top of the chimney, preventing carbon monoxide from venting properly.
- Have you created a 3-foot clutter free zone around fireplaces, space heaters or wood stoves?
How we scored on the Home Safety Quiz: Going through this quiz was like a check list of reminders for me. While we have done all of these things at one point or another, I realized it’s probably time to do them all again. We’ve discussed a family escape plan several times, but would my kids remember or think of the plan that we discussed a while ago when they are under the stress of a fire situation? I definitely need to sit down with the kids and have another talk about fire safety and what to do if a fire happens when they’re at home.
It’s important to realize that even older kids that should know better don’t always make the best choices when it comes to fire safety. Just a week or so ago, I was folding laundry in the basement when one of my younger kids mentioned to an older sibling that she had left a scented candle burning in her room. She received a very stern warning to NEVER leave a candle unattended and promptly put the candle out. Again, it was a reminder to me, as a mom, that kids of all ages need to be reminded to do their part to keep the home safe.
Where are your family’s weak points and how could you improve? Where are you doing just fine?
For a downloadable winter home project checklist and other information, visit www.worryfreealarm.com.
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Wow, nice reminders. I’m renting and I keep forgetting to buy a CO Alarm. I think I need to make this list a family night!