Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. October is Fire Prevention Month! Help ensure your home and family are protected by installing smoke & carbon monoxide alarms!

Friends, did you know that October is Fire Prevention Month? It is the perfect time of year to create or review your existing home emergency escape plan with your family, and take inventory of the safety products you have installed at home. 

Here are some of the important things you should be looking at when assessing your home to be ready for the unexpected. 

Create or Review Your Existing Escape Plan.

We moved into our current home two years ago and I just now realized we have never sat down to work on a proper escape plan together. Thankfully, First Alert reminded us to do this, and we sat down with the kids, to put together our official escape plan.

We used a free printable available here from the First Alert site and drew a full map of all three floors of our home showing all doors and windows. We then discussed the plan and what to do in case of an emergency, locating two ways out of every room, and selecting an outside meeting place a safe distance away from the house where we should all meet.  After that, we practised a home fire drill both in the middle of the day, and when it was dark out. 

Note that practising a home fire drill with your entire family is recommended twice a year.

Install the Proper Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Protection In Your Home. 

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be installed on every level of your home, and in every bedroom. Do a check over and ensure that you have all the alarms necessary set up in your home. Purchase any missing alarms and install them right away.

We love First Alert products, and we have their alarms installed throughout our home. I like that they have been around for a long time, since 1958 specifically, and that they continue to come up with innovative products to help keep families safe.

We recently installed First Alert’s Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with a 10-Year Sealed Battery Alarm and Voice and Location Technology in my office, and I believe this is a must-have. It is especially great if you have little ones at home, as this device will let you know the type and location of the danger when it is detected in your home, making it easy to follow your emergency escape plan.

I also love that it is a combination alarm, providing 2-in-1 protection from both smoke and carbon monoxide, all in one single unit.

Test Your Alarms Regularly.

All your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be tested regularly and replaced at least every ten years. You can easily test them using the test button. When was the last time you had yours replaced? If you don’t remember, it may be best to replace the unit completely.

The First Alert’s Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with a 10-Year Sealed Battery Alarm and Voice and Location Technology has a 10-year sealed battery, so you don’t need to worry about replacing batteries every 6 months or dealing with the very annoying late-night battery replacement chirps.

Thanks to First Alert, I have tested and replaced all of our smoke and carbon monoxide alarms at home, and we now have created an escape plan as a family, in case the unexpected ever happens. I love the peace of mind! Do you have an escape plan at home as well? If you don’t, I hope this post helps remind you to check your alarms at home, and to create a plan as well.

Stay safe friends!