There’s no doubt to the impacts fire can have on a family and its home. But just as harmful as fire itself can be, smoke inhalation is nearly as problematic as it is full of toxic byproducts, including carbon monoxide. In protecting your family and entire home from the harms of a fire, equipping your house with the proper alarms and fire extinguishers is just as important as knowing how and where they will be most effective.

Fire extinguishers

Extinguishing a fire quickly before it escalates is important for both safety and home preservation. In order to have quick and easy access to fire extinguishers in the event of a fire, you must place them in key areas of the home. The kitchen is the most likely room where a fire will ignite. Regardless of the size of one’s home, homeowners should always keep an extinguisher in this area – but be careful not to store it too close to the oven and stove. If your home has multiple levels, it is wise to have one accessible on each floor, as well as a separate one for the garage. Be sure to mount the extinguisher on the wall in plain sight for best visibility. For household purposes, it’s best to have a combination “ABC” fire extinguisher. This means it can be used to treat A (wood and paper), B (grease and oil) and C (electrical) fires. This type of fire extinguisher would also be essential safety equipment to keep in an RV, camper and boat.

Smoke detectors

Installing a smoke alarm, whether it is hardwired or battery powered, is essential for all households. As both differ in benefits, it is important to understand which one is best suited to your lifestyle. Battery-powered smoke detectors will eventually run out of power and stop sounding the alarm once the battery dies. If you are not home frequently, or reside in a home with thick walls, the life span of these detectors will not be as dependable as a hardwired detector. In large homes where the installation of more than one alarm is needed, hardwired detectors can be interconnected – when one alarm sounds, the rest will too. However, battery-powered alarms are stand-alone and cannot chain together. Installation and maintenance expenses associated with hardwired detectors should also be considered. In comparison to battery-powered alarms – which require little maintenance and usually zero installation fees – hardwired detectors will cost more and do not have the same flexibility in installation areas.

Carbon monoxide detector

In addition to smoke and fire, it is important to protect your family from carbon monoxide gases. Exposure to this toxic gas is more likely when the temperature drops outdoors and you are using heating appliances to warm the home. The danger of carbon monoxide is that it cannot be picked up by the body’s senses – you can neither smell nor taste it. The only way to detect its presence is through carbon monoxide detectors. These detectors are commonly grouped together in a two-in-one unit with hardwired smoke alarms.

Give you and your family the peace of mind everyone deserves by taking the right precautions with fire safety products from your local Co-op Home Centre.