Sacha NadeauThank 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!
From a very young age, my dad always made sure we were very aware of fire’s danger. He made sure to teach us everything there is to know to ensure our safety, if ever something were to happen… AND (!) if something did happen, we would know exactly what to do. But it can be a matter of life or death, so no one is immune from it.
Many would say that he was a little obsessed with all the techniques he showed us to put out a fire. If I remember correctly, he started showing me all those tips when I was only 4 years old (and he still makes sure I remember them all to this day #YouKnowTheSayingBetterSafeThanSorry #Haha)
On my part, I would rather say that he made sure I was aware of the danger he was facing several times a month. Yes! As he was a volunteered firefighter, he would cope with several house fires each year. He even went on to be a volunteer fire chief. (He even showed up late at my brother’s birth as he was putting out a fire – to tell you how passionate he was about keeping people safe! ?)
I’m telling you all this because October is Fire Prevention Month and that shouldn’t be neglected.
Fire is too often a subject that we don’t talk about much or only tackle when the worst has already happened… Yep!
So here are 5 things you can do to make sure your little family is safe tonight (and the next night, and the next night)!
1. CHANGE YOUR FIRE ALARM EVERY 10 YEARS
THE FIRST THING TO DO (and it’s super easy).
Did you know that smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be replaced every 10 years in addition to being installed on all levels of the house, as well as in every bedroom?! It may sound banal said like that, but very few people know this.
I just bought a house, and the smoke alarms haven’t been changed in 40 years (!!)… Can you imagine? Only a few days after moving in, we made sure to change them all.
If, by telling you that, you just remembered that you have to change yours, I recommend First Alert‘s 10-Year Sealed Battery Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Voice and Location Technology. It has an smoke and carbon monoxide detection in one alarm, combined with a sealed battery, which lasts 10 years, plus voice and location technology that will tell you the type and location of danger when detected. That might be the option for you. With a few of these in your home, you will undoubtedly sleep peacefully!
2. CREATE AN EMERGENCY ESCAPE PLAN
To make sure your whole family is “ready” if anything were to happen, I recommend creating an emergency escape plan. A fun DIY craft project to do with your little ones. This way, everyone can create an emergency escape plan, which will be easier for everyone to understand! Here are some essential steps in creating an emergency escape plan:
- First, identify two ways out of each room (window, door, etc.)
- Define a safe meeting place outside, perhaps the mailbox, the neighbor’s yard, a park located nearby…
- Make sure everyone knows how to dial 911 in case of an emergency.
- Likewise, it’s important to make it clear to everyone that you should never reenter the house until you have been authorized to do so by the emergency services.
- Make sure the whole household understands the emergency escape plan. You can even display it somewhere in the house to help refresh everyone’s memories every now and then! (All this, hoping we never have to use it!!)
3. PLAN WHO TAKES CARE OF WHO
With little ones in the house, it is also important as a parent to make a game plan about who will take care of who, if the unthinkable ever happens. This will ensure a quick exit from the house. For example, dad takes care of baby #1 and mom of baby #2, and we meet at this spot outside.
4. HAVE A FUNCTIONING FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Small fires grow big! When I was a little girl, I still remember my dad showing me how to put out an oven or stove fire with what was around me in the kitchen. But it’s all the more important (and practical) to have a fire extinguisher ready for that, just in case.
Moreover, not even 2 months ago, my sweet dad gave me a “fire extinguisher lessons” to refresh my memory on how to use it properly so that I, too, can keep my family safe.
Here, the extinguisher’s placed near the kitchen, but not too close to potential fire sources (so that you could have access to it in the event of a fire) since this is often where daytime fires start.
5. A SECURITY LADDER FOR THE SECOND FLOOR
As Léa told me when we were preparing this article, we don’t always think about it, but when your house has more than one floor, you also have to think about “how you’re going to get out of there if you can’t go down the stairs.
Léa got hold of a First Alert emergency ladder, which is one of the best ways to escape through a second-floor window in the event of a fire.
As you can see, in our homes in Léa and I, we trust First Alert to keep our families safe!
For Fire Prevention Month, I strongly encourage you to prepare yourself, like us, for the unexpected.
Because again (if you live on the same planet as I do) if there is one thing we’ve learned this year, is that anything can happen – even the unthinkable. Better to be prepared!
Sacha Nadeau
Léa Nadeau
