Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm checklist

In a fire, you may have less than 2 minutes to get everyone outside. More than 200 people in the United States die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning not caused by fire, and more than 100 of those deaths are tied to portable generators. Carbon monoxide has no color and no smell, so a household needs an alarm to know it's there.

Where the alarms go

• Put a smoke alarm inside each bedroom
• Add one outside each sleeping area
• Add one on each level, the basement includedMount it on the ceiling or high on the wall, where the manufacturer's instructions say.
• Put a carbon monoxide alarm on each level and outside the sleeping areasUse battery-operated alarms, or plug-in or hardwired ones with a battery backup.
• Have the alarms interconnectedWhen one sounds, they all sound. Hardwired alarms are a job for a qualified electrician.

Which smoke alarm

Smoke alarms come in two types, ionization and photoelectric, and each detects different kinds of fire. Use both types, or dual-sensor alarms that hold both sensors. For anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing, there are alarms that flash a strobe light or vibrate.

Keeping them working

• Test each alarm once a monthPress and hold the test button until it sounds.
• Replace 9-volt batteries at least once a yearA hardwired alarm usually has a backup battery that needs the same yearly change. A 10-year lithium alarm follows its manufacturer's instructions.
• Check the date on the back of each smoke alarmReplace the whole alarm 10 years after the manufacture date printed on it.
• Write the replacement year on each alarm's base

When a carbon monoxide alarm sounds

Get everyone outside into fresh air right away, then call 911. Headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sleepiness and confusion are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Never run a portable generator inside the house or the garage, even with the doors and windows open. Run it outside, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away.

Heat sources

Heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires, with an estimated 32,200 home heating fires in 2021. Portable space heaters caused 3 percent of home heating fires from 2017 to 2019, but 41 percent of the deadly ones. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from a furnace, a fireplace, a wood stove or a space heater. Have the heating equipment and the chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional each year.