5 Million American Homes Are Missing This Major Item

Does your house have this crucial, life-saving device?
Does your house have this crucial, life-saving device?

We just came across this scary stat from the National Fire Protection Association: Five million American homes don't have any smoke detectors. And what's more, First Alert reports that a study by the Institution of Fire Engineers found that US homes are lacking a whopping 100 million smoke alarms in total.

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You should have an alarm in every bedroom. And more.
One or two smoke alarms are far from enough in the average household. The NFPA recommends that you have a detector in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area, and on each level of your house, including the basement. So, if you live in the average two-story, three-bedroom home, you should have at least five smoke alarms. (And while we're at it, four carbon monoxide detectors, which should be on each floor and outside bedrooms, too. Often smoke alarms have built-in CO detectors -- double check your models.)

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Flames can consume a home in as little as five minutes. Smoke detectors save lives.
The NFPA's study found the risk of dying in a fire is cut in half in homes with working smoke alarms. And surprisingly, the death rate is higher in homes with non-working smoke alarms than no smoke alarms at all (check those batteries!).

Installing alarms is the first step, but you also need to maintain them.
You've probably heard that you should change your detectors' batteries when you change the clocks each spring and fall -- that's advice you should definitely take. But you should also test your alarms once a month (many have a test button), and make sure they're free of dust.

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Guilty of removing your alarm's batteries while cooking? And even worse, forgetting to put them back in? (Not good!) Install the alarm 10 feet away from your stove, and it should go off less often. Or look for a model with a hush feature that will temporarily silence the noise -- but still keep you safe.

Replace your smoke detectors every 10 years. If they're combo smoke-carbon monoxide alarms, replace them every five to seven years.

And to be truly safe, you need a few fire extinguishers, too. You should have one on each level, and especially in rooms like the kitchen and garage that have the biggest fire hazards.

-By Lauren Piro

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