Include Safety in Your Spring Home Project 

A Small Investment Returns a Healthier and Safer Home 

Mebane, NC, April 30, 2009- May is national Home Improvement Month, and with families spending more time at home, it’s important to ensure that your house is as safe and healthy as possible. One quick and easy improvement project could save money and lives.

Almost every US home has smoke alarms, but most do not have enough.  A recent survey by Kelton Research found only 42% of Americans knew they needed alarms in each room.  A fire can double in size every 30 seconds.  The sooner you hear a smoke alarm, the more time you have to escape. 

This survey also found that half of American households don’t have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm.  Produced by fossil fuel-burning appliances and engines, CO can cause injury or death if it builds up in your home.  A working CO alarm is the only safe way to detect this odorless and invisible gas.

Consider these questions: 
• Have you recently replaced your smoke and CO alarms?
o Replace smoke alarms every ten years, and CO alarms every seven.  All Kidde CO alarms manufactured after 2001 contain an end-of-life warning that will alert you when they need to be replaced; the warning will sound seven years after initial power.  

• Does your home have enough alarms?
o Install UL-listed smoke alarms in every room including basements, finished attics, bedrooms, outside of sleeping areas, and at the top and bottom of stairs.  Place a UL-listed CO alarm near sleeping areas and on each floor.

• Do your alarms incorporate newer features?
o Sealed Battery – Offers maintenance-free protection and saves on the cost of batteries for the life of the smoke/CO alarm.  Reduces battery waste in landfills. 
o Digital Display – Shows your home’s current CO level and updates the reading every 15 seconds.
o Dual Sensor – Combines two smoke-sensing technologies into one alarm.  Most smoke alarms use either ionization technology, which may detect flaming fires sooner, or photoelectric technology, which may detect smoldering fires sooner. For optimal protection, install both types of technology. 

• Do you need other safety products?
o A fire extinguisher can put out a small, contained fire, or create a path to safety. 
o An escape ladder provides an alternative exit from second or third floor rooms. 
o A radon test kit offers analysis of the amount of this carcinogen in your home from an EPA-registered facility. 
o A mold test kit offers a quick way to collect samples for professional analysis.

Kidde offers several products that help keep you safer and reduce your impact on the environment.  Click here for more information.