*UPDATED* Works For Me: Smoke Alarms

*UPDATED TO ADD*  Um, sorry about that...forgot the links.  They're up now. 

I don't have a particularly cheerful tip this week, but it's an important one.

A dear friend of mine had a serious house fire last week; the fire started in the attic and, they've been told, may have burned for two hours before the family was aware of it. As a result, I've been thinking much about my own family's fire safety situation. 

We've always followed recommended guidelines.  We have two smoke alarms on each level of our home; upstairs, the smoke alarms are at either end of the hall.  As I've thought about it, though, it has dawned on me that my children sleep with their doors closed.  If there were an attic fire that began over their rooms, or if an electrical appliance in their room were to catch fire, it might take a very long time for the smoke to reach the alarm in the hallway outside.  Quite possibly, by the time the hallway alarm sounded, it would be too late. 

As a result, in addition to the recommended hallway smoke alarms, we have added smoke alarms in each of the kids' rooms.  They are not expensive--but even if they were, the additional peace of mind would be worth it. 

Want to share your helpful tip with Bloggityville?  Leave a link below.  First-timers, please read through the guidelines here before posting.

Comments

[Pass the Torch]

Great reminder, Shannon. I hope your friends are all okay.

[Laura]

That is a great tip! I have been thinking a lot about fire safety lately myself and trying to ensure that I've done all I can to protect my family. Very very scary indeed.
Laura

[Michelle]

That is a good tip, and I've been told by fire fighters that it's much safer to sleep with bedroom doors closed, that that provides a substantial fire and smoke barrier.

[proverbs31]

Wow. Thanks for the reminder! We have smoke detectors in every room of the house, but I think half of them need checking or new batteries. That is definitely going on my to-do list for tomorrow!!

[Michelle]

My Works for Me Wednesday is a Christmas game. Christmas is still a few days away so I'm still posting Christmas things.

Here's the link:
http://scribbit.blogspot.com/2006/12/christmas-checkers.html

[Loni]

My first Works for Me is stretching fabric softener.

http://joyinthemorning.clubmom.com/joy_in_the_morning/2006/12/works_for_me_st.html

[samantha]

My first Works for Me is on how to keep your bins smelling pleasant.

http://sam-is-mad.blogspot.com/2006/12/wfmw-keeping-your-bins-fresh.html

[Tammy L]

My tip this week is about a handy (and cheap!) sour cream dispenser for mexican foods. :)

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/1043

Thanks for hosting all our tips again, Shannon! By the way, I voted for your blog today in the finalist awards! I hope you win! :)

[Janean]

As a foster parent, we were REQUIRED to have a smoke detector in each bedroom. The local fire department has a program where they sell them to you for a discounted price AND the chief came to our house and installed them HIMSELF. VERY cool!
It might pay (especially if you have to put in several) to check with your city FD to see if they have a similar program!

[owlhaven]

My Works for Me is about finding quality time with my hubby, even with a houseful of kids

http://owlhaven.wordpress.com/2006/12/13/works-for-me-13/

Mary, mom to many

[Pastormac's Ann]

Great reminder about keeping our families safe.

I'm still stuck in the Christmas-themed WFMW so my tip is about making cute, inexpensive Christmas ornaments that make great gifts and are fun to make.

http://itsalwaysaproduction.blogspot.com/2006/12/wfmw-christmas-edition-4.html

[Deanne]

Good thinking there - we have one in our apartment (our floorplan layout is such that one is sufficient) but I was reading an article in our local newspaper (I think it was) that said that children are likely to sleep through the alarms - so I'd recommend (in all my non-expertise) that if your children do sleep with their doors closed, that maybe it'd be a good idea to go through the hall after they are all asleep and open their doors just a crack, if not more. That way, if their alarm would happen to go off and they would sleep through it, then you would increase your chances of waking to the sound of their smoke alarm. Just a thought.

Oh, and my link for WFMW is:
http://houseoffeet.blogspot.com/2006/12/wfmw.html
It's for dealing with gaming/console clutter.

[Fiddledeedee (It Coulda' Been Worse)]

My WFMW tip is "Car Barf Cleanup." It's a doozy.
Link: http://fiddledeedee.net/2006/12/13/a-good-girl-scout-is-always-prepared/

[Milehimama]

I didn't see Mr. Linky, so here's mine:
The Best Mop Ever!
http://milehimama.blogspot.com/2006/12/works-for-me-wednesday-best-mop-ever.html

[Nettie]

We put them in all the bedrooms, as well. Also, I had a fire marshall inspection once for licensing and was told that with my wood floors on the main floor of our home, that should a fire break out in the basement, the wood floor would be engulfed in flames before it triggered the smoke alarms on the third floor. So, we wired together the alarms so that should the basement one sound, the top floor would sound, as well. Giving us much more time to escape. Scary stuff.

My WFMW tip is up, too. About toddler puzzle/book storage:

http://singingaverseofmysong.blogspot.com/

[Kelli]

My tip is about organizing gift wrapped presents.

http://www.busybusymommy.blogspot.com

[Michelle]

We recently had all of our smoke detectors go off in our home while everybody but me(5 other people) were sleeping, and nobody woke up! We are in the process of adding smoke detectors to each bedroom in the hopes that nobody will be able to sleep through it the next time. I was amazed that with all that noise, I still had to wake people up. Thankfully, it ened up that there wasn't a fire, though a diode in the actual smoke detector had failed, causing it to get hot enough to blacken the plastic. How about that? A smoke detector causing a "fire".

With no Mr. Linky, I will post my submission here for my idea about cleaning the refrigerator http://www.northofthe49.com/blog/?p=69

[Becky]

#2 is up & running here http://thismomsjourney.wordpress.com/2006/12/12/works-for-me-wednesday-2/
It is about the art center I made using Org Junkie's idea!
Thanks for sharing your tip!

[Overwhelmed!]

Mr. Linky doesn't like you today I guess.

My WFMW 12 lbs 'til Christmas tip is up.

It's times like these when my WFMW linking within comments tip might be handy too. :)

[Overwhelmed!]

By the way, thanks for the reminder about fire alarms in the children's room. I've been after Oronzo to get one in Snuggle Bug's room and he hasn't done it yet. I'll get on him!

Oh, and I love your holiday blog design! Very nice!

[MCMilker]

Thanks for the reminder - great tip.

This week, I’m, again in an “appropriate for Christmas and other times of the year” mood…so, my WFMW tip is:

Quick Kid’s Tablecloth

Thanks for all of your visits to my blog last week everyone!

[Chinamama4]

My very first WFMW is posted at http://allmysisters.blogspot.com, about getting my girls to take turns. Please stop on by (please?)!

[Lines From The Vine]

My tip for the day is on letter sealing wax
and seals:

http://www.LinesFromTheVine.com

Thanks Shannon!

Tracy

[Amanda]

This is my first time commenting on your site. I love all the great tips and advice that I find! I would like to add something to your WFMW tip, if that's ok. It is so important to be prepared for a fire. But recently I discovered that my children slept through two different hotel fire alarms. That scared me pretty badly because those alarms were LOUD. I had heard about a special fire alarm (the Kidsmart vocal smoke detector) that Moms could record their voice on to alert their children, since most kids will wake up to their mothers voice instead of a beeping alarm. We purchased two of these on overstock.com. And I recently wrote about this same experience on my blog. You can visit it here:http://swartzfamily.blogspot.com/2006/11/attention-attention.html

Shannon, thanks for all the hard work you do putting this all together. I've enjoyed it so much!

[Neighbor Jane Payne]

Good reminder for us all Shannon, thanks.

My tip is up on quick & easy neighbor gifts.
http://www.neighborjanepayne.com/read.php?SD=523

[Sarah Ruszkowski--The Formula Jug]

Hello! My WFMW is about how I make my life easier by mixing Caleb's formula in bulk each day or two. Thanks! Sarah

http://tomotherhoodandbeyond.blogspot.com/2006/12/formula-jug.html

[Mama Duck]

Oh, how scary!! Our WFMW is about cleaning stuffed animals, especially the beloved ducky ;).

[KimC]

awwww...Is Mr. Linky on holiday leave? Maybe he went to visit the dryer gal?
My tip is about using referral programs and affiliate programs to save on my own purchases. It's like an instant-always coupon for my favorite stores!

[Dianne]

Here's my tip, for what it's worth: http://unfinishedwork.blogspot.com/2006/12/wfmw-google-homepage.html

And your fire safety tip - very timely. Our house burned down at Christmastime when I was a kid. We weren't home but we very well could have been.

[Kari @ HealedWaters.com]

Thank you for the reminder! My in-laws still do not have *any* fire alarms/smoke detectors in their home. We are buying them some for Christmas, and my husband will install/hang them before we leave over the holidays!

My WFMW is:
Writing For The Web~
http://healedwaters.wordpress.com/2006/12/12/writing-for-the-webworks-for-me-wednesday/

[Cheri]

Shannon
Did you forget Mr Linky?

I posted about Dawn Direct Foam for my Works For Me Wednesday tip. Stop on over and check it out!

[jeana]

I have a recipe and link to more info about a quick, wasy and cheap gift idea: homemade sugar scrub.

http://laughter4daystocome.blogspot.com/2006/12/works-for-me-wednesday.html

[DivaP]

Great reminder on home safety! We can never be too careful about keeping our family safe.

We have Christmas cookie recipes up this week. Come share your favorite recipes!

[Jennifer, Snapshot]

I assume that Mr. Linky will come back soon? I have

ways to keep your kids entertained.

[Stephanie]

Where'd Mr Linky go?
My post is "little helpers"

http://stkappleto.blogspot.com/2006/12/my-little-helpers.html

[Jane]

My tip: Cut Onions-Don't Cry!

Good fire safety tips!

[Jaime]

Great tip on fire alarms. I've been thinking about this one alot lately, especially since we have a wood burning furnace downstairs.

Like another commenter, I am still way stuck in Christmas this week. I loved my Christmas Scripture Study so much, I'm sharing it with everyone.

[OneCoolMama]

Great smoke alarm tips. We just moved into a house where there were alarms in every room, and yes, the peace of mind just having them everywhere is nice.
My first WFMW is up......(a place to hang kids' artwork....)
www.randomlythink.blogspot.com/2006/12/works-for-me-wednesday.html

[Barbara H.]

That's a great tip. I think we have one upstairs in the hallway as well as the other levels, but, you're right -- a fire could start from somewhere else and be a problem before reaching that alarm. I'm thinking it might be good to put one in the attic, too -- true, we wouldn't hear it as easily as the one in the hallway, but it might be enough to draw our attention if a fire started there before it got to the rest of the house.

[Mrs. C]

Thank you for reminding us about the importance of smoke detectors.

Don't forget to have working fire extinguishers in your home, too.

[Julie]

It's also not a bad idea to make sure your neighbors have your cell phone numbers in case your house were to catch fire while you were gone. This happened to my parents and my neighbors were able to call them so they could come back home.

[An Ordinary Mom]

This was a very helpful reminder. Thanks. I hope your friend and her family are OK and are still able to have a good holiday season.

And everyone, don't forget to VOTE today for Shannon!

[Sharon]

That is a great idea for smoke detectors. Sorry I didn't put your logo on my website. I can't figure out how to do it :(
Blogger wasn't giving me the right kind of help.

[Beth]

Hey, Shannon. Just stopping by to throw out my two cents this week for WFMW. And, to tell ya I'm still plugging for ya' in my posts for votes! LOL

[Q&Q]

Great tip. We only have one smoke detector now but one in each bedroom would be a good idea.
My WFMW tip is an easy way to make a fancy design for your homemade cards. My aunt made one this weekend using the shredder! Pretty cool!

[Robyn Tippins]

With all of these links, now I know where I'll be spending my next 2 hours LOL

[Southern Girl]

I'm glad someone mentioned the smoke detectors that use a voice instead of the beep -- I was going to bring it up myself. Our local news did a story on how lots of children won't wake up to the beeping, but if they hear a parent's voice, that rouses them. One of the news anchors tried it on his two little boys, and something like 9 times out of 10, they slept right through the beeping alarm, but only one out of ten times did they sleep through the alarm that had his voice telling them to get up and get out of the house. Pretty interesting.

I'm dipping my toes into the WFMW waters for the first time with a tip on wound care. As I say in my first paragraph, it might be my last time, too. ;)

[Rachel]

That's a great tip about the smoke alarms in the kids' rooms. I have to look into the whole voice alarm - sounds like a great idea!

[Kathleen Marie]

When we built our new home we put a fire detector alarm in each bedroom,...well in almost every room. Since we have two fireplaces we felt it a must. We had friends who had a dryer fire that destroyed there home so put one in the laundry room and hubby makes sure we vacuum the back of the dryer, clean the lint... We also always did a family fire drill. Excellent WFMW tip Shannon!

[rachel]

that's a good one.

I've been thinking of adding some battery-powered ones, as all of ours are wired in the house. If we had a power outage (pretty frequent in this area), we'd never know about a fire.

I put up mine about foaming soap refills for cheap!
http://www.ourgaggleofgirls.com/agog/?p=2480

[Heather]

Great idea! My boys are little and won't sleep with doors closed, but a good idea. There is also a new kind of alarm that uses Mom or Dad's voice and has been proven to be more effective at waking kids up than the loud beeping of traditional alarms. Thanks for the tip and thanks for hosting!

[on the Rock]

Whoa! I was sure I was signed up around number 6 last night, but I must has gotten kicked off mr. linky! Is that possible?

[Chinamama4]

My first WFMW - taking turns (Whose Day Is It?).

[Katherine @ Raising Five]

I'm just always amazed at the incredible participation you have here! So awesome. My kids sleep with doors open but I still think it would be a great idea to have alarms in bedrooms. Great reminder - hope you have a great day!

[Kathy of Tales of the HavinsNest]

I had the same thought a few years back and we added smoke alarms inside rooms, too. With a split bedroom arrangement like we have I think it is especially important.

[Kimm]

I know it's not Wednesday but I thought I'd include my post on keeping your little ones healthy during this busy season :)

[Chelsea]

We've been working on a house renovation, so we've taken everything up to the current code. Ours are all wired in the house, and they have battery backups. If one goes off, they all do.
Don't forget your carbon monoxide tester too! Those are equally important, and you generally only need one in the house.