fire safety Archives

Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery: Energizer Family Safety Kit Giveaway

October 18, 2013 by Beeb 63 Comments

A Family Safety Kit was provided for this post.

Daylight Savings Time will end on November 3rd this year. I love getting that extra hour back from spring – goodness knows I could use an extra hour…or ten. 😉 For 26 years, Energizer has run a safety awareness campaign in conjunction with “Falling back”: Change Your Clock Change Your Battery. This project, run by Energizer and The International Association of Fire Chiefs, encourages families to use the time change as a reminder to switch out the batteries in their smoke detectors. According to some scary statistics, 2/3 of home fire deaths occurred in households where a working smoke detector was not present; a quarter of these fatalities happened in home that had smoke detectors that were not working correctly. The Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program works to raise awareness in conjunction with battery donations by Energizer.

I received a Family Safety Kit from Energizer last week, which is a fun tote packed with emergency essentials. Of course, the first item of importance were these Energizer MAX 9 Volt batteries, which means I’m well prepared to change out my smoke alarm batteries on November 3rd!

I also received this awesome Kidde Carbon Monoxide And Smoke Alarm, which actually talks and yells out warnings like “Fire! Fire!” when it detects a threat. No joke, it was no more than 15 minutes after UPS delivered this package that I burnt a piece of toast and filled the kitchen with smoke. Guess I really needed this, huh?! 😉

Another inclusion in the kit was this Energizer LED Safety Light. Not only does this big, bright flashlight adjust to run on multiple battery types – C, AA or AAA – but it also has an emergency checklist right on it where you can write things like the phone number to the police station and hospital. This is a really good idea, because I keep meaning to print out the non-emergency police line and tape it on the fridge, and I keep forgetting.

Finally, I received a 16-pack of Energizer AA Batteries to power things like flashlights during the upcoming winter storm season.

This November 3rd, make a mental note to switch out those smoke detectors and make sure all of them are working correctly. For more info on the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program, visit Energizer.com; in addition, you can pay a visit to the Energizer Bunny on Facebook and click on the Fire Safety tab for more info and a chance to win a mega safety kit worth more than $167 – they’ll be giving away one every day through November 3rd!

Enter To Win:

To commemorate Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery, MomStart is having its own giveaway for a Family Safety Kit with an approximate retail value of $60:

(1) Grocery Tote
(1) Kidde Combination Carbon Monoxide & Smoke Alarm
(1) Energizer MAX 9 Volt Battery
(1) Energizer Weatheready LED Safety Light
(1) 16-pack of Energizer MAX AA Batteries

To Enter:

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter for your chance to win. Giveway ends on October 31st, 2013 at 11:00 PM PST. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US, 18 years or older; sorry, no PO Boxes or APO/FPO. Please click here for our giveaway rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Home Depot Fire Safety Month – Three Tips From the Local Fire Department

October 26, 2012 by Momstart 11 Comments

Home Depot Fire Safety Month – Three Tips From the Local Fire Department

By: Ashley

Did you know that at most fire stations, you can just stop by if you want to say hi? For some reason, I thought fire stations were kind of off limits places, but it’s actually just the opposite. The people at our local station were incredibly friendly and welcomed Atticus and I on into their home away from home. Our fire fighters work hard to stay well trained, in shape, and ready to help at a moment’s notice.

The guys at the station let Atticus check out ALL of the trucks. Along the way, we learned a few lessons. First of all, some of the fire fighters keep their gear beside the truck and ready to go. This way, when the alarm sounds, they can literally jump into their gear and into the truck to respond as quickly as possible.

Once in the truck, some seats are equipped with oxygen tanks. These tanks can be strapped on while in route to a house fire or any situation where fresh air is in short supply.

It’s good to know that the fire fighters at our local fire department are ready, but what’s even better is knowing how to keep your family safe. Here are 3 tips that my local fire department shared with me.

– Check you smoke detectors every six months.

Everyone hears this, but it is so important to follow through. Smoke detectors should be tested and the batteries should be checked every six months.

– Keep things clean and clear.

Have your vents cleaned once a year, especially before you turn on your heat when it starts to get cold. Don’t forget to have your dryer vent cleaned out, too. Keep the area around space heaters and baseboard heaters clear of furniture, fabric, paper… clear of anything!

– Make a plan.

It’s important to make a plan just n case there’s a fire. Everyone in your family should know how to get out of the house safely. You also need to make sure you have a set meeting place where everyone should go once they are safely out of the house.

About Ashley (Managing Editor at MomStart): Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her @Momicles2010

The Home Depot partnered with bloggers such as me to help promote Fire Safety Awareness Month. As part of this promotion, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about the products used. The Home Depot believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. The Home Depot’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

How To Keep Your Home Safe From Fire – Home Depot Can Help

October 22, 2012 by Momstart 13 Comments

By: Ashley

This weekend I headed out to Home Depot for one of their free community workshops on how to keep my home, and more importantly my family, safe in case of fire. The Home Depot, in partnership with NFPA and Kidde, is helping raise awareness of fire safety throughout October by offering in-store fire safety workshops for kids and adults. (You can find a workshop at a The Home Depot store near you.)

When I got to our local Home Depot, there wasn’t anyone there for the workshop! The good news is, the nice folks at Home Depot just gave me my own private information session on all of the safety equipment, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors. This October, The Home Depot has simple tips to help your families stay safe.

While I was at my own local Home Depot, I learned A LOT about fire safety. Since this was new information to me, I thought I should definitely share it with you!

All smoke detectors are not created equal. Have you ever had a smoke detector near the kitchen that went off pretty much every time you cooked? (And no, not because you were a horrible cook…) That could be a sign that you didn’t have the right type of smoke detector installed in that location. Different smoke detectors use different types of sensor technology. My local Home Depot recommended photoelectric smoke alarms near the kitchen. Taking the battery out of a smoke detector that goes off every time you cook – NOT a good idea. Try a different detector instead.

Do you know the ABC’s of fire extinguishers? When using a fire extinguisher, you want to make sure it is appropriate for the situation. Different types of fires can be put out in different ways. Check the box for the ABC Label. It will tell you what types of fires the extinguisher will work on.

You should also keep size in mind with fire extinguishers. A kitchen extinguisher might not need to be as big as an extinguisher that you might keep in the garage. Most kitchen fires happen when you’re standing right there, so you might not need a huge tank to put it out. (Do what’s best for your own situation though.) In fact, I’m going to add one of the small kitchen extinguishers to my pantry. I didn’t even know they made these!

While a home fire can be extremely dangerous, the proper knowledge and preparation can make the difference. All homeowners should take 10 minutes to make sure their home is properly protected from fires by doing things such as:

Taking inventory that smoke alarms are on every level of the home and inside each bedroom;
Making and practicing a fire escape plan, with two ways out of every room and an outside meeting place;
Installing carbon monoxide alarms on each level of the home;
Searching for hidden hazards such as damaged electrical cords or overloaded outlets; and
Scheduling regular cleanings of chimneys and flues at least once a year.

Home Depot has a great selection of everything you need to prepare your home and identify and fix fire hazards. Not to mention, the staff is always there to answer your questions and help you figure out what’s best for you home.

More Information on Home Depot and/or Fire Saftey: