The Home Safety Devices You Need To Update Routinely — It Could Save Your Life

A few weeks ago, we narrowly avoided a family tragedy. My niece and the other five members of her household — including a 10-month-old baby — were rushed to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. Her home had CO detectors, which were in the house when she bought it, but they apparently were faulty. She now realizes she should have replaced all the CO and smoke detectors when they moved in.

We spoke with experts to find out which home safety devices you should immediately inspect and then routinely keep up. Here’s what they had to say.

When moving into a home, you don’t want to risk spending even a single night in your new place until you’ve checked out some of the most critical safety devices.

“When we investigate fires where there are civilian fatalities, the No. 1 question we need to find the answer for is: Were there working smoke detectors?” said Andy Bozzo, battalion chief with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in California and co-founder of Tablet Command, an incident response and management software solution. “Having functioning smoke detectors that are strategically placed near sleeping and dwelling areas is imperative to a fire-safe household.”

Likewise, you should also have carbon monoxide detectors near sleeping areas and parts of the home where you spend a lot of time (ideally, at least one on each level of the home).

Of course, it’s not enough just to have CO alarms and smoke detectors in your home — they won’t do you much good if they aren’t working properly. They need to be maintained like any other piece of household equipment, Bozzo said, so you should inspect and test these devices before moving into a home (and routinely after that), but if you’re unsure of their age or condition, it’s best to replace them, just to be safe.

If your budget allows, the safest strategy is to just automatically replace all the safety devices in the home. “As a 28-year fire professional, that would be my impulse,” Bozzo said, but notes that you can evaluate each item individually. “Check each smoke detector for functionality and life span. If the detector is near the end of its life (approximately 10 years), then it’s best to opt in to more modern detectors. The same scrutiny should be applied to extinguishers and alarm systems; if they’re old, trade up.”

A home inspection is often a standard part of a home purchase process. This inspection normally includes a range of safety systems and devices, but you can double-check to make sure they are reviewed. Maryann Bacharach, a Realtor at Howard Hanna Real Estate in Pittsburgh and a landlord for commercial and residential properties, said buyers should consider testing and/or replacing smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, security system backup batteries and fire extinguishers. While these items typically aren’t mentioned at the point when the initial offer is made, “if it is discovered that the items are faulty during a home inspection, the buyers can negotiate and ask the sellers to replace items.”

The inspection should also encompass any systems that could create a CO risk. “I would ask the inspector to pay extra attention to older furnaces and chimneys to make sure they aren’t causing a carbon monoxide issue,” said Nick Gromicko, founder of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

There’s another potential danger that many people don’t consider. “Regardless of whether the home has a radon mitigation system or not, I would have the home tested for radon,” said Gromicko, noting that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Gromicko also suggests having a monitored security alarm installed if the home doesn’t already have one. Many home security systems also can detect fire, carbon monoxide and flooding. Most newer homes have ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to prevent electrical shock and/or arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) to prevent fires — but if your home doesn’t, Gromicko recommends having an electrician add them.

Bacharach said renters should ask landlords to install smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers and should test to make certain they are operating upon moving in. If the landlord balks at providing these items, check with your local fire department — in some areas, fire departments provide smoke detectors (and possibly other safety products) to residents for free.

Testing home safety devices is important to maintaining a safe living environment for yourself and loved ones in your home. “It might seem time-consuming, but taking half an hour to test smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers could save your life,” said Bacharach, who suggests setting a reminder on your phone to test these devices every few months. “If you have young children, get them involved by making it fun! Make a chart on a poster board and give them stickers for every device they test.”

While you’re doing your home safety inspections, here are some other low-tech items Gromicko said you might also want to check (or have an inspector or contractor check):

• Electric stovetops where the “hot” indicator isn’t working or isn’t prominent. He says you might want to consider replacing it with an induction cooktop, which is safer.
• Ensure grab bars in the shower aren’t missing, loose or in poor condition.
• Make sure there is slip-resistant flooring in the bathrooms and shower.
• Look for any trip hazards along the path between the parking areas and the entrances to the home.
• Stair handrails should be both sturdy and graspable. Gromicko said spindles should be no more than 4 inches apart for child safety reasons. Also, the rises of each step should all be the same height, as different rises are a trip hazard.

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