Here in Toronto we hear a lot of talk about keeping our homes safe from perils such as fire and carbon monoxide poisoning, and most of us are pretty astute at making sure we have a standard fire alarm in place. What happens though is we become complacent about these life saving items.

Here are some fire alarm tips to help you get all of the protection that these devices are able to offer.

Make your purchases from a reputable supplier:

Make your purchase of these items from professionals that know about the products they are selling. You want the best safety alarms possible so it makes sense to buy from those who know what is best. There are times where you may go to flea markets, garage sales, or online shopping sites and see these items for sale. Unless they have been approved according to the Canadian standards stay away from them.

Go even one step further to beef up your personal security and have a Toronto locksmith who specializes in security install your safety alarm systems for you. This way you immediately know that you are not only getting the best product, but the right ones installed in the right places throughout your home or business that are going to give you full protection.

Considered monitored safety alarm systems:

They can even be integrated with your home security system where they are monitored. This is ideal for those who are hard of hearing and may not respond to an alarm quickly enough. Or, if you have pets in the home and are away during the day. Fire and noxious fumes mishaps can occur any time day or night, and if you have pets in the home and happen to be away when this occurs who is there to help them? A monitored safety alarm system eliminates that worry. It also ensures that the fire department will be notified immediately saving precious emergency response time.

Know what is protecting you:

Have a basic understanding of how these home safety systems work. Smoke rises so therefore the smoke alarms should be installed above eye level and ideally on the ceilings. Statistics show that often fires occur very late at night or in the early morning hours while many people are sleeping. The best locations for these home safety units are near your bedroom doors. As a backup you may want to even install one in each of the bedrooms as well.  Also, there should be one on every level of your home including your basement.

Additional protection:

Although fire is always our number one concern because we hear of this sort of catastrophe on almost a daily basis, there are other safety concerns that need to be considered as well.

Heat detectors

There are some places where smoke detectors are really not efficient. These are areas such as the kitchen, garage, high heated areas and even some areas of the basement. In these places the ideal protection is a monitored heat detector system. If activated, it will send an alert to the control panel which in turn will trigger a response from the 24 hour central monitoring station. Heat detectors certainly do have some additional safety advantages.

Natural gas

If you are using natural gas appliances or products, then to ensure your safety you can easily have a natural gas detector installed on each floor of your home. These alarms will alert you should a gas leak be present.

Carbon monoxide

This is a gas that can be a silent killer because it is not detected by humans or animals. It is highly toxic. Quality alarms built to identify the presence of this gas should be installed near the sleeping areas,15-20 feet away from fuel burning heaters ,and places where high humidity is present.

Radon Gas Detector

You may not be as familiar with Radon gas as with some of the other potential perils we have talked about. This is a gas that could be potentially present in your home without you knowing it. It too can be a silent killer. The gas comes from the natural substances found in the underground area of your home. In small amounts it creates no concerns, but it can accumulate and create a health hazard.

Your home safety alarms response

There is no point in having top quality personal safety security systems in your home if you are not going to respond to them correctly.

Make sure every member of your family takes the sounding of the safety alarms seriously.

Have a evacuation plan in place. Make sure that every family member knows what this plan is.

Have safety alarm response drills on a regular basis.

Here at pre-lock security we are a group of expert Toronto locksmiths and security professionals who care about the personal safety of you, your family and your home. Be sure to talk to us about your safety alarm needs. Take the time now to fill in our form here on the right and take advantageous of our FREE security evaluation.