Interactive Home Fire-Safety Checklist & Smoke Alarm Calculator

How fire-ready is your home? Tick off each item you’ve already done. Your score updates as you go and is saved in this browser so you can come back later. Then use the calculator to see when your smoke alarms are due for replacement.

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Smoke & CO alarms

A smoke alarm is installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level (including the basement, if any). I pressed the test button on every alarm this month. No alarm is more than 10 years past its manufacture date (check the label on the back). Carbon monoxide alarms are installed on every level and outside sleeping areas (required if you have gas appliances, an attached garage or use a generator). Alarms are interconnected, so when one sounds they all sound.

Escape plan

We drew a floor plan showing two ways out of every room. Windows and doors open easily; security bars and hurricane shutters have quick-release mechanisms. We agreed on an outside meeting place a safe distance from the house. We practiced a home fire drill in the last six months — including at night. Everyone knows to “get out, stay out” and call 911 from outside. Our house number is clearly visible from the street, day and night.

Kitchen

We stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling. A pan lid is kept nearby to smother a grease fire — we never use water on it. Towels, packaging and curtains are kept away from the stovetop. We have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove.

Electrical & batteries

E-bikes, scooters and power tools are charged with the manufacturer’s charger, on a hard surface, and never overnight or unattended. Our battery-powered devices carry a recognized safety certification (e.g. UL 2849 / UL 2272). No extension cords run under rugs; power strips are not daisy-chained. The dryer lint filter is cleaned after every load.

Florida preparedness

Our portable generator is only run outdoors, at least 20 feet from the home, with exhaust pointed away from windows and doors. We keep a hurricane kit with flashlights (not candles), batteries, water, medicines and copies of documents. Dead vegetation, leaves and pine needles are cleared within 5 feet of the house. We check burn bans before burning any yard debris. We have a working ABC fire extinguisher and know the P.A.S.S. method.

Smoke-alarm replacement calculator

Smoke alarms should be replaced 10 years after the date of manufacture printed on the back. Enter that date to see when yours is due.

Manufacture date (month & year)

Go deeper

This checklist is general guidance and does not replace a professional inspection or the instructions of your local fire department. In an emergency, call 911.