If you find that you are not sleeping well every night due to worrying about your home catching on fire, it is time to make some changes. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you and your family is protected. Below are things you can do to get you started on making your home safer.

Smoke Alarms

You may have smoke alarms in your house, but you may not have enough of them. According to the National Fire Protection Association, homes should have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, on each level of your home, and outside each sleeping area. You should also test your smoke alarms once a month, and replace the alarms every 10 years.

When purchasing smoke alarms, you will find two types: Photoelectric and ionization.  A photoelectric smoke alarm uses a light source and a photoelectric sensor. When there is a fire and smoke crosses the path of the sensor and light beam, the alarm sounds. This smoke alarm responds to slow smoldering fires.  An ionization smoke alarm responds best when your home has a raging fire.

For the best protection, choose both types of alarms in your home. You can find alarms that combine both photoelectric and ionization alarms, which are known as dual sensor alarms. Do not install the alarms near a drafty window or air vent, as the air may interfere with how well they work. Because smoke rises, install the alarms high on the ceiling.

When one alarm goes off someone may not hear it. To take care of this problem, hardwire your alarms. If you do this, if one alarm goes off the others will also go off at the same time.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions closely when installing the alarms.

Smoke Alarm Inspection

You should test the smoke alarm yourself periodically to ensure it is working properly. How you do this depends on the type of smoke alarm you purchase.

Every few years, you should hire an electrician to inspect the smoke alarm installation to conduct a fire alarm inspection service to ensure all wires are connected properly, and that there are no wires that are fraying.

If you do not want to install smoke alarms in your home yourself, hire a security company in your area to install them for you.  If one of your alarms go off, the company will be alerted immediately so they can send emergency personnel to your home quicker.