How often should I check my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers?

How often should I check my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers?

Stacy Gerlich (Fire Captain & Paramedic) gives expert video advice on: Why are smoke detectors important?; How do I install a smoke detector?; How often should I check my smoke detectors and fire extinguishers? and more...

With checking the batteries in your smoke detectors, there's two times when we make some changes in our household. We have daylight savings, so we change the times on our clock and We spring ahead, where we fall back. So I like to incorporate as many things as we can. You have a smoke detector, so you should check your batteries every six months when you change the clock for daylight savings. If you really want to get technical, take a sharpie marker and put the date on the battery so that the next time you open up that cover on the detector, then you know when the last time you checked it was. The other things is on your fire extinguishers. It will tell you that you should refill them once a year, regardless of whether you use them or not. But, what I like to do again is incorporate all these things that we need to check, and you want to invert your fire extinguisher. Just turn it upside down, shake it a little bit, and then turn it right side up, because what happens is the powder inside cakes down. This way you keep it free flowing. And now you've incorporated all these things, and you don't have to try to remember that you have to check the smoke detector batteries this month, and do the extinguisher next month. You do them all together and it makes it easier for you. It's all about the preparation.