By Peggy Jo Goodfellow, Arizona Farm Bureau: Recently one of our smoke alarms at home began to chirp: the sound that tells you your smoke-detector battery is low and needs replacing. It was 4 a.m. and the chirping belonged to the alarm over the stairway, the hardest one to reach. We were a bit grumpy by the time we got the chirping to stop and got downstairs to watch the morning news.

As we turned on the television the news reported a fire had completely destroyed a family home. All of the people got out okay, but not their pets. Our hearts ached for this family; we counted our blessings that we only had the inconvenience of waking up early to a chirping smoke detector. As a result of our experience and the devastating reminder about house fires on the morning news, we put new batteries in all six of our smoke alarms that day. (Special note: Often, it’s worth the cost to replace all smoke-alarm batteries when just one goes out. You’ll have peace of mind that all batteries are newly replaced.)

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) someone in the United States dies in a house fire every three hours, averaging approximately 3,000 deaths each year. Arm yourself with the right equipment to help prevent a small, self-contained fire from spreading out of control.

Don’t be a statistic. Be Safe.

Here are the four most important tips that can help shield your family from danger at home.

  1. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
  2. Place a fire extinguisher within reach on every level of your home.
  3. Install carbon monoxide alarms on each floor and near bedrooms.
  4. Create an escape plan with your family.

Farm Bureau members are fortuante to have Grainger as a member benefit provider.  Members can receive 10% off, plus free shipping on everything they order at Grainger,com. Not just smoke alarms but fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors and a wide variety of home improvement items.

Editor’s note: For more information on our member benefits including our regional benefits go to Arizona Farm Bureau’s member benefits page online. Or, download the Member Benefits app to your smart phone for easy, everyday access to your benefits.

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