The devices that warn a household — smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguishers — with their test and replacement intervals, and the preparation that makes an outage or a forecast storm survivable: supplies, documents, and equipment that was test-run before it was needed.
Common failure modes
- An alarm past the service life printed on its own back
- A battery removed to stop a nuisance alarm and never replaced
- An extinguisher that has lost pressure and was never checked
- Supplies bought once and now years past their date
- A plan that exists in one person's head and was never told to the household
Procedures
- How old is my carbon monoxide detector and when do I replace it
- How to change the battery in a smoke detector and test it
Where this stops
Hard-wired interconnected alarm systems and any change to alarm wiring need a qualified electrician. Structural storm protection, roof work, and medical guidance beyond the contents of a standard first aid kit are outside this repository.