10 Things a Firefighter Would NEVER Do With a Smoke Alarm

When did you last press the test button on your smoke alarm? I spent thirty years as a fire captain, and I’ve seen alarms still hanging on the ceiling after a fire—silent when they were needed most. In this video, I’m going through 10 things I would never do with a smoke alarm, including: Keeping alarms too close to the kitchen Using too few alarms in the house Ignoring basements, garages, and carbon monoxide risks Painting over or disconnecting wired alarms Forgetting monthly tests Keeping alarms longer than ten years Removing the battery Leaving bedrooms unprotected I’ll also show you the simple monthly routine I use to make sure the alarms are ready before the night they matter most. 0:00 Why smoke alarms matter 0:42 Keep alarms from kitchens 1:55 Use multiple alarms per floor 2:58 Protect basements and garages 4:03 Add carbon monoxide alarms 6:07 Keep paint from blocking alarms 7:51 Fix disconnected wired alarms 8:30 Test alarms every month 9:24 Replace alarms after ten years 10:33 Put alarms inside bedrooms 11:37 Never remove the battery 13:05 Follow a monthly alarm routine #FireSafety #SmokeAlarms #HomeSafety #FirefighterTips #CarbonMonoxideSafety