Skip to main content
Our Accessibility Statement

Why Early Detection Matters

Smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are your families first line of defense when it comes to a fire or CO emergency. Having properly working alarms can help provide you and your family with an early alert, giving you time to safely escape..

Did you Know:

  • Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and poisonous gas
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning #1 cause of accidental poisoning in the U.S.
  • 3 out of every 5 home fire deaths resulted from fires with no working smoke alarms.
  • In the fires where a smoke alarm was present, but did not operate, half of them had missing or disconnected batteries. But when a home does have working smoke alarms, it cuts the fatality risk in reported home fires in half
  • Only 43% of homeowners have an escape plan

Help protect what matters most by installing reliable protection you can trust from First Alert. Not only can early detection help your family safely escape a fire or CO emergency, but it can also help reduce the amount of damage done to your home. Click here for an educational smoke and CO brochure on why early detection matters. To protect your home and family, we offer a variety of smoke and CO alarms to best suit your needs. Learn more about the types of carbon monoxide alarms and types of smoke detectors.

Early Detection for Your Home

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms provide early warning in the event of a fire emergency. We offer alarms for any type of home including hardwired, wireless, battery-operated, and 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms. For added convenience, choose a 10-year sealed battery alarm for hassle-free protection for 10 years. First Alert 10-year sealed battery alarms eliminate the need for battery replacements for a decade and eliminate late night battery chirps. We also offer interconnected smoke alarms, so in the event of an emergency all alarms will sound as one.

Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Carbon monoxide alarms are the only way to detect CO in your home and provide early warning to this deadly gas. First Alert offers a variety of CO alarms to meet your family’s needs, whether at home or on the go! Our Carbon Monoxide Alarm with 10-Year Battery and Digital Temperature Display requires no installation and can simply be placed on a table top. It can even be taken with you while traveling! Another option is our plug-in CO alarms, which can be plugged into any standard electrical socket.

Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

A combination smoke and CO alarm provides 2-in-1 protection against both types of danger in your home. We offer combo alarm with a built in 10-year battery and hardwired alarms with battery backup to provide continuous protection during power outages. Other features like voice and location alerts warn you to the type and location of danger in your home to help you escape safely.

Placement and Maintenance

Just having smoke and CO alarms is not enough. You also need to ensure they are properly placed throughout your home and functioning correctly. Smoke and CO alarms should be placed on every level of your home, including the basement, as well as inside and outside each sleeping area. Be sure to test your alarms regularly and replace the batteries every six months, unless you upgrade to 10-year sealed battery alarms. Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years and CO alarms should be replaced every 5 to 7 years.

Where to Place Smoke Alarms, CO Detectors and Fire Extinguishers

Smoke and CO alarms work around the clock, day and night, to alert you and your family to a fire or CO emergency. Help protect what matters most by installing early detection in your home.

Having alarms is the first step to protecting your family, the next is to create an emergency escape plan to help your family safely escape. Learn more about escape planning and get our escape planning worksheet to help teach your children!

Source: National Fire Protection Association