Alarms & Detectors

firefighter with fire truck, training

Alarms save lives and can sense smoke or odors well before you can, alerting you to danger. Learn how you can keep your home safe in emergency situations.

smoke alarm

Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms save lives. Fire spreads fast—working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly.

Smoke Alarm Safety Tips:

  • Install smoke alarms high on a wall or on the ceiling. Keep smoke alarms away from anything that can blow smoke away from the sensor, such as windows, air registers and ceiling fans.
  • It is recommended that smoke alarms be installed on every floor of your home and outside each sleeping area. For maximum protection, install a smoke alarm in every bedroom, especially if you sleep with your bedroom door closed.
  • People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers.
  • Read manufacturer's instructions carefully and follow them exactly.
  • When purchasing a smoke alarm, make sure that it has been tested to CAN / ULC 5531-M Standard or by an approved testing agency.

carbon monoxide alarm, test

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels burn incompletely. Since we cannot see, smell, or taste CO, we need to rely on carbon monoxide alarms to alert us.

Carbon Monoxide Safety

  • If the CO alarm sounds, immediately move to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door. Make sure everyone inside the home is accounted for. Call for help from a fresh air location and stay there until emergency personnel declare that it is safe to re-enter the home.
  • CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home and in other locations where required by applicable laws, codes or standards. For the best protection, interconnect all CO alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • Test CO alarms at least once a month; replace them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 
  • If the audible trouble signal sounds, check for low batteries. If the battery is low, replace it. If it still sounds, call the fire department.