Unfortunately, there are millions of fires that happen in homes every year. If you want to protect your home and the people inside, than one of the best things that you can do is to install smoke detectors. A few years ago, it might have seemed okay to have just a couple smoke detectors in the entire house. People might have one in the kitchen and another in the bedroom. But now there are laws in place that have requirements on how many you need to have.

It is now a law in most places that there needs to be at least one smoke detector on every level of a person's home. If you just had an addition to your home, this space needs to be included as well. This law applies to all those that are living in townhomes, semi-detached properties, and single-family homes. These smoke detectors need to be changed at least once every ten years.

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There are fines associated with not adding in the appropriate number of smoke detectors and they can range from about two hundred dollars to well over twenty thousand dollars. So, if you're looking to save money in your office or in your home, not putting in the proper fire protection would not be the way to do it. It is recommended that you have both a smoke detector and one that will check for carbon monoxide levels. These two devices together will cost you about sixty dollars each.

It is estimated that at least half of the fires that happen in homes could have been prevented or lessened had the person living there had a working smoke detector. One percent of the fires that happen in homes result in death. This should be enough to make you want to make sure that there are enough working smoke detectors in your home at all times.

If you're currently renting a loft or apartment, for example, than you should make sure that your landlord is providing you with the safety precautions that you need. If they are not up to code this is something that you should definitely make a point of taking up with them. You might want to buy the detectors on your own and deduct the cost from next month's rent to be proactive about the issue. It is a landlord's duty to make sure that the property they are renting is safe.

It is not enough to just have smoke detectors present in your home. They also need to be in working older. If you're busy raising children or working full-time you should still remember to take the time to check the batteries at least once a month.