Home Safety Features to Take Seriously!

Even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, spring will be on our doorstep before we know it. As the season of renewal, it’s the perfect time to check and/or replace your home’s key safety features. As scouts say, be prepared! 

Car and Truck Batteries

Photo Credit: Santeri Viinamäki

Don’t get stranded! Replacing a car battery is relatively easy within the world of automotive repair. Making it a part of scheduled maintenance can save you harm and heartache.

Vehicle batteries usually last two to five years depending on conditions. Extreme temperatures, vibrations and additional loads like MP3 players and GPS units can drain your battery of life and reliability. According to How Stuff Works, the best way to test a battery’s status is to have a tech use electronic testers to get a readout.

Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors

Replacing batteries in these two safety features could save your life. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, 2,745 people died in home structure fires in 2014. The CDC estimates more than 400 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning annually.

Make checking these systems part of your regular home maintenance routine. The U.S. Fire Administration suggests checking smoke alarms every month, replacing batteries at daylight savings time, and updating to new alarms every ten years. The CDC recommends changing CO detector batteries when setting the clocks back in autumn.

Visit the CDC and USFA for more information.

Two Way Radios and Walkie Talkies

Often recommended for emergency kits and action plans by organizations like the Red Cross, A two way radio system is great backup for communication. If power goes out or cell service is down, walkie talkies can provide communication services in a pinch. Make sure and keep an extra set of batteries on hand in case of emergency; radios can’t do much good without power.

Security Systems

Graphic Credit: Yuri Samoilov

Keep your home and family safe! According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, 73.2 percent of burglaries occurred on residential properties in 2014 with an average dollar loss of $2,251. Security systems can help deter unwanted intruders from gaining access to your home and alert authorities when they do. Make sure yours is up to date and has fresh batteries.

Flashlights

Photo Credit: Creative Tools, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

It’s simple, but you never know what could happen. A flashlight could be one of your most important assets in an emergency situation. Any number of incidents could result in power loss and low light. Take the initiative and put fresh batteries in your flashlights.

Visit Batteries + Bulbs of North Kansas City for extensive rebate offers on power and lighting inventory.