Most people forget to test their smoke alarms. If a fire occurs in your home, your chances for survival are two times better when smoke detectors are present than when they are not. Over 6,000 deaths occur in homes each year. Many never even wake up. A smoke detector is a fire alarm that buzzes when it detects smoke, warning you in time to escape.
Smoke detectors can be either house current or battery operated.
Either kind can do a good job. Make sure the model you choose has been listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. There should be a least one smoke detector in every house. Additional detectors will significantly increase your chances of survival. If you can handle a screwdriver, you can install most smoke detectors.