Check your smoke alarms CO detectors

With Daylight savings time coming up this Saturday, October 31st, it's good to get in the habit to check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks. There should be a test button on each detector.

Though the regulations can change some from town to town as to the placement of the detectors and the age of the house could affect whether you need battery operated and/or hard wired alarms, in general you should have a smoke detector on each living level (on the ceiling) and at the base of the basement stairs on the ceiling as well. On the bedroom level there should be one centrally located between them again on the ceiling. If one is already covering that living level an addition one is usually not requires.

Carbon monoxide detectors need to be on each living level. If the basement has a finished room, one would be required. Plug in co detectors are usually acceptable as long as they have battery back up.

In Massachusetts, it is a requirement to have the smoke alarms and co detectors inspected and certified by the local fire department relating to the correct placement and tested to make sure the work properly.