The Honolulu Fire Department offers the following Monthly Safety Tip for April 2008:

Is a smoke alarm really necessary in your home? The answer is 'Yes, absolutely.'

Smoke alarms are proven lifesavers. Fires produce smoke and toxic gases, which can numb your senses and prevent you from reacting to the fire. This is especially true at night when you and your family are asleep. A working smoke alarm gives you early notification of a fire and time to escape. Here are some smoke alarm safety tips:

1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your house and outside of every sleeping area.

2. Test smoke alarms once a month.

3. Replace smoke alarm batteries once a year or when the smoke alarm chirps to signal that the battery is low.

While a smoke alarm can give you advanced warning, you must have advanced planning to escape a fire. Work with everyone in your family to make a fire escape plan. Here are some tips to prepare a plan:

1. Plan two ways out of every room.

2. Plan a meeting place outside where everyone should gather.

3. Plan to stay out, once you're out!

4. Plan a drill where you activate your smoke alarm and practice your fire escape plan.