Please help us to help you. These are some things that can save a life.
Make sure you have enough smoke alarms in your home. At a minimum there should be one on each floor, one at the top of every staircase and one outside the bedroom area. This is one time when more is better - if in doubt put in more.
Alright now you have enough smoke alarms - all you have to do is to remember to change the batteries 2X per year. The easiest way to remember when it's time to change them is to always change the batteries when you change your clocks.
CO alarms are also a true life saver. CO is a colorless odorless gas and it can kill you. CO is caused from fuel that is not completely burned and is not properly vented outside. Vents get partially plugged from leaves, birds, sticks etc and the problem begins. If your CO detector goes off, leave the house immediately and call 911. We will be on our way!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear your seatbelt! You are the one your children look up to. Please make sure that your children are always in their car seats if they are required by law and properly buckle them in. Older children should always wear their seat belt. If they use a seat belt consistently now they will grow up and continue to use it. There are so many things outside your car that you have no control over - you do have control over the safety that the seat belts offer.
Remember there are different kinds of fire extinguishers - make sure you have the right kind for the job. Electrical fires should never be put out with water. Check your extinguishers before you need them to make sure they are properly charged.
Do you know what to do in case of an emergency? Take a CPR and First Aid class to protect your family.
Everyone loves a fireplace but if you don't keep your chimney cleaned you can end up with a fire caused by creosote buildup in the chimney catching fire. Next time you are enjoying the fireplace remember to call someone to clean it out. This is a particularly dangerous time of year because with the warm days people tend to keep the fire lower and this causes a build up of creosote.