Every member of your household should be familiar with your fire escape plan and children are no exception! Teach your children what the smoke alarm sounds like and what they need to do when they hear the alarm sound. Remind them to never take batteries out of the alarm.
Involve your children in the monthly testing of the smoke alarm, the biannual battery replacement, and the purchasing of new smoke alarms.
In preparing for fires at night, parents must remember that some children may sleep through smoke alarms. Hold a fire drill at night and activate the fire drill while your children are sleeping in order to gauge whether the alarm is sufficient to wake them. If your children have a difficult time waking up once the alarm sounds, have another member of the household be responsible for waking them.
Alternatively, parents may opt to purchase vocal smoke alarms. These devices enable parents to record a personalized message for the child. Preliminary research suggests that these devices may be more effective in waking children from a deep sleep than traditional smoke alarms.