Did you know that smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms have different beeps to sound alarms? As part of National Fire Prevention Week, October 3 through October 9, the City of Mankato encourages community members to “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety” because it can save lives.
Help Us Help You Stay Safe
- Know the difference between the sound of a smoke alarm and a carbon monoxide alarm:
- Three beeps for smoke alarms.
- Four beeps for CO alarms.
- When a smoke or CO alarm sounds, respond immediately by exiting the home as quickly as possible.
- If a smoke alarm begins to chirp, it may mean batteries are running low and need to be replaced. Replace the alarm if chirping continues after batteries are replaced.
- If the CO alarm sounds, check for low batteries and replace. Call 911 if the alarm continues to sound.
- If someone in your household is deaf or hard of hearing, install a bed shaker and strobe light alarms to alert that person to a fire.
- Once a month, once a year, once a decade:
- Test all smoke and CO alarms monthly to make sure they are working.
- Make a plan and practice escaping once a year.
- Replace all smoke alarms every 10 years from the manufacturing date, and replace CO alarms based on manufacturer instructions.
