Florida Today, recently reported on a fire that destroyed two mobile homes in Brevard County. Investigations into the fire deemed to be a faulty furnace heating one of the homes. They also reported that both homes had smoke alarms but neither was working because of dead batteries. This should serve as a timely reminder to make regular checks of your smoke alarms to ensure they are in good working order and to change batteries if needed. This is also a good time to review your insurance coverage for such an event with your Florida insurance agent.

In this instance the home where the fire started was not insured. The mobile home next door was luckily insured. This is a case where, through no fault of their own, a homeowner lost their home and possessions due to fire spreading from an adjacent property. No matter how vigilant you are with safety around your own home, you may still suffer because of fire from another property. Taking all precautions possible may alert you to the danger of a fire spreading from a neighboring blaze. Smoke alarms that are working, could mean the difference between residents escaping harm and being caught unaware.

Test your smoke alarms once a month by pressing the button and change batteries once a year. Why not do this at the start of every year so you easily remember the appropriate time? An annual check with your Florida insurance agent to ensure you have appropriate and adequate coverage would be another wise choice.