A smoke detector could save your family - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

A smoke detector could save your family

By: Kate Pabich
kpabich@cbs4qc.com

It's small enough to fit in your hands but big enough to save your whole family, and with the third fire hitting Rock Island in just one week, it's a necessity. 

It's as simple as grabbing a ladder and pressing the test button. Making sure your smoke detector works could make all the difference if there's a fire.

Fire officials say everyone should have changed the batteries in their smoke alarms when they turned their clocks back.

The most recent fire in Rock Island hit Monday morning, and some neighbors in the area took a second to think about how often they test their smoke alarms.

For Andrew Brown, it's never.

"It never really occurred to me, if I'd been in a fire I might be a little more conscious about it but I never really think to check the smoke detectors"

He says he will from now on.

The US Fire Administration says you should check them at least once a month, and if they're not working get them replaced as soon as possible.