You're counting down to "labor day." It's a busy time for dad – preparing the nursery, picking names and practicing breathing with the mom-to-be. But before that big "It's time!" announcement comes, there's one thing you must do. In all the excitement and the preparation, sometimes the most important thing – safety – is overlooked. It's important that you take the necessary steps to assure your baby's safety now, before he or she even arrives.

How should you do that? Well, let's start by evaluating your home's fire prevention plan. According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, more than 600 children ages 14 and under die each year in fire, and nearly 47,000 more are injured. The youngest children are at the greatest risk, and kids under 5 are twice as likely to die in a fire as the rest of the population. Convinced yet?

Preparation, education and proper use of safety devices are key elements of preventing these tragedies. The first step is to assure that your home is equipped with working, properly-installed smoke detectors. Smoke detectors provide early warning of a fire, allowing your family to take the necessary action to protect themselves. You should follow the steps below to assure that your home is receiving the optimal protection from its smoke detectors:

Smoke detectors should be installed in the hallways of each level of the house, as well as in the sleeping area. There should be at least one smoke detector on each level of the house, including the basement and attic.

There are two common types of smoke detectors. The first, the ionization smoke detector, features a harmless radioactive source within a dual detection chamber. These detectors respond to invisible byproducts of combustion. They sense a change in the electrical conductivity across an internal detection chamber. Even when smoke is invisible to the human eye, it can be "seen" by the ionization smoke detector, which will then sound an alarm. They are prone to false alarms when located near a gas range, but work fine anywhere else.

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