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As the granddaughter and great- granddaughter of FDNY firefighters, I take fire safety seriously. However, as a mother, I know how hard it is to do everything the NFPA says you should. However, there is really no excuse not to have working smoke detectors. Why?

Hamlet is just at the age where he understands "good" fire and "bad" fire. Even though the NFPA recommends having--and practicing--a family home evacuation plan, we haven't felt it wise to pursue this just yet. We'd rather keep it generic by letting Hamlet practice in a local department's smoke trailer (unless, of course, fire prevention and safety experts have tips on how to teach without scaring).

Also, don't disconnect smoke detectors, however temporarily. Tempting as this is when I cook something that generates a lot of smoke, which in turn sets off the detector that scares Hamlet, I know I'd forget to reconnect it. Additionally, detectors themselves don't last. We knew it was time to replace our 10-year-old detector when shower steam started to trigger it. If you live in an apartment building, all this is especially important; you can't trust what your neighbors are doing. (We had drug dealers in our old building.)

Finally, fire departments don't always have the budgets to educate people. If you have a family member who doesn't read or speak English, take the time to educate them. Working smoke detectors do save lives!