About one in four American adults live with a disability that could make them more vulnerable in the event of a home fire. To stay safe, it is important to know your risk and build your home safety plan around your abilities. The Melbourne Fire Department encourages you to consider the following safety tips from the U.S. Fire Administration:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
• Interconnect your alarms, so when one sounds, they all sound.
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use smoke alarms with a vibrating pad, flashing light or strobe light. These accessories start when your alarm sounds.
• Test your alarms every month.
• Plan your escape around your abilities.
• Know two ways out of every room.
• If possible, live near an exit.
• You’ll be safest on the ground floor if you live in an apartment building.
• If you live in a multistory home, sleep on the first floor.
• Being on the ground floor and near an exit will make your escape easier.

Additional safety tips and resources are available from the U.S. Fire Administration. 

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test your alarms monthly.