Dear FlyLady,

I want to say thank you for all that you do to help us turn our houses into homes.

I recently started a new job at our local fire department and my whole job is to teach people of all ages how to protect their homes. I just read your e-mail about the FlyLady dryer kit and think it is a fabulous product.

I’m hoping that you can also help spread the word about smoke detectors and escape plans.

Every home needs to have working smoke detectors DO NOT DELAY on doing this. If people cannot afford smoke detectors or don’t know how to install them, I urge them to contact their local fire department for guidance (for example, our department will provide and install them for free thanks to a state grant). Maybe they can do this on their anti-procrastination day?

Also, once a month, smoke detectors need to be tested. I have a sticker (I use the heart shaped ones that came with the dog’s medicine) on the 13th of each month on my calendar…this is the day that I give the dog his heartworm pill, check our smoke detectors, and use a natural anti-build up product on our sinks.

All three of these take less than 10 minutes to complete and save me a lot of money/frustration/negativity in the long run.

Twice a year people need to change the batteries in their detectors and practice their escape plan. We urge people to do this when they change their clocks in the spring and fall (but any dates about 6 months apart will work if you live in an area that doesn’t do time change).

Thanks again FlyLady for changing my life, and so many others, 15 minutes at a time.

Kara, FireFlying in Texas