Whether you own a home or rent, there are some things you should do right now to help make sure you're safe. How long has it been since you've tested your smoke detector? Does it need a new battery? The same goes for carbon monoxide detectors. Not only is it smart to make sure you have CO detectors in your home, it's the law, here's what you need to know.

Let's start with smoke, alarms smoke rises, so smoke detectors should be placed on the ceiling or as high on the wall as possible within at least six inches of the ceiling have at least one smoke alarm in each bedroom outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of your home, including the basement, and make sure you test those smoke alarms every month and replace the batteries at least twice a year.

You might not think carbon monoxide is a big threat, since you can't see it, but CO poisoning is blamed for about 2,000 deaths every year in the u.s. so make sure you have a CO detector within 10 feet of every sleeping area and at least one on every level of your home. That's the law. Co can become trapped in your home when your furnace malfunctions so get your furnace checked every year.

By calling your energy provider correctly installed and maintained, CO and smoke alarms can save lives for information about fire safety, smoke detectors, &, Co, alarms, visit the city of Minneapolis website.