"Start the back-to-school season right by creating a safer home and healthier lifestyle for yourself and for your children" says Debra Holtzman, J.D., M.A., a world- renowned safety and health expert and best selling author of The Safe Baby: A Do-it-yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living (Sentient Publications, 2009).  Take these important do-it-yourself steps to make day-to-day living less hazardous and to be ready for emergencies.

1. Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. Change batteries at least once every year; test them monthly; replace the units every 10 years. Smoke alarms can cut your family's chances of dying in a fire by nearly half. Battery operated smoke alarms cost from $7 to 25, depending on their features. Plan escape routes and conduct fire drills with the entire family at least twice a year. Designate a fixed place outside the home—such as a lamppost, tree or mailbox—where family will meet. (Don't make the meeting place a vehicle or any object that can be moved.) 

2.  Install battery-operated carbon monoxide alarms or plug-in CO alarms with battery back-up: Install a CO alarm in the hallway near the bedrooms in each separate sleeping area. In addition, place one at least 15 feet from any fuel-burning appliance. CO Alarms range in price from $20 to $60. 

Remember, the proper installation, operation and maintenance of all of fuel-burning appliances is the most important factor in reducing the risk of CO poisoning.

3.  Three Activities to NEVER do:

-- burn charcoal in homes, tents, vehicles or garages

-- run a car in a garage, even if the garage doors are open

-- operate any sort of portable generator indoors, including homes, garages, basements, carports, crawl spaces and other enclosed or partially enclosed areas, even with ventilation.

Follow the instructions that come with your portable generator. Locate the unit outdoors and away from doors, windows, and vents that could allow CO to come indoors.

4.  Set hot water heaters no higher than 120 degrees F. Water with 140 degrees F. will produce a third-degree burn on a child in just 3 seconds! A lower water temperature will reduce the chance of scald burns.

5.  Assemble a fully stocked disaster supplies kit. Include baby supplies, nonperishable foods, water, prescription and necessary OTC medication, manual can opener, flashlights, radio, and batteries. Include essential items for your pets. Your kit should contain at a minimum, a 3-day supply. 

Buying tip: Look for flashlights and radios powered by hand cranking so you won't have to worry about depleted batteries when blackouts or emergencies hit.

6.  Adults and Teens should enroll in a CPR and first aid course.  Keep a fully stocked first aid kit on hand. 

7. Post emergency telephone numbers near every phone in your home. Put emergency numbers in your cell phone, too.  Include the National Poison Hotline (1-800-222-1222), Police, Pediatrician, Veterinarian, Dentist, Family Doctor, and Fire Department. Also include the telephone number of a friend or relative living outside of the emergency area. (A caller is more likely to connect with a long-distance number outside the emergency area than with a local number within it.) 

8.  Always use a food thermometer to be sure foods are safely cooked. Food-borne illness causes approximately 5,000 deaths each year in the United States.

9.  Test your home for radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and is estimated to cause about 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Because of the serious health threat posed by radon, the EPA and the Surgeon General recommend testing all homes below the third floor for radon.  Testing is easy and inexpensive. Your local health department may offer free kits or kits at a reduced price. You can also purchase kits at a local hardware or home improvement store. The price range is $10 to $45. Insist that your child's childcare center or school be tested. 

10.  Keep up-to-date on recalled products by visiting this website: http://www.Recalls.gov These are products that have been found to be unsafe, hazardous or defective.

Debra Holtzman has a law degree, an M.A. in occupational health and safety (OSHA), is an award-winning parenting author and mom. In addition to practicing law, Debra has worked as a safety and health consultant and has inspected numerous plants and factories for hazardous working conditions. She has been featured on NBC's Today Show, Dateline, ABC News and Discovery Health Channel and was named an "Everyday Hero" by Reader's Digest.  Her newest book, "The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living" (Sentient Publications, 2009) includes: latest up-to-date-information on baby safety; how to select safer toys, nursery equipment and cribs, and baby care supplies; How to create a healthy and green living lifestyle on a budget; What to do about pesticides and other chemicals, sprays and toxins in the home; How to make your own safer household cleaning products; how to make your own baby food; how to select and correctly install a car seat; how to get back to the basics of childrearing; pet safety; food safety tips at home and at restaurants, and money saving tips.

Debra also teaches infant and toddler safety and CPR at a regional hospital and is a certified child passenger safety technician.

Interviews may be arranged via http://thesafetyexpert.com